Water Safety

Make Water Safety Your Priority

Swim in designated areas and be familiar with your surroundings.
Use the buddy system, even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach.
Even if you do not plan on swimming, be cautious around natural bodies of water; cold temperatures, currents and underwater hazards can make a fall into these bodies of water dangerous.
If you go boating, wear a life jacket! Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
Avoid alcohol use. Alcohol impairs judgment, balance and coordination; affects swimming and diving skills; and reduces the body's ability to stay warm.
While you're enjoying the water, keep alert and check the local weather conditions.
Actively supervise children whenever around the water, even if lifeguards are present.
Always stay within arm's reach of young children and avoid distractions when supervising children around water.
Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child's life to another child. Teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone.

Install and use barriers around your home pool or hot tub. Safety covers and pool alarms can be added as additional layers of protection.
Ensure that pool barriers enclose the entire pool area, are at least 4 feet high with gates that are self-closing, self-latching and open outward and away from the pool. The latch should be high enough to be out of a small child's reach.
If you have an above-ground or inflatable pool, remove access ladders and secure the safety cover whenever the pool is not in use.
Remove any structures that provide access to the pool, such as outdoor furniture, climbable trees, decorative walls and playground equipment.
Keep toys that are not in use away from the pool and out of sight. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

If a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability.
Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
If you own a home pool or hot tub, have appropriate equipment, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.

Swimming in open waters takes different skills.
Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets in and the around water.
Protect your neck and don't dive head-first. Check for depth and obstructions before diving and go in feet first the first time.
Pay especially close attention to children and elderly persons when at the beach. Even in shallow water, wave action can cause a loss of footing.
Keep a lookout for aquatic life. Water plants and animals may be dangerous. Avoid patches of plants. Leave animals alone.

Rip currents are responsible for deaths on our nation's beaches every year and for most of the rescues performed by lifeguards.
Rip currents can form in any large open water area, such as low spots and breaks in sandbars, or near structures such as jetties and piers.
Stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties. Permanent rip currents often exist near these structures.
If you are caught in a rip current, stay calm and do not fight the current.
Swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Once you are free, turn and swim toward shore.
If you can't swim to the shore, float or tread water until you are free of the rip current and then head toward shore.
If you feel you can't make it to the shore, draw attention to yourself by waving and calling for help.
If someone is in trouble in the water, get help from a lifeguard. If a lifeguard is not available, have someone call 9-1-1.Throw the victim something that floats – a lifejacket, cooler, inflatable ball – and yell instructions on how to escape the current.
When at the beach, check conditions before entering the water. Check to see if any warning flags are up or ask a lifeguard about water conditions, beach conditions or any potential hazards.