Pack safety in your beach bag

Commonsense precautions can head off problems

Vacations to a lake, river or ocean rate a 10 with most everyone. If the sun and sand beckon your family at the start of summer, don't take a vacation from safety.

"Parents should take into account that without practice, it is a safe bet that the skills their child exhibited in the water at the end of last season are not the same," said Lori Vinson, a registered nurse and Trauma program manager at Children's Medical Center Dallas. "Also, you can't assume they're the same in open water environments like the beach or lake as they are in the pool. Give your child the chance to get acclimated to the water again, and to a new environment."

Be a Water Watcher

No matter where you're swimming, it's important to assign an adult as the Water Watcher, someone who's in charge of supervising children while they're in the water. To get a free Water Watcher tag, enter "webpromo" as the password on the Water Safety Web Promotion login page.

From the experts

In addition, experts also stress the following:

• Respect the ocean's strength and aquatic life. Swimming in the ocean differs from swimming in a pool or lake.
• Make sure your children know how to swim well. The YMCA has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. Contact your local YMCA chapter.
• Check surf and weather conditions before you head to the beach, and stay informed while you're there.
• Never swim alone, and don't swim too far from shore. A trained lifeguard is the best safety factor. Even good swimmers can have an unexpected medical emergency in the water.
• Enter the water feet first before diving to ensure the area is deep enough.
• Supervise children at all times, even if they're simply wading by the shore. A strong wave can sweep them off their feet.
• Stay within designated swimming areas. Don't swim near piers, pilings, platforms, docks, fishermen or tethered boats.
• Exercise caution when swimming in areas between sandbars or near steep drop-offs.
• Avoid swimming in areas with schools of small fish, which can attract predator fish. Diving seabirds indicate areas to avoid.
• Drainage ditches and arroyos for water run-off are bad places for swimming because after heavy rains, they can develop strong currents.
• Avoid being in the water at dusk or nighttime.
• Beware of rip currents and undertow. These turbulent currents can pull you into deep water away from the beach.
• Remain calm if caught in a strong current. Swim parallel to the beach until you're out of the current, then swim to shore.
• Heed warning flags at public beaches. Red flags mean no swimming because of hazardous conditions.
• Pack a bag with waterproof sunscreen (SPF 15 or higher), water shoes to guard feet from heat and sharp objects, plenty of water, a hat and sunglasses.
• Learn first aid and CPR. "While the above tips can help prevent emergencies, it is important to know what to do if a situation arises," Vinson said.

Resources

Trauma
Water Safety

Tags: water safety, beach safety, river safety, swimming safety, summer safety, ocean safety, swimming