How to Prevent Drowning
Pick swimming sites with lifeguards., Learn basic swimming skills., Use certified flotation devices., Recognize and avoid strong currents., Don't panic if you find yourself in a strong current., If you feel yourself start to lose control, tread...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Pick swimming sites with lifeguards.
The safest choice when selecting swimming sites are ones that have life guards on-duty.
Certified lifeguards are your greatest friends of all when you're swimming — the presence of lifeguards at swimming site has been shown to have a serious, proven effect on drowning prevention.
A well-managed pool or beach with lifeguard supervision takes measures to head off hazards, such as knowing where dangerous undertows are, and have the authority to remove teenagers playing around in an unsafe manner.
Lifeguards are trained to spot swimmers on the verge of drowning and act quickly to safe lives.
Certified lifeguards should know how to perform CPR, which means that they have the potential to save a swimmer's life even in the dangerous situation that they lose consciousness in the water.
However, lifeguards should be treated like a fire extinguisher---critical if needed, but one should do everything possible to avoid having to use one.
Take all safety measures you would take even if the lifeguard was not there. -
Step 2: Learn basic swimming skills.
For obvious reasons, knowing how to swim can greatly reduce your risk of drowning.
For absolute beginners, skills like the crawl stroke and treading water can allow you move and float with ease in the water, improving your confidence and security while you swim.
Do not rely solely on the "doggie paddle" to prevent yourself from drowning — it's not as effective or energy-efficient as actual swimming strokes.However, it is better than not swimming at all! If you are not a confident swimmer, consider enrolling in swimming lessons.
Swimming lessons are estimated to reduce the risk of drowning by 88% in very young children, but can provide life-saving knowledge even to adults.
Swimmers can still drown.
Just being able to swim does not mean you are immune from drowning.
This statement is not to discourage anyone from learning to swim
- just that over-confidence can be every bit as dangerous as an inability to swim at all. "Drown-proofing" does not exist. , Life jackets and other flotation devices can keep their wearer afloat in the water even if they are unconscious or unable to swim, making them a valuable aid in and around the water.For some situations, flotation devices may even be a legal necessity — in the United States, for instance, many states require boaters to wear a properly-fitted life jacket (or at least have one for each person on board).
Usually, these life jackets will need to be certified by the US Coast Guard to be considered valid.Do not rely on "water wings"
foam noodles, and other pool toys to keep you afloat — these are not designed to keep non or weak swimmers from going under.
Even if you are a strong swimmer, wear your life jacket in boating situations.
In the even of a capsize, for instance, if you are struck unconscious the lifeguard can save your life. , If you have done most of your swimming in man-made pools, it's easy to forget that bodies are often subject to the forces of natural currents.
If these currents are strong enough, they can pose serious dangers, especially to weak or inexperienced swimmers.
Particularly dangerous are "rip currents," strong, fast currents that occur near to shore and can pull swimmers out to sea.
If you're at the beach, be ready to spot these common rip current warning signs:
A narrow channel of particularly choppy water Water with a noticeably different color than the water around it Irregular wave patterns A line of debris or seaweed moving steadily out to sea , In the unlikely event that you are caught in a strong current, knowing how to react intelligently can save your life.
Though this can be a very scary experience, try your best not to panic — in this case, letting your natural instincts take over can be a bad idea.
Rather than trying to fight the current, instead, turn 90 degrees and swim parallel to the shore as hard as you can.
Since most rip currents are active only in relatively narrow channels, eventually, you'll get out of the rip current and into calmer waters. , Most people's natural reaction to the sensation of beginning to drown is to fight as hard as they can to keep their head high above the water.Unfortunately, this is one of the worst things to do when you're drowning — it can quickly deplete your energy reserves, tire you out, and actually make it harder to signal for help.
Usually, it's a much better idea to tread water or use a floating technique to conserve energy so that you can make a try for the shore or signal for help.
To tread water, turn yourself upright in the water and make an in-and-out sweeping motion with your arms to stabilize your upper body.
As you do this, make an easy, bicycle-like kicking motion to keep yourself afloat.
If you're completely out of energy, using a survival float can allow you to rest in the water.
Turn prone (face-down) and spread your limbs out wide, using only minimal movements to keep yourself afloat.
Lift your head when you need to breathe.
Keep in mind that you only need to keep your mouth a little out of the water to be able to breathe — fighting to stay high in the water is usually a waste of energy. , Being impaired in the water is a sure-fire recipe for danger.
Alcohol, in particular, can be a very bad choice — not only does it impair your judgement and motor skills, but it also makes you more susceptible to hypothermia (injury or death from getting too cold).However, because many drugs' effects can be just as bad (or worse), it's a bad idea to get in the water when you're under the influence of any sort of psychoactive substance, so stay sober when you're swimming. -
Step 3: Use certified flotation devices.
