Water Safety

Water Smarts

Take these sensible precautions when you’re around water (even if you’re not planning to swim): 

• Know your limitations, including physical fitness, medical conditions. 
• Never swim alone; swim with lifeguards and/or water watchers present. 
• Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket appropriate for your weight and size and the water activity. Always wear a life jacket while boating, regardless of swimming skill. 
• Swim sober. 
• Understand the dangers of hyperventilation (rapid or deep breaths that can cause lightheadedness, chest pain, and feeling out of breath) and hypoxic blackout (losing consciousness from holding breath too long). 
• Know how to call for help. 
• Understand and adjust for the unique risks of the water environment you are in, such as: 
  • River currents. 
  • Water temperature. 
  • Shallow or unclear water. 
  • Underwater hazards, such as vegetation, rocks and animals. 

Swimming Skills

Learn how to perform these 5 skills in every type of water environment that you may encounter (such as in home pools, oceans, lakes, rivers and streams): 

1. Enter water that’s over your head, then return to the surface. 
2. Float or tread water for at least 1 minute. 
3. Turn over and turn around in the water. 
4. Swim at least 25 yards. 
5. Exit the water. 

Helping Others

These actions will help your family avoid emergencies – and help you respond if an emergency occurs:  

• Paying close attention to children or weak swimmers you are supervising in or near water. 
• Knowing the signs that someone is drowning. 
• Knowing ways to safely assist a drowning person, such as “reach or throw, don’t go”. 
• Knowing CPR and first aid.