Could Your Swim Skills Let You Down?

Photo By Pamela Doty | Blog Header  

UNITED STATES

09.07.2022

Story by Pamela Doty 

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Water Safety

Learning to swim can help decrease your chances of drowning; however, many people who drown were thought to be good swimmers. Are your swim skills enough to help you survive in open waters (lakes, rivers, ponds, ocean, etc.)? Teenagers and adults are five times more likely to drown in open waters than in a pool. Drowning is the third leading cause of unintentional injury death for adults ages 18 - 44. This blog includes five things you should know so your swim skills don’t let you down or let you drown.
1. Basic water competency skills involve stepping or jumping into water over your head and returning to the water’s surface, controlling your breathing while floating or treading water, and swimming at least 25 yards to safety, and exiting the water. The ability to do those things may make you water competent, but they don’t guarantee that you won’t drown. Read on to find out why.
2. If you fall off of a boat, from a dock, or the shore, and you survive the fall, exiting the water can be challenging. Small boats often don’t come with a ladder or a way to get back onboard. Depending on your strength and agility many ladders currently available on the market are nearly impossible to use with an average person’s strength. I was surprised recently to discover that in deep water I couldn’t reach the bottom step of my built-in pontoon boat ladder to reboard. Test your skills on reboarding whatever type of water craft you’re using and it will become very obvious that it takes practice. Wearing a properly-fitted life jacket when in, on, or near the water gives you an opportunity to survive and exit the water. Also, you could be knocked unconscious or inhale water from gasping after a surprise fall so wearing a life jacket increases your chances of being rescued.
3. Cold water temperatures, waves, and currents caused by wind or boats can make swimming in open water challenging. Too often people exceed their swimming abilities while attempting to swim across a cove or out to some object like a buoy and they drown. Swimming distance challenges with just yourself or others should only be done in a life-guarded pool. Many people jump in to retrieve an object like a hat, floating toys, or even a boat, but they don’t survive because the item drifted away faster and farther than expected and the challenges of open water caused them to drown. That’s why even if you know how to swim you should wear a life jacket when attempting to retrieve anything.
4. Don’t swim around boats where engines or generators are or have been running, because you could die from carbon monoxide poisoning. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, toxic gas that causes symptoms like dizziness, weakness, nausea, confusion, and loss of consciousness. If you smell exhaust, carbon monoxide is there, but you don’t have to smell anything for carbon monoxide to be present. Wearing a life jacket will keep you afloat if you become unconscious and that increases the chances that someone might recognize what’s happening so they can get you to fresh air quickly.
5. Drowning happens fast and silently even to Olympic swimmers, but it’s possible to survive drowning. One such swimmer was in the news recently, but she survived because her swim coach realized she had blacked out and rescued her. Hypoxic blackout, also known as shallow water blackout, can happen to anyone who holds their breath too long. That’s why breath-holding activities are never a good idea when swimming or playing in the water. You should always swim or boat with a buddy who can help if you encounter any troubles in the water.
The bottom line is that due to a variety of circumstances anyone’s swim skills in open water could let them down or let them drown. Improving your water competency and swimming skills is always a good idea, but if you’re boating or swimming in open waters wearing a properly-fitted life jacket is the best thing you can do. It helps ensure you’ll survive from falling overboard or from a dock, retrieving an object, carbon monoxide poisoning, hypoxic blackout, and during times when you exceed your swimming ability. You can find more drowning prevention information at www.PleaseWearIt.com and by following Please Wear It on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

• Date Taken: 09.07.2022
• Date Posted: 09.07.2022 16:42
• Story ID: 428760
• Location: US