Whether your summer splash is taking place in the shallow end or as far out as a boat will take you, knowing how to stay safe in the water remains the top priority. Living in an area filled with lakes and waterways offers endless amounts of fun, but it is important to take the time to learn about the risks and precautions that come along with this perk before heading out to the lake with family and friends. The Red Cross is here to ensure that accessing resources to help you learn about water safety can be as easy as finding a lake here in Minnesota and the Dakotas.

Safety from the Shore 

Scanning any local lake, it would be hard not to notice that the water is dominated by younger kids and the shorelines by their parents. However, even when you are not the one swimming, it is important to familiarize yourself with water safety. If you are planning on supervising from the shore, always make sure your full attention is on your swimmers and know what signs of struggle look like. 

What to Watch For

Despite what may come to mind when you think about what drowning looks like, it is often far less dramatic than most people think. In fact, at a crowded lake drowning might be the quietest and least noticeable event taking place. If you observe the following, a swimmer may be experiencing drowning or struggling in the water. 

• Head bobbing. Trying to inhale and exhale often causes the head to be tilted back and bobbing up and down. 
• Using arms to push water down and keep head above water. This prevents someone who is drowning from being able to wave for help.
• Glassy, unfocused, or closed eyes. Hair covering the eyes or forehead is also a sign someone is in need of help.
• Not advancing. A person may be trying to move forward, but is remaining in place in a vertical position. 
• Silence. A person that is drowning often cannot be above water long enough to call for help.
  
  

It only takes 20 seconds to a minute for someone to be completely submerged, making them and their struggle even more difficult to spot. If you are planning on looking away from the water, be sure to designate a water watcher until you are able to reinstate your full attention.

How to Help

In the case where you notice any of these signs from your child or a swimmer, it is critical that you make decisions that will ensure their safety as well as your own.

Do:

Reach. Use your hand, leg, or another object to reach out to someone who is struggling in the water. Near the water you may be able to find fishing poles, oars or paddles, branches, or sticks. Once the person in the water is able to grab onto the object, you should carefully pull them in while being sure to avoid being pulled in.

Throw. By throwing a life jacket, tube, kickboard, water jug, buoy, or other floating object into the water, the person who is struggling can stay afloat. 

Don’t:

Go in the water. Only trained lifeguards should attempt rescuing a drowning person by going in the water. This will prevent putting the person and others in further danger. 

Don’t Dismiss Water Risks

No experience level or age is excused from the risks of drowning. Though 85% of Americans say they are able to swim, drowning remains in the top 5 causes of unintentional injury-related deaths for Americans up to 54 years old, and for each fatal drowning victim, another 5-10 individuals experience other injuries related to drowning.
Everyone has limitations, and it is critical to know what yours are and to stay competent to the best of your ability. This includes making sure you stay sober, never swim alone, wearing a life jacket, and continuing to learn about water safety. Five fundamental skills everyone should perform to measure their swimming ability are:

1. Step or jump into the water over your head
2. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute
3. Turn around in a full circle and find an exit
4. Swim 25 yards to the exit without stopping
5. Exit from the water. If in a pool, be able to exit without using the ladder

Swim Lessons

Be sure to enroll yourself and your family in swimming lessons even if you do not plan on spending time around water. Taking the time to learn how to swim reduces risks in the water more than any floatie can.

Download the Swim App

Bring the Red Cross water safety tips and knowledge with you on your next lake outing easily by downloading the swim app. The swim app makes it easy to track swimming progress and keep the water safe and fun.