Water Safety Tips

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For Parents & Caregivers

Warm summer weather is a chance to enjoy being active with the whole family by the lake, on the beach, in the ocean or around the swimming pool. Adapted from the Red Cross, these water safety tips will help you and your kids stay safe in, on, and around the water.

General Water Safety Tips

  • Learn to swim. The best skill any parent or caregiver can acquire to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. The Red Cross has swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability.
  • Teach your kids to always swim with a buddy; never swim alone and swim in areas supervised by a lifeguard.
  • Young children or inexperienced swimmers should take precautions, such as wearing a Canadian Coast Guard-approved personal floatation device (PFD) when around the water.
  • Set water safety rules for the whole family based on swimming abilities (for example, inexperienced swimmers should stay in water less than chest deep).
  • Be knowledgeable of the water environment you are in and its potential hazards, such as deep and shallow areas, currents, depth charges and obstructions.
  • Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
  • Use a feet-first entry when entering the water.
  • Enter headfirst only when the area is clearly marked for diving and has no obstructions.
  • Do not mix alcohol with swimming, diving or boating. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination, affects your swimming and diving skills, and reduces your body's ability to stay warm.
  • ALWAYS MAINTAIN CONSTANT SUPERVISION. Watch children around any water environment, no matter what skills your child has acquired and no matter how shallow the water.
  • Don't rely on substitutes. The use of flotation devices and inflatable toys cannot replace parental supervision. Such devices could suddenly shift position, lose air, or slip out from underneath, leaving the child in a potentially dangerous situation.
  • Enroll children in a water safety course or Learn-to-Swim classes. Your decision to provide your child with an early aquatic experience is a gift that will have infinite rewards. These courses encourage safe practices. You can also purchase a Water Safety Handbook at your local Red Cross chapter.
  • Parents and caregivers should take a CPR course. Knowing these skills can be important around the water and you will expand your capabilities in providing care for your child. You can contact your local Red Cross to enroll in a CPR for Infants and Child course.
  • Make sure the water and weather conditions are safe. It is wise to stop swimming, boating, or any activities on the water as soon as you see or hear a storm.

Home Pools

  • NEVER leave a child unsupervised around water. Your eyes must be on the child at all times. Adult supervision is recommended.
  • Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby so that you can call 9-1-1 in the case of an emergency.
  • Learn Red Cross CPR and insist that babysitters, grandparents, and caregivers also know CPR.
  • Post CPR instructions and 9-1-1 or your local emergency number in the pool area.
  • Enclose the pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars. Openings in the fence should be no more than four inches wide. The house should not be included as a part of the barrier.
  • Never leave furniture near the fence that would enable a child to climb over the fence.
  • Always keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. Pole, rope, and personal flotation devices (PFDs) are recommended.
  • Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
  • Pool covers should always be completely removed prior to pool use.
  • If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.

Lakes and Rivers

  • Select a supervised area. A trained lifeguard who can help in an emergency is the best protection. Even good swimmers can have an unexpected medical emergency in the water. Never swim alone.
  • Select an area that has good water quality and safe natural conditions. Murky water, hidden underwater objects, unexpected drop-offs and aquatic plant life are hazards.
  • Be sure rafts and docks are in good condition, with no loose boards or exposed nails. Never swim under a raft or dock. Always look before jumping off a dock or raft to be sure no one is in the way.

Ocean Safety

  • Stay within designated swimming areas, ideally within the visibility of a lifeguard.
  • Check the surf conditions before you enter the water. Check to see if a warning flag is up or check with a lifeguard for water conditions, beach conditions, or any potential hazards.
  • Stay away from piers, pilings, and diving platforms when in the water.
  • Make sure you always have enough energy to swim back to shore.
  • Don’t try to swim against a current if caught in one. Swim gradually out of the current, by swimming across it.

Tubing and Rafting

  • Always wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
  • Do not overload the raft.
  • Do not go rafting after a heavy rain.
  • When rafting with a tour company, make sure the guides are qualified. Check with the local Chamber of Commerce for listings of accredited tour guides and companies.

Waterparks

  • Be sure the area is well supervised by lifeguards before you or others in your group enter the water.
  • Read all posted signs. Follow the rules and directions given by lifeguards. Ask questions if you are not sure about a correct procedure.
  • When you go from one attraction to another, note that the water depth may vary.
  • Before you start down a water slide, get in the correct position – face up and feet first.
  • Some facilities provide life jackets at no charge. If you cannot swim or are a weak swimmer, wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
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