Safety Tips
General Water and Safety Tips
• Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around water is to learn how to swim. Never swim alone.
• Swim in areas supervised by a lifeguard.
• Read and obey all rules and posted signs.
• Children or inexperienced swimmers should take precautions, such as wearing a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device when around the water.
• Don’t swim if you have the too’s- too tired, too cold, too much sun, too much strenuous activity.
• Set water safety rules for the whole family based on swimming abilities. For example- inexperienced swimmers should stay in water less than chest deep.
• Be knowledgeable of the water environment you are in and its potential hazards, such as deep and shallow areas, currents, obstructions and where the entry and exit points are located.
• Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
• Enter feet-first entry when jumping in the water.
• Enter headfirst only when the area is clearly marked for diving and has no obstructions.
• Do not mix alcohol with swimming, diving or boating. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance and coordination, affects your swimming and diving skills, and reduces your body’s ability to stay warm.
• Know how to prevent, recognize, and respond in emergencies.
Beach Safety
• Protect your skin: Sunlight contains two kinds of UV rays- UVA increases the risk of skin cancer, skin aging, and other kinds of skin diseases. UVB causes sunburn and can lead to skin cancer. Try to limit the amount of direct sunlight you receive between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. and always wear sunscreen with a sun protection factor containing a high rating such as 15.( lifeguards generally use spf 30 )
• Drink plenty of water throughout the day, even if you don’t feel thirsty. In order to keep cool, your body needs water. Avoid drinks with alcohol or caffeine in them. They may make you feel good at first, but they make the heat’s effect on your body much worse. For example, beer dehydrates the body.
• Watch for signs of heat stroke: it is life threatening. Heat stroke occurs when the temperature control system, which produces sweating to cool the body, stops working. The body temperature can rise so high that brain damage and death may occur if the body is not quickly cooled down. Signals include hot, red, and dry skin; changes in consciousness, rapid, weak pulse, and rapid, shallow breathing. Call 9-1-1 or your local EMS number. Move the victim to a cooler place. Quickly cool the body down by wrapping wet sheets around it or by fanning it. If you have ice packs or cold packs, place them on each of the victim’s wrists and ankles, in the armpits and on the neck to cool the large blood vessels. Watch for breathing difficulties and make sure the airway is clear. Keeps the victim lying down.
• Wear eye protection. Sunglasses are a great way to keep the eyes protected from UV rays that can damage the eyes. Look for sunglasses with labels that indicate they absorb at least 90 percent of UV sunlight.
• Wear foot protection. There may be glass in the sand or feet can be burned from the sand.
Safety Tips For Big Surf
• Never turn your back on the ocean.
• Always swim at beaches with lifeguards.
• Check with the lifeguard on duty for current conditions.
• Read and observe posted beach signs. (If you don’t understand ask the life guard)
• Watch your children closely and carefully hold on to the smaller kids.
• Watch the surf for at least 15-20 minutes before going in
• Do not attempt to swim at the edge of the surf during big surf
• Do not surf or body board in big surf unless you are an expert
• Never count on your surfboard or leash, count on your swimming ability instead
• Do not go out if you are not a strong swimmer
• Always have a partner while swimming
• NEVER drink alcohol or do drugs and swim
Surfing Safety Tips
• Learn how to swim
• Count on your own swimming ability not on your surfboard
• Learn surfing from an experienced and licensed instructor
• Don’t go out alone, always surf with a friend
• If you’re unfamiliar with a beach, ask questions before you go in the water
• Watch wave and current conditions for at least fifteen minutes before going in
• Identify the dangers even if you know the break well (remember currents and hazards change in big surf)
• When in the water look for landmarks on shore to mark your position (line up)
• Know your limitations, stay out of surf that is too dangerous for you to handle
• Control your surf craft at all times
• Do not use drugs and alcohol before going to the beach or in the ocean
Boating
• Never boat and drink! Nationally, fifty percent of drownings result from boating incidents that involve alcohol.
• Look for a label: Use Coast Guard-approved life jackets for yourself and your passenger when boating as well as fishing.
• Develop a plan. Whenever you go out in a boat, give a responsible person details about where you will be and how long you will be. This is very important because in an emergency you want help to easily be able to reach you.
• Visit a boating course in your area. These courses will teach you the navigation rules, emergency procedures as well as other very important skills needed to be able to properly handle a boat.
• Watch the weather: stop the boat at the first sign of bad weather.
Home Pools
• Never leave a child unattended around water.
• Keep a cordless phone nearby so that in an emergency you will be able to reach 9-1-1 as soon as possible.
• Learn CPR and insist that others who care for your children know CPR. It will also be a great idea to post CPR instructions around the pool area.
• Enclose pool with a vertical barred pool fence.
• Never leave furniture around the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
• Always keep basic lifesaving devices such as a pole, rope and flotation devices around the pool, in case of an emergency.
• Pool covers should always be completely removed prior to pool use.
• Always check the pool first if a child is missing. Scan the entirety of the pool as well as its surrounding areas.
