Swimming


Swimming is a solo sport. You rely on your own skills to get safely back to shore or on deck. The problem is — unlike golf, bowling and other individual sports — if you overestimate your abilities you don't just lose the game. You could lose your life.

Most people don’t know that drowning victims often can't yell for help. Movies often show a swimmer in trouble splashing and yelling for help, but it doesn’t really happen that way.

That's why even the most experienced swimmers never swim alone. They know that when you’re in the water alone, exhausted and out of breath, you can't count on anyone hearing your call for help – if you’re able to yell.

So don't be a loner. Never swim or boat by yourself. Ask friends and family to watch out for one another in and around the water. Don't expect to be heard or to hear your friends and family members in a drowning situation.

The fact is, people can drown quickly, before anyone notices they’re missing. A few minutes – even seconds – can make the difference between life and death.

In the time it takes to:

• Search the cooler for your next soda (10 seconds), a person on the shore or in the water can go underwater.
• Answer the cell phone (two minutes), that person can lose consciousness.
• Finish reading the next chapter in your summer novel (four to six minutes), that person can sustain permanent brain damage or die.

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death to children ages 1 to 14, taking more than 900 children's lives each year.

For every child who drowns, four more are hospitalized for near-drowning; for every hospital admission, about four children are treated in hospital emergency rooms.

• Buy kids a life jacket they’ve picked out, as long as it's the right size and style for safety. Kids and adults are more willing to wear a vest that feels and looks good.
• Be a good role model. Buy a life jacket for yourself – and wear it. Some parents insist their kids wear life jackets, but don't wear one themselves. Remember: demonstrate safety for everyone.
• Infant and toddler life jackets should roll kids onto their back and keep their head above water. The life jacket should have a rounded flotation collar with a grab strap if possible (U.S. Coast Guard-approved TYPE II).
• Watch your child at all times, even if there are lifeguards around – don't assume someone else is watching them.
• Always choose U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. Regularly check life jackets for tears, loose buckles and straps, dry rot or mildew.

Read more: Life jackets.
In the Central Texas region, three children under the age of ten have drowned in June 2006. Watch safety tips and learn how you might be able to save a child's life.