What Are Four Safety Precautions to Follow When Swimming

A girl practicing swimming safety dives into the blue waters of Joffre Lakes with mountain background

Follow these rubber rules for a fun and productive swim.

Prototype Credit: Cavan Images/Cavan/GettyImages

Because information technology'due south low-bear on and highly modifiable, swimming is often touted as a safe practise for almost everyone, including injured athletes, pregnant women and seniors.

While swimming does take a ton of concrete and mental benefits, pools, lakes and oceans can present some risks, including drowning, lightning strikes and more than. That doesn't hateful you should fear the water. On the contrary, staying at-home keeps yous safer. Hither, the rubber rules that will help you avert danger in and effectually the h2o.

Have Lessons if You Need To

If you're not a proficient swimmer — and especially if y'all take fear or anxiety around the water — don't wade in unprepared, says Samantha Caballero, CEO of Swim With Sam in Miami.

Instead, sign upwards for swim lessons. There, you'll learn prophylactic skills such as how to coil over, float and tread h2o, in addition to technical guidance on strokes like freestyle and butterfly, says Jenny McCuiston, co-founder of Goldfish Swim School.

Play Nice

Never push or shove anyone near or in the h2o, even as a joke. "You don't know if they can swim properly," says Caballero. "And if you're not a strong swimmer yourself or a lifeguard, how can you rescue them?"

Plus, it's not prophylactic to roughhouse almost the concrete or hard cement surrounding the pool; information technology'due south all too easy for heads to hit the ground. As if that wouldn't exist bad plenty, if someone hits their head and falls into the water, he or she might not exist able to become out.

That'due south another reason to walk, not run, effectually the deck, says Stacy Caprio, a certified Red Cantankerous water safety instructor, former competitive swimmer and double-decker.

Don't Panic

For overwhelming fears, see tip number one. If you lot feel minor moments of feet, notwithstanding, do your best to stay at-home. "The more relaxed you are, the easier swimming will exist and the more likely you tin can float," says Caballero.

If it'due south the deep end that causes your heart to pump harder, consider this: It's not quite as far down as you think. "Just because you tin't touch the lesser doesn't mean you're going to sink in that location," she says. Keep things in perspective by boot to the wall, and consider the fact that y'all could bounce off the bottom and jump toward the side if you needed.

If you're in a higher place h2o, focus on your breathing to tranquility your fretfulness, says Mike Lucero, caput swim bus and president at Golden Road Aquatics in Burbank, California. Underwater, it tin can help to blow bubbles rather than holding your breath, Caballero says.

Chill Out

If you're excessively exhausted, overheated or freezing, stay out of the water altogether. Otherwise, arm yourself with techniques for what to do when you fatigue, like floating: Proceed your head back and stomach up, relax and breathe, Caballero says.

Lucero makes certain all his newer swimmers notice the ladder and wall and advises them to stay as close to the sides as possible. "That way, if they're losing their breath or panicking, they know right where to go," he says.

Stay Hydrated

Just because you're submerged doesn't mean you're non sweating. Even though the water may proceed your body temperature a fleck libation, you'll still sweat if you're working hard enough. Sip from a water bottle regularly to replenish your fluids, Lucero recommends.

Merely Skip Other Refreshments

If you're swimming for long enough — say, a 5K or 10K — you might want to refuel with an energy bar or a banana midway through, Lucero points out. Merely leave of the water first. Eating while swimming poses a risk of choking. So, too, does chewing glue (not to mention the mess it makes if it falls out mid-stroke).

Spotter the Weather

Stormy weather presents a huge danger for swimmers. H2O makes a perfect conductor, so if lightning strikes an open up body of h2o, electricity spreads out over the surface. Lucero cancels his workouts if there'southward lightning or thunder even miles abroad and recommends you lot do the aforementioned: "We don't accept a risk," he says. Equally a general rule, you should expect at to the lowest degree half an 60 minutes afterward lightning strikes before inbound the pool again.

According to the National Able-bodied Trainer's Association, you lot shouldn't fifty-fifty swim indoors in a tempest. Current tin travel through wiring or plumbing, making pools, locker-room showers and even electric appliances like hairdryers risky. Save your swim for a sunny day.

Don't Just Swoop In

Never plunge into the water unless you're certain it's deep enough and gratis of obstacles. "Many serious head and spine injuries happen when people dive headfirst into the water and hit the bottom," says Caprio. "Yous can become paralyzed or worse."

Once y'all're in the water, take note of diving boards, slides and similar features. Stay clear of the areas below them, lest another swimmer slam into you from above.

Find Safety in Numbers

If you're swimming with children, watch them constantly; drownings can happen extremely quickly and quietly. The best practice: Appoint a single adult to supervise without distraction, a and so-called "water guardian," McCuiston says.

Warning

Even adults shouldn't swim alone. Whether you're at a public pool or a beach, find a buddy to go with y'all.

Read the Rules

Each swimming institution has its own set of guidelines, McCuiston says. Read any rules that are posted or explained by the lifeguard — and follow them. "They're there to go on everyone prophylactic," she says.