Water Safety - The 10 Fundamentals
At Software and Process Design, we've discovered that most goals can be achieved by breaking them down into essential steps, roughly 10 fundamental principles. We call these principles the 10 Fundamentals.
You can think of these Fundamentals as a roadmap for success. If you’re aiming to achieve something, these Fundamentals are like simple rules to follow, breaking down goals into actionable steps.
What makes it even more exciting is that we're actively developing tools to simplify this journey further. As you read through this guide, see how these Fundamentals, when combined with our tools, become your companion for reaching your goals.
In this guide, we break down our top 10 water safety tips, so you can keep yourself and your loved ones safe while enjoying activities in or around water.
These helpful tips on water safety cover everything from swimming pool safety to taking the boat out on the water. We even dive into being aware of and checking for hazards.
By the end of this article, you’ll have the confidence and knowledge you need to safely enjoy the water this summer!
Key Takeaways:
1. Learn to swim
2. Swim with a buddy
3. Supervise children and non-swimmers
4. Use support
5. Don’t drink & swim; don’t drink & boat
6. Check for hazards
7. Always enter the water feet-first
8. Know your limitations
9. Be cautious about water behaviour
10. Know how to call for help
1. Learn to swim.
It’s important to learn how to swim since the World Health Organization (WHO) states that “drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.”
That’s why it’s crucial to learn, since water is all around us, even if it’s as small as a bathtub. Moreover, swimming is a great, low-impact sport for any age.
Since it’s a low-impact sport, it’s much safer for older age groups than running or biking, for example. Swimming professionally, or on a team, as a few examples can even foster skills like collaboration and time management.
Soon, you’ll be able to use our tools to learn swimming safety in your community. Find swimming lessons, and public pools, join groups, and discover aquatic activities near you.
2. Swim with a buddy.
Do not swim where you are not visible to other people and do not swim alone. Instead, swim with a buddy or where you are visible to a lifeguard, for example.
Even a great swimmer can get into trouble, which is why it’s important to always swim with a buddy or in the visibility of someone else.
That’s why it’s important to swim not only with a buddy but with someone confident and capable of calling for help (and/or performing a rescue) if you get into trouble.
Use our upcoming tools to plan your next swimming activity safely. You can create a ‘Workspace’ with your swimming buddy, schedule the date and time of your activity in your calendar, and outline your safety plan.
You can also designate emergency contacts, learn about swimming safety, and so much more – all in one convenient location, with our upcoming tools.
3. Supervise children and non-swimmers around water.
Children under 12 years of age have an increased drowning risk and need attentive supervision in and around water. That’s why it’s important to supervise young children around water and communicate with others swimming with you.
What is their swimming comfort level? Do they swim in the deep end? Do they not want to put their face in the water? This will determine where and how you both will swim, so everyone remains comfortable and safe.
When swimming with young children, stay within arms' reach of them (especially if they are 5 years of age or younger, have a disability, or are not strong swimmers).
Soon, you’ll be able to use our upcoming tools to learn about helpful tips for supervising children around water – from helpful tips on how to teach them to proactive safety tips that will help you prevent issues in and around water.
4. Use the support you need to feel comfortable in the water.
For example, if it’s a young child, they may want a ‘puddle jumper,’ which are inspired by ‘arm floaties,’ however, these work even better and have the Coast Guard seal of approval.
There are also lifejackets. In fact, water vehicles are required to have a jacket available for each passenger, and children under 13 are required to wear one at all times during a ride.
In addition, you may even need a wet suit if you are swimming in cold water, scuba diving, or doing other aquatic activities.
If you’re in the water and exposed to the sun for a long time, you will need waterproof sun block to protect your skin against harmful UV rays. In addition, you can wear a ‘rash guard’ if you plan to be in the sun.
Overall, you need to provide your body with the best setup for success.
That’s why you should drink plenty of fluids and eat well before you swim. This way, you’ll have plenty of energy and your body will have had time to digest its food.
5. Don't drink and swim; don’t drink and drive your boat.
In addition to refraining from drinking alcohol, it’s important to be aware of any medications you are on that may affect your ability to swim/make good decisions when performing aquatic activities.
Unfortunately, drowning can occur in as little as a few centimeters of water. It’s fast, and it can happen to anyone.
You could even slip, fall into, and drown in a small body of water, for example, due to being impaired by alcohol or medication. Watch out for your friends, too – do not let them go into the water when impaired.
Soon, you’ll be able to use our tools to prepare for your next swimming/aquatic activity safely. Designate a boat driver who will be sober as well as a person to watch out for you in the event that you slip into the water/become impaired.
