Hello, Adventurers! Welcome to the Coastal Expeditions blog! If you love outdoor activities such as hiking and paddling, exploring nature and learning about animals, you’ve come to the right place! Here on the Coastal Expeditions blog we dive deep into different habitats, excursions, conservation efforts and nature programs. To our return readers, thank you for your support! We commend you for being committed to learning! Our previous post about sea turtle hatchlings and their journey to the ocean is available for your reading pleasure! If you’re interested in helping hatchlings live their best life, our last post provides the do’s and don’ts for helping baby sea turtles thrive!

Today, we’re discussing an important topic: water safety. Labor Day might’ve come and gone, but people are still enjoying the late summer temperatures in backyard pools and oceans alike. Having fun with the family and enjoying a respite from the heat is great, as long as everyone is adequately informed about water safety! Therefore, we’ll give you an overview of why water safety is important, before delving into how you can practice water safety with your family. From the bathtub to the sea, here’s everything you need to know about water safety! (Hey, that rhymed!)

The Importance of Water Safety

Drowning poses a very real threat to both adults and children. In the United States, every ten minutes someone dies from drowning. For children between the ages of one and four, only birth defects cause more deaths than drowning. And, between the ages of one and fourteen, drowning ranks as the second leading cause of death (behind motor vehicle accidents). Not every drowning results in death, however. For every child who loses their life in a drowning accident, another eight receive medical attention for drowning-related injuries, some of which can persist for years.

One of the most unfortunate aspects of drowning deaths is how preventable they are. Most drownings occur due to improper preparation, lack of swimming knowledge, lack of first aid knowledge, and children being left unattended. If more people knew about water safety, more deaths could potentially be prevented. That’s why we’re going to give you a set of tips to help you keep yourself and your family safe!

Water competency is the basis of water safety and includes: being able to enter the water, remain afloat, take breaths, change position, swim a distance, and exit the water safely. Ensure everyone in your family is water competent before entering environments with bodies of water.

Supervision

Despite what you’ve been told, the first tenet of water safety is not “Don’t eat before swimming.” Although no one wants to catch a cramp while swimming, no one wants to be alone in the event of a swimming emergency, either. There’s a reason pools and beaches are staffed with lifeguards and adorned with “swim at your own risk” signs. Swimming is a risk, no matter how competent of a swimmer you are. This is why it’s unadvised to swim alone. Frequent beaches with lifeguards on-duty. Invite friends to the pool. There’s power in numbers!

Supervision is doubly important for minors and children. Two-thirds of infant drowning deaths occur in bathtubs, while a majority of drownings between the ages of one and fourteen occur in swimming pools. Left unattended, children can gain access to water and drown in minutes. Erecting barriers around an at-home swimming pool is a great way to limit children’s access. A four-sided fence, which blocks access to a pool from the home, results in 83% less drownings than a three-sided fence. These barriers are an added layer of protection for the times when you cannot watch your child.

Life Jackets

Lifejackets save lives every day—it’s literally in their name. In 2019, 86% of those who died in boat-related accidents were not wearing life jackets. Although they may not be the most flattering, nothing is better than a life jacket at keeping an individual afloat. In the event you are knocked unconscious or can no longer support your weight in the water, life jackets can keep you afloat until help arrives. People over the age of fifteen are most likely to drown in lakes, rivers, and oceans. Just as children under a certain age should not enter a pool without wearing floatation devices, adults should not enter certain bodies of water without wearing life jackets.

Swim Sober

Seventy percent of water recreation deaths involve alcohol. One in four ER visits for drowning involve alcohol. One in five reported boating deaths involve alcohol. Alcohol can impair our judgement, our balance, and our coordination, which means we are less capable of responding to unexpected events and stimuli. We understand everyone wants to have a good time, but mixing alcohol and swimming is a recipe for a bad time. We recommend leaving the drinks at home if you’re going out on the water!

Know Your Limitations

We all have different backgrounds. Some of us were competitive swimmers in high school, but cannot swim twenty feet without succumbing to exhaustion now. Others of us enjoy swimming recreationally, but could not tread water for over thirty minutes. Having a clear understanding of your physical limitations can save you. With this knowledge, you’re less likely to engage in activities which will push you past your limits. Likewise, if you have a medical condition which excludes you from exerting yourself too hard, you should keep this in mind. When hanging with friends and having fun, we can unwittingly exert ourselves more than we originally intended. Just stay aware of your limitations and make sure everyone around you is also aware.

Adjust to Environment

Each environment poses its own set of unique risks. For example, river currents and ocean rip currents aren’t something you necessarily need to worry about in a pool. That said, a pool drain isn’t something you’ll encounter in the ocean. Before entering any body of water, assess potential hazards. Ponds and rivers are home to vegetation and animals which you are unlikely to find in your backyard pool. As well, murky water eliminates the ability to see what you are encountering. Before you step into the water, check if a particular beach is home to jellyfish,sea urchins or sharks. You should also check the temperature of the water before entering.

About 100 deaths per year are attributed to rip current, according to the United States Lifesaving Association. To spot a rip current, look for areas of water which appear to be calm or of a different color. Near the shore, the water should form waves which crash and become white foam. If a gap exists where no waves are forming or a line of foam is streaming out towards the open sea, a rip current might be forming there. Even the strongest swimmers can be taken by a rip current. A rip current does not pull a swimmer underneath the water, but rather farther and farther from shore. If you find yourself caught in a rip current, do not panic. Remain calm. Do not swim against the current, as this will waste precious energy. Instead, first swim parallel to shore and then at an angle towards the shore. Rip currents can be between a few feet wide and fifty yards. Yell and draw attention to your situation, but also conserve energy.

Rip currents are yet another reason you should pick beaches supervised by a lifeguard.

Continued Education 

Water safety isn’t just knowing how to swim or preventing others from drowning—it’s also about knowing how to respond in a drowning emergency. While our instinct may be to jump in and save someone, this isn’t always the best course of action. A watery safety course can teach you the fundamentals of water safety, while a CPR or first aid course can give you the skills needed to perform life-saving measures on someone who has nearly drowned. Further, swimming lessons are a wonderful resource for those of any age. There are courses for infants which teach life-saving floating, as well as courses for adults who never learned to swim and would like to. Investing in your education is one of the best ways to practice water safety!

There are many more ways to practice water safety. Enter water feet first. Stay away from pool drains. Always swim in designated swimming areas. The list goes on and one, but we hope you’ve gleaned a pretty good overview of how important water safety is. That’s why our Coastal Expeditions guides are certified in CPR, first aid, and lifeguarding. Coastal Expeditions offers nature tours, kayak rentals, paddleboard rentals, island tours, kid-friendly tours and chances to explore the Lowcountry! Check out our various offerings and find which one suits you and your adventurous spirit! Our tours are led by knowledgeable, approachable naturalists and sea captains who are eager to answer your questions! Read up on new experiences being offered by Coastal Expeditions on this blog. Until next time, readers. Get out there and explore! Adventure awaits!