INSIGHT
On 15th March 1959, Robert Foster (USA) voluntarily held his breath for 13 minutes and 42 seconds under 3.05 metres of water in a swimming pool in California, setting the first world record for the longest time breath held voluntarily by a ...
GUIDANCE
Extended, underwater breath-holding by human beings for food gathering is a practice that can be dated back over 2,000 years via sources in Japanese art and literature (Nukada, 1965). Around the world, extended breath-holding still feature...
GUIDANCE
Is drowning a hazard?
Drowning is not a hazard or "something with the potential to cause harm". It is a process that results in distress and may or may not lead to death, morbidity or no morbidity.
If drowning isn't a hazard, what i...
FAQ
What is guidance?
In litigation, guidance is part of the evidence relied on by the parties in the case. It is not immediately admissible and is adduced typically through witness statements, expert opinion, and exhibits.
Do you have to co...
WIRH
Our aim
Our aim is to catalogue as many UK water incidents as survive in the public domain. We have begun to extend our catalogue to water incidents involving UK citizens abroad.
Our purpose
This data is collected to inform the developm...
GUIDANCE
A short guide to Coroner's inquests when investigating drowning cases in commercial and non-commercial settings in England and Wales.
Who are Coroners?
A coroner is an independent judicial office holder appointed by a local authority...
Homepage > Incident Reports > Residential Waters
Abdul-Moeez Hayyat was 19 months old when he drowned in a swimming pool at a garden party at his grandparent’s home in Aylesbury on 6 April 2010. Whilst his family were in the kitchen, Abdul was playi...
Homepage > Incident Reports > Commercial Pools
A nine-year-old boy (“AB”) who can’t be named for legal reasons was taking part in a swimming lesson at Harlow Fields School and College on Wednesday, 23 March 2011, when he got into difficulty in the w...
Homepage > Incident Report > Commercial Pools
Adil Naseem was 11 years old when he and 46 other children from Feltham Hill School went swimming at an activity centre in Chalfont, Buckinghamshire, in July 1997. Adil got into difficulty whilst using t...
