By Foss Swim School
Learning to be safer around water isn’t a one-and-done achievement. Every swim skill a person learns that helps them stay afloat longer, or reach safety that’s further away, essentially improves the odds that an unexpected encounter with water will have a happy ending.
That’s why formal swim instruction is associated with a greatly reduced risk of drowning, and why Foss Swim School makes water safety techniques a lesson that is taught early and often. For parents and loved ones, there are lessons for you to learn too. Here are six facts you should have at the front of your mind every time you or your family are around water.
- There is no such thing as “drown proof:” It’s tempting to believe that once a child has passed a certain class, they are safe. Unfortunately, it’s just not true. Water safety is a sliding scale – even a few skills will improve safety to some degree, and the more a student learns, and the more endurance and confidence they build, the safer they will be. Still, there is no complete safety – even world-class swimmers can drown accidentally. So, build all the skills you can, and even then know there are more steps you can take to be even safer.
- Drowning is silent: If you picture drowning like the movies, with a person thrashing and yelling for help, it’s time for a mental reset. Drowning is silent, and by the time a person realizes they are in danger, they are often low in the water, out of breath and can’t get their arms above the water. The only possible protection in this case is a swim buddy, lifeguard or water watcher who can perform a rescue or get help immediately.
- False confidence can be dangerous: It’s natural to want to help kids feel confident in water and to protect them from anything scary or uncomfortable, but especially with young kids, this can cause dangerous self-confidence or lack of respect for water. Some water play can be fun, but a child also needs to know what it feels like to be unsupported in the water. They need to learn how buoyancy works and how to maneuver in water to improve water safety. Without that knowledge and respect, kids may not understand the danger and may jump in on their own and be surprised to find they end up over their head. Here are examples of how parents can create false confidence:
- Always catching a child when they jump in the pool
- Always putting on water wings or flotation
- Holding a child up so they never get water on their face or in their ears
- The best water safety is multi-layered: Learning to swim is vital, but even exceptional swimmers can drown. The best approach is multi-layered: physically restrict access to water for children and have alarms on pool gates; supervise kids near water, even if it’s not a water activity; get swimming lessons; use life jackets on open water; and be prepared for emergencies with CPR training. Learn about the layers from the National Drowning Prevention Alliance.
- There is no substitute for attention: Many child drownings happen with adults in attendance – but no one paying attention. Adults need to practice active watching – whomever is responsible for watching swimmers cannot be also reading a book, on a phone, or deep in conversation. If responsibility is rotated, a new water watcher must be clearly named and made responsible. Communicating and agreeing to the Water Watcher rules in a group can help improve attention and safety.
- It’s never too late to learn to swim for safety: Sometimes we hear parents lament “we never put our child in swim lessons, and now it’s too late.” Not true! Sooner is better than later, but later is better than never. Even a few basic skills improve safety, and in some ways older swimmers are capable of learning faster and practicing harder. FOSS offers classes for older first-time swimmers and private lessons for adults, and there are other programs available too.
With those basic facts in mind, you are better prepared to have a safety mindset when you and your friends or family are around water. Water demands respect, which you can give by taking precautions, giving water safety its due attention, and being prepared to act in emergencies.
Water is an almost endless source of fun. We hope you and your loved ones all develop a love of water and find ways to enjoy it all through your lives. By remembering key facts about water safety, you can!
