Swimming, floating and splashing are all fun summer activities to do in the water when the sun is out and the temperatures are high. Whether you’re at the pool or the beach, it’s important to be mindful of water safety.

Why is water safety so important? According to the Red Cross a child or weak swimming can drown in the time it takes to reply to a text, check a fishing line or apply sunscreen. Death and injury don’t only happen in pools or large bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and oceans, it can occur in hot tubs, bathtubs and even buckets. 

Jacque Quick, Trauma Nurse at Evanston Hospital, provides the following quick tips for water safety:

• Teach children to never go near or in water without an adult present.
• Never swim alone. This applies to both children and adults.
• Only dive in designated areas. Diving into shallow water may result in serious head or neck injury.
• Actively supervise children around water at all times, even if a lifeguard is on duty.
• Have a phone nearby to call for help in case of an emergency.
• Avoid currents by swimming in designated areas. If you are swept away by currents, try to remain calm and swim parallel to the shoreline until you are no longer being pulled by the current.
• Wear a life jacket. Life jackets are a requirement for boaters or passengers under 13 years of age.
• Utilize flotation devices, if desired. Floatation devices such as arms bands or tubes can also be helpful to a swimmer but are not considered life-saving equipment.
• Avoid swallowing water (both at the pool and beach).
• Encourage children and adults to take swim lessons in order to be comfortable in the water.
• Empty all buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside-down and out of children’s reach.
• Wear sunscreen.
• Learn CPR.

What are some of your favorite water activities? What safety tips do you swear by?