Close to 90% of all the drowning accidents happening in a natural water setting features boys and men. This is because men do tend to take many more risks. Drowning is now a huge unintentional injury death cause for the children up to 14 years old. When going boating or swimming it is really important that we protect ourselves and the young ones. With this in mind, here are some things you should always remember.
Life Jackets And Rip Currents
The first thing you should remember is that life jackets offer the safety that is needed to save a life in many cases. 84% of the people that died in 2007 did not wear life jackets. At the same time, we need to understand that rip currents can be really strong. They can cause you to no longer be able to protect yourself and swim properly. Currents would pull swimmers to the deep waters and the speeds that normally appear can be as high as 8 fps. This is faster than what the Olympic swimmer can reach.
Safety Tips For Boaters And Swimmers
So many tips are available online for boaters and swimmers, with the CDC always highlighting those that are of high importance. We will highlight those that you should always keep in the back of your mind:
- Always know how to swim when you are boating.
- Be sure you watch the swimmers around and in the water. This is especially true with children.
- Lifeguards and buddy systems are always a good idea, no matter the age of the swimmer. If you are an adult and there is no lifeguard, there is a strong possibility that you should not swim there in the first place.
- Make sure you respect the beach warning flags. They are there for a reason.
- Know your terrain. You want to be aware of the presence of drop-offs.
- Be sure you avoid all the rip currents. They can be identified by seeing water that is choppy, discolored, filled with debris or foamy.
- Always use life jackets when you swim. This is recommended even if you are a very good swimmer since the currents can be pretty strong.
- Do not drink alcohol when you swim, go water skiing, boating or when you supervise children.
- Boating safety is something you should always learn. There are formal safety courses that you can be a part of.
- Watch the weather forecast so you can be aware of what to expect before you go boating or swimming.
Conclusions
Safety for boating and swimmers is normally all about using common sense and respecting safety rules when they exist. You want to be aware of your surroundings and it is always a really good idea to never be alone when you go boating or when you swim.