6. Check for hazards.
Ensure adequate barriers around pools and other large bodies of water (like a pond in your backyard, for example). A child (or even your pet) could fall into the pool/pond and drown, so it’s best to secure the areas properly before the unthinkable happens.
Exit the water if any hazard is present, this includes hazards you can see as well as feeling sick or feeling cold.
Address the hazard as soon as exiting the water. For example, if you’re feeling cold, get dry and warm to prevent getting sick. Check location online and onsite for any warnings or advisories.
These can be due to wind, water currents, E. coli, pool closure/repairs, etc. Check the area for hazards, too, like the depth of the water or any objects that could be a danger to you (rocks, fish, debris, other people, etc).
High levels of bacteria and other chemicals in the water can cause gastrointestinal illnesses in those who swim directly in the water. That’s why it’s important to be aware of closures and advisories beforehand.
Soon, you’ll be able to use our tools to check for local pool/beach closures and advisories, as a few examples. Safely and conveniently plan your aquatic adventures with ease.
7. Always enter the water feet-first (avoid diving/jumping into water head-first).
Enter the water in a safe way (feet-first). If you cannot see the bottom, do not jump in. Instead, enter the water slowly.
The feet-first rule should apply to water slides as well since colliding headfirst with another swimmer, an object floating in the pool, etc. when shooting off of the slide can cause injury.
8. Know your limitations, including physical fitness and medical conditions.
If you cannot swim long distances, then stay in the shallow end or where you can comfortably swim back to shore (and be able to walk back to your original location from shore, for example, your camping spot or parked vehicle).
It’s also important to be aware of whether you can handle the body of water you plan to be in and whether or not you have the knowledge/skillset for it.
For example, when a riptide takes you out from shore, it’s best to swim horizontally to it, further down the shore prior to trying to swim back to shore.
Swimming against a riptide will actually waste energy and make the swimmer more tired and susceptible to drowning.
Use our upcoming tools to determine the best areas to swim based on your conditions and skillset. From local beaches to hidden, majestic rivers – discover beautiful bodies of water waiting to be explored by you!
9. Be cautious about water behaviour.
Understand and adjust for the unique risks of the water environment you are in, such as:
Cliff drop-offs/waterfalls. When swimming in rivers and near waterfalls, it’s important to be cautious of any cliffs where the terrain drops off into a cliff or waterfall. These can be extremely dangerous and if the water is not clear, they may not be clearly visible.
River currents are strong and deadly since you can easily fall, hit your head, or injure yourself and be carried downstream.
Ocean rip currents account for more than 80% of rescues performed by surf beach lifeguards. They are powerful, channeled currents of water flowing away from shore that quickly pull swimmers out to sea.
A shore break is an ocean condition when waves break directly on the shore and typically form when there is a rapid transition from deep to shallow water. The power of a shore break can cause severe injuries.
Cold water temperatures can lead to the swimmer going into shock and/or experiencing hypothermia, which can lead to drowning.
Shallow or unclear water can cause injuries when there is debris or other objects you cannot see. Be cautious when swimming/performing aquatic activities in shallow/unclear water.
Whirlpools form when water moving in two different directions meets each other. Since the currents can't continue to travel at the same speed and direction through each other, it’s forced to turn and swirl around each other.
If you encounter a whirlpool, don’t move in the same direction as the water flow. Instead, aim for the outer edge (rather than the center). In some cases, the whirlpool can throw you back out.
You should act safely around water (whether you’re directly swimming in it, or not). It’s very easy to slip into the water when walking near (or above it, on a bridge for example) so always be cautious.
Soon, you’ll be able to use our upcoming tools to safely plan your next swimming/aquatic adventure – from terrain to water behaviour, and gather the information you need for peace of mind.
10. Know how to call for help.
If in trouble, call for help and try to conserve energy by floating.
Floating looks different for everyone as some can float with their whole body on the top of the water, while some will float with just their head up and feet pointed to the ground – both methods will conserve your energy.
Consider practicing this water safety activity in the video below by yourself, and with your child. Calling for help while swimming is an important thing to learn, and you can start doing so by watching this quick video:
Video Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZJ1Eno0TFk
Use our upcoming tools to learn more safety tips for swimmers – from scuba diving to boating, we’re bringing a heap of tips and resources to help you achieve your goals.
Hungry for more? Stay tuned for additional guides on how to achieve your goals using our solutions and keep in mind that soon, groundbreaking tools will turn these principles into actionable steps.
You can also check out the 10Fundamentals YouTube channel for more helpful tips and informative video lessons.
Software and Process Design: A group of expert problem-solvers crafting software solutions that redefine. Learn more about the work we’re doing at softwareandprocessdesign.com.
