Swimming off the boat is one of the best parts of a day at sea, but it's also where small mistakes turn serious fast. The good news: most swimming incidents don't come from deep water, they come from drifting away from the boat. The current moves you slowly, you don't notice, and suddenly the boat is too far to swim back to.
Don't let anyone get in until the boat is properly anchored and holding. Pick a sandy, sheltered spot, drop the anchor, and let out enough chain so the boat sits steady instead of swinging with the current.
The single most important step: switch the engine OFF and take the key out, well away from kids. An engine that starts by accident turns a good day into a bad one.
Agree on the swim zone first: the boat is the centre point, and the boundary is where you can still see it clearly. Kids and non-swimmers stay close to the ladder, and everyone enters feet first, not head first.
Sort the deck itself too: a clean, secure ladder, clear space at the stern, and a line to hold if the current is running.
The calm window around a tide change is often the best time to swim. If the current is running, swim into it while you're fresh and keep the return easy. Set a short zone and never swim farther from the boat than you can comfortably swim back.
Shallow water matters here as well. When the tide pulls out, a spot that was chest deep can become sand and rock close to the surface, so move your swimming area away from anything that dries out.
Inside the B7R app you can check tide times for Shuwaikh and Shuaiba ports, so you pick your swim window knowing where the water is going instead of guessing.
Not every seabed is safe to stand on or swim over. Urchins, coral and rock cut, and cuts get infected, so watch for jellyfish in season too. Wear water shoes and don't touch anything on the bottom.
Keep the boat itself tidy as well: no loose glass or cans on deck, and tie down anything the wind can lift. Most small problems start with something small.
Throw first, don't jump. Toss a float, a line, anything that floats, and keep visual and voice contact. Jumping in after a tired swimmer can make you the second casualty. Use the SOS button the moment it stops being something you can handle.
If you're the one drifting, don't fight the current until you're exhausted. Stay calm, float on your back, raise one arm so the deck can spot you, and move across the current rather than straight into it.
Re-board at the stern using the ladder, and keep the engine off until everyone is counted on deck. Count again before you start up.
The B7R app keeps navigation tools, the SOS button and sea state in one place, so you set the trip up before it starts.
The B7R app is free on Google Play, download it here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.q8dm.b7r