Vanessa Abbess, whose 17-year-old son Joe drowned in a rip current in Bournemouth in May 2023, is urgently calling for the UK to appoint a water safety minister to address what she describes as a 'mind-blowing public health emergency' that is killing children. Her plea comes as she marked the third anniversary of Joe's death and learned that 19 people drowned in a single week last month.
Mother's Heartbreaking Déjà Vu
'I thought 'oh my God, it's happening again'. It was déjà vu, and my heart was breaking for the families,' she told The Mirror. Joe, a trainee chef at Southampton City College, died after a day at the beach with friends during half term. Despite being a strong swimmer, super fit, and known as 'the dad' of his friend group for his sensible nature, he was caught in a powerful rip current while waist-deep in the water within a flagged safe swimming zone near the lifeguard station.
On the same day, 12-year-old Sunnah Khan from Buckinghamshire also drowned, and eight others were rescued. Joe's last words to his mother were 'Bye mum, see you later, love you lots.' She sent him a text at 3:42 pm advising him to drink water, unaware that at that moment he was being pulled into the rip current.
The Tragic Day
Joe and his friends were knocked over by a sudden, ferocious rip current. Some managed to swim back, and one friend floated to safety. Joe was last seen heading toward shore but disappeared for 32 minutes until he was recovered face down by the RNLI on a jet-ski. He went into cardiac arrest on the beach and was pronounced dead at Bournemouth Hospital, though he had died on the sand.
Vanessa learned of the tragedy when Joe's friend called from his phone. An A&E doctor told her, 'There's no need to hurry because it's too late.' She fell to her knees sobbing. Since then, she has joined forces with Sunnah's mother, Stephanie, to spread water safety awareness.
Call for Government Action
Every year, the family returns to the beach on the anniversary of Joe's death. 'The sound of waves sends shivers down my spine,' Vanessa said. 'We need a water safety minister and we need drowning to be treated as the public health emergency that it is. There needs to be discussion about water safety as a whole.'
Since September 2023, she has worked with the Royal Life Saving Society UK, RNLI, HM Coastguard, and her MP Darren Paffey to raise awareness. In a message to the government, she pleads: 'Stop and listen, this is not an isolated case, Joe's story is one of many. So many young people should not be dying in the water every year. Lives could be saved with education, drowning is preventable.'
