This July, Finland saw a sharp rise in drownings and other dangerous water incidents. The Finnish Swimming Teaching and Lifesaving Federation (FSL) attributes the increase to hot weather and the busy holiday season.
As of 20 July, seven people have drowned in Finland this month. In addition, there have been several incidents requiring resuscitation and dozens of near-drowning situations that needed official intervention.
On Sunday morning, two of five people who fell into the sea at Yyteri Beach near Pori were found dead. Several near-drowning incidents have also occurred this July. In the past week, three children who nearly drowned were successfully resuscitated at a swimming beach and an outdoor pool in Espoo.
Several close calls involving children were also reported at public pools in the cities of Tampere and Turku last week.
In June, drownings in Finland were significantly lower than last year — eight this year compared to 23 in the same period in 2024.
"There were actually somewhat fewer drownings in June, likely due to cooler weather. Unfortunately, now with the hot weather, there have been significantly more dangerous situations and drownings," said Kristiina Heinonen, Executive Director of FSL.
The cooler early summer was also reflected in the unusually low number of missions carried out by the Finnish Lifeboat Association (Meripelastus in Finnish) during that period. However, the heatwave has since triggered a surge in activity.
"Over the past week, there have been many tasks of varying levels across the country, but early summer saw about 20 percent fewer missions than last summer," said Marko Stenberg, Head of Operations at the Association.
Cottage shores especially risky
By the end of June this year, most drownings occurred in western and inland Finland, regions known for their popular cottage destinations.
Kristiina Heinonen from FSL explained that familiar surroundings often create a false sense of security, making it harder to recognise dangers compared to less familiar environments.
"Most drownings happen at private shores. In familiar places, people tend to feel safer and may not wear life jackets," she said.
Marko Stenberg from the Finnish Lifeboat Association emphasises the importance of wearing life jackets whenever you're on the water, regardless of the environment.
"Life jackets are the number one priority when being on the water. Also, recognising your own capabilities is really important," he said.
Altogether, by the end of June, 40 people have drowned in Finland this year. Of these, 21 were men and six were women, while the gender was unknown in 13 cases. Last year, the total number of drownings was 88.