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Step 4: Recognize and avoid strong currents.
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Step 5: Don't panic if you find yourself in a strong current.
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Step 6: If you feel yourself start to lose control
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Step 7: tread water or float.
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Step 8: Don’t use drugs or alcohol.
Detailed Guide
The safest choice when selecting swimming sites are ones that have life guards on-duty.
Certified lifeguards are your greatest friends of all when you're swimming — the presence of lifeguards at swimming site has been shown to have a serious, proven effect on drowning prevention.
A well-managed pool or beach with lifeguard supervision takes measures to head off hazards, such as knowing where dangerous undertows are, and have the authority to remove teenagers playing around in an unsafe manner.
Lifeguards are trained to spot swimmers on the verge of drowning and act quickly to safe lives.
Certified lifeguards should know how to perform CPR, which means that they have the potential to save a swimmer's life even in the dangerous situation that they lose consciousness in the water.
However, lifeguards should be treated like a fire extinguisher---critical if needed, but one should do everything possible to avoid having to use one.
Take all safety measures you would take even if the lifeguard was not there.
For obvious reasons, knowing how to swim can greatly reduce your risk of drowning.
For absolute beginners, skills like the crawl stroke and treading water can allow you move and float with ease in the water, improving your confidence and security while you swim.
Do not rely solely on the "doggie paddle" to prevent yourself from drowning — it's not as effective or energy-efficient as actual swimming strokes.However, it is better than not swimming at all! If you are not a confident swimmer, consider enrolling in swimming lessons.
Swimming lessons are estimated to reduce the risk of drowning by 88% in very young children, but can provide life-saving knowledge even to adults.
Swimmers can still drown.
Just being able to swim does not mean you are immune from drowning.
This statement is not to discourage anyone from learning to swim
- just that over-confidence can be every bit as dangerous as an inability to swim at all. "Drown-proofing" does not exist. , Life jackets and other flotation devices can keep their wearer afloat in the water even if they are unconscious or unable to swim, making them a valuable aid in and around the water.For some situations, flotation devices may even be a legal necessity — in the United States, for instance, many states require boaters to wear a properly-fitted life jacket (or at least have one for each person on board).
Usually, these life jackets will need to be certified by the US Coast Guard to be considered valid.Do not rely on "water wings"
foam noodles, and other pool toys to keep you afloat — these are not designed to keep non or weak swimmers from going under.
Even if you are a strong swimmer, wear your life jacket in boating situations.
In the even of a capsize, for instance, if you are struck unconscious the lifeguard can save your life. , If you have done most of your swimming in man-made pools, it's easy to forget that bodies are often subject to the forces of natural currents.
If these currents are strong enough, they can pose serious dangers, especially to weak or inexperienced swimmers.
Particularly dangerous are "rip currents," strong, fast currents that occur near to shore and can pull swimmers out to sea.
If you're at the beach, be ready to spot these common rip current warning signs:
A narrow channel of particularly choppy water Water with a noticeably different color than the water around it Irregular wave patterns A line of debris or seaweed moving steadily out to sea , In the unlikely event that you are caught in a strong current, knowing how to react intelligently can save your life.
Though this can be a very scary experience, try your best not to panic — in this case, letting your natural instincts take over can be a bad idea.
Rather than trying to fight the current, instead, turn 90 degrees and swim parallel to the shore as hard as you can.
Since most rip currents are active only in relatively narrow channels, eventually, you'll get out of the rip current and into calmer waters. , Most people's natural reaction to the sensation of beginning to drown is to fight as hard as they can to keep their head high above the water.Unfortunately, this is one of the worst things to do when you're drowning — it can quickly deplete your energy reserves, tire you out, and actually make it harder to signal for help.
Usually, it's a much better idea to tread water or use a floating technique to conserve energy so that you can make a try for the shore or signal for help.
To tread water, turn yourself upright in the water and make an in-and-out sweeping motion with your arms to stabilize your upper body.
As you do this, make an easy, bicycle-like kicking motion to keep yourself afloat.
If you're completely out of energy, using a survival float can allow you to rest in the water.
Turn prone (face-down) and spread your limbs out wide, using only minimal movements to keep yourself afloat.
Lift your head when you need to breathe.
Keep in mind that you only need to keep your mouth a little out of the water to be able to breathe — fighting to stay high in the water is usually a waste of energy. , Being impaired in the water is a sure-fire recipe for danger.
Alcohol, in particular, can be a very bad choice — not only does it impair your judgement and motor skills, but it also makes you more susceptible to hypothermia (injury or death from getting too cold).However, because many drugs' effects can be just as bad (or worse), it's a bad idea to get in the water when you're under the influence of any sort of psychoactive substance, so stay sober when you're swimming.
About the Author
Virginia Murray
A passionate writer with expertise in crafts topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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