Introduction: Drownings are a widespread public health problem. The chances of being successfully rescued from the water are influenced by a number of factors, including the amount of clothes worn by the rescuer, which may increase the rescuer’s weariness and, consequently, the duration and success of the rescue attempt. Purpose: To determine how different amounts of clothes affect the swimmers’ swimming speed, well-being and weariness. The thesis also takes a look at the correlation between the self-assessment of swimming skills and the speed of swimming when wearing different amounts of clothes. Methods: By means of two questionnaires and measurements of swimming speed a survey was conducted, encompassing 32 adult test subjects. All the participants filled in an entry form, and a self-assessment questionnaire on their knowledge of swimming and on their medical condition. Afterwards, the test subjects swam the distance of 50 m in a 25-metre indoor pool; first in swimsuits, then in swimsuits, trousers and T-shirts, and in the end in swimsuits, trousers, T-shirts and hooded sweaters. They had a 15-minute break between each test. The semi time after 25 m and the total time after 50 m were measured. After the first and final test, the test subjects filled in a questionnaire on their well-being when swimming. Results: The survey involved 12 women and 20 men. The majority of the test subjects (21/32) rated their knowledge of swimming as very good or excellent. On average, the swimmers covered the distance of 50 m the fastest in swimsuits (53.7 s), as anticipated; they swam slower (65 s) in swimsuits, trousers and T-shirts, and the slowest (73 s) when wearing the most clothes. Those who had rated their knowledge of swimming as excellent, swam 28.1 % faster in swimsuits, 26.2 % faster in trousers and T-shirts, and 23.5 % faster when fully dressed than those who had rated their knowledge of swimming as very good, good or safe. After swimming in all three combinations of clothes, the average heart rate was around 131 beats/min. After swimming fully dressed, the test subjects most often said they felt their heart pounding (91 %), an inability to relax (63 %), weakness in the legs and difficulty breathing (50 %). Discussion and conclusion: The speed of swimming decreases as the amount of clothes increases. Different amounts of clothes affect the swimmers’ self-assessment of well-being and their exhaustion. Teaching swimming skills is an important factor in the prevention of drownings, but it must also stress the importance of taking off redundant clothes before rescuing a drowning person by jumping into the water.
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