Swimming Safety

Swimming is an integral aspect to lake activity, whether from the shore or dock, to cooling off from an anchored boat. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s “Know Before You Go Water Safety” suggests all persons should remember the following while swimming:

• Do not dive into the water. Jumping from cliffs or bridges is dangerous due to shallow water, submerged rocks, trees, or other hazards.
• Choose swimming areas carefully and swim only during low water conditions.
• Always swim with a buddy and in supervised areas, preferably ones with a lifeguard on duty.
• Always supervise children closely. Do not read, play cards, talk on the phone, or engage in any other distracting activity while watching children in or around water.
• Avoid drinking alcohol before or during swimming.
• Avoid drinking alcohol while supervising children around water.
• Learn to swim. Enroll yourself and your children in swimming classes. However, don’t consider your children to be “drown-proof” because you enrolled them in an infant water-proofing class or swimming class. A child who falls into water unexpectedly may panic and forget learned swimming skills.
• Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). Because of the time it might take for emergency services to arrive, your CPR skills can make a difference in saving someone’s life.
• Do not use air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles, or inner tubes, in place of life jackets. These are toys and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• Know the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming. Strong winds and thunderstorms with lightning strikes are dangerous to swimmers.