How To Be Safe In The Water

There are a few different reasons that you should learn how to swim and one of them is that it can end up being a skill that can save either your life or the life of someone else. Even if you do not think that this will end up being a skill that you can really use in this manner, it can still be used as an aerobic exercise and used to lose weight. If you do decide to learn how to swim or to teach your children, you should realize that the act of swimming is not all that you need to teach them. Teaching them about safety around bodies of water such as the ocean, river, creek, and pool is just as important, perhaps even more so. All of the members of your household should know the rules about water safety, especially if you have a pool.

If you have a pool in your backyard or if you go to a community pool, you should never run around it. Whether the surface is concrete, natural stone, or anything else, slipping and falling into the pool and hitting your head on the side or the bottom is always a possibility. This can cause a great amount of injury and children young enough to walk should be taught to walk around the pool and not run for this exact reason. Make sure the adults in your house lead by example, though, since sometimes adults can act like kids, too.

If you go to a community pool or an area where there is a lifeguard, do not let yourself succumb to a false sense of security just because there is a lifeguard on duty. They are trained in CPR and first aid, but there are so many other people that they have to pay attention to, they may not see a problem happen immediately. Keep a watch on your children and make sure they have on the proper safety devices for their age and level of swimming experience. Small children should be confined to the shallow end of the pool and infants should be in a kiddie pool, if there is one.

Do not continue to swim in the pool if there are signs that a storm will start soon. As soon as the sky starts to turn dark, get out. Do not wait until you see lightning.