Beach & Pool Safety

Supervision is the key word when it comes to pool safety, but supervision combined with a variety of barriers and safety devices - fences, latched gates, locked doors, pool covers and more - goes even further toward drowning prevention.
 

Poolside

• Keep a phone in the pool area. Do not answer the phone while your children are in the pool; use the phone only to call 911 should a problem occur.
• Post 911 emergency number on the phone to remind people to call 911 for emergencies.
• Have a First Aid Kit nearby.
• Keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use these items. A ring buoy, shepherd's hook, life preserver, and U.S. Coast Guard approved personal floatation devices are recommended.
• An alarm bell that could summon help would be a good idea.

Supervision

• Assign a Water Watcher during gatherings where children are present. The premise of the “Water Watcher” program is to assign an adult a specific time period in which their only responsibility is watching that the children playing in pools or open water are safe and accounted for. The “Water Watcher” tags are necklaces worn by adults in charge of supervising the children during family gatherings, picnics, parties or other times when children will be near potentially dangerous water sources. Remember: Designated Water Watchers don’t drink alcohol.
• Never leave your children alone in or near the pool, even for a moment. Never leave small children unsupervised – even for a few seconds. Never go into the house to answer the telephone leaving a child unattended in the pool area. If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, as well as the surrounding area.

Learn

• Learn child CPR, which differs slightly from adult CPR. Insist that babysitters, grandparents and others who care for your child know child CPR. Post adult and child CPR instructions in the pool area. For the nearest cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, contact your fire department, Red Cross or hospital.
• Teach your children how to swim or get them swimming lessons. Remember, teaching your child how to swim DOES NOT mean your child is safe in water. Never rely on swimming lessons to protect a child. Twenty-five percent of all drowning victims have had swimming lessons. Be sure all pool users know how to swim. Learners should be accompanied by a good swimmer.
• Teach children what to do in case of emergency.
• Drowning Prevention Packet: Order your free drowning prevention packet, call CHOC at (714) 532-8887.

Rules

• Pool rules should be clearly communicated and understood by all persons — young or old — who use your pool.
• Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren't tempted to reach for them. Keep toys away from the pool when it's not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.
• Never dive into an above-ground pool. Check the water depth before plunging into an in-ground pool. Keep clear of the area near a diving board.
• Never swim alone or allow others to do so.
• Keep CD players, radios and other electrical devices a significant distance from the pool area or nearby wet surfaces because of the hazard of electrical shock. Don't use extension cords. Use a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) on any appliance or electrical device that is used poolside.
• Do not let your child use air-filled “swimming aids” because they are not a substitute for approved life vests and can be dangerous.
• Don't let young children or children who cannot swim use inflatable toys or mattresses in water that is above the waist.
• Stay out of the pool during rain or lightning storms.
• Encourage your neighbors to follow pool safety guidelines, including keeping their back gates and doors locked, and their pool gates securely closed and latched.

Beach and Ocean Safety

SURF AND SWIM AREAS

Surf and swim areas are designated by lifeguards at beaches where surfers and swimmers enjoy the same stretch of beach together. Surfers present a significant hazard to swimmers because they move through the water at high speed while riding waves on hard, sharp surfboards. Bodyboarding is another form of surfing, however it is performed with a smaller, lighter, soft board. Bodyboarding is normally allowed within swimming areas but depends on the local conditions and regulations. Skimboarding is another surf activity that is performed with a hard, thin, flat board, which slides on a thin layer of water over the sand from the beach into the waves breaking close to shore. This activity is normally separated from swimmers because of the hazards the fast moving skimboarders present to beachgoers and waders as they slide across the waterline.

HOW DO I KNOW WHERE I SHOULD SURF, SWIM, ETC?

The designated surf and swim areas can vary at each beach depending on the conditions and local regulations. At most beaches, surf and swim areas will be posted along the shoreline by signs and flags with arrows or instructions directing beachgoers to the appropriate areas for the specific water activity. Some signs are more specific than others, but they will usually have the activity written visibly on the sign with an arrow pointing to the area designated for the specific water activity. At some beaches, surfing and/or other water activities are prohibited. These areas are usually marked with the "blackball flag" which prohibits board riding in the surf.

RIP CURRENTS

Rip Currents are common at any beach that is exposed to breaking surf and are the number one cause of rescues that lifeguards perform each year along the coast. They can be extremely dangerous by pulling unsuspecting swimmers and surfers into situations where they are unable to return to shore.

WHAT IS A RIP CURRENT?

A rip current (rip tide) is an isolated ocean current that moves away from the beach. They can usually be recognized by their foamy, brown color with mushroom-like shape, and choppy water. However, some rip currents lack color and are harder to spot. The brown color is caused by sand being picked up off the bottom and mixed with the water by the outgoing current. The mushroom shape and choppy water are a result of turbulence caused by the faster moving rip current meeting resistance against the surrounding, more stable water. They can range in size and shape, expand up to hundreds of yards in length, and even migrate up and down the beach.

HOW DO RIP CURRENTS FORM?

Rip currents are formed when water pushed ashore by side currents and incoming waves, pools together and funnels back out to sea along the path of least resistance. Rips also form when outgoing rivers or streams flow into the ocean.

Where sand is the predominant bottom feature, rip currents move out to sea through troughs or "deep spots" in the sand formed by the waves repetitively pounding the shore- line. These types of rip currents are the most unpredictable and can form in a matter of seconds.

Where reef or rock is the predominant bottom feature, the water funnels back out to sea through naturally existing channels or gaps between the reefs. These types of rip currents can be extremely powerful and almost impossible to swim against.

Where piers, jetties, or other obstructions exist, rip currents are formed when water pushed up against the obstruction by waves and side-currents is forced out to sea in one direction. Always keep a safe distance away from any pier, jetty, rocks, or other obstructions that jut out outward into the surf zone.

Some beaches have river or creek mouths that flow out into the ocean. Rip currents commonly form here as the outflow carves a channel or trench in the bottom. Always stay clear of river mouths and riverbanks.

HOW DO I AVOID GETTING STUCK IN A RIP CURRENT?

The best way to avoid getting stuck in a rip current is to have strong swimming skills, wear surf fins designed for the ocean, and to understand how a rip current works. Rip currents have three main parts, "the Feeder Zone", "the Neck", and "the Head". Knowing these components and their behavior will help you avoid getting stuck in a rip:

The Feeder Zone is the base or mouth of the rip current where water begins to move laterally or diagonally to shore as it "feeds" into the outgoing current. Avoid wading or swimming in the vicinity of a rip current. The feeder zone can be strong enough to pull you off your feet and into the outgoing current. It is wise to stay shallower than waist deep to avoid being swept into a rip current by the feeder.

The Neck is the fast moving out going flow of the rip current. Most of the time it is very difficult to swim directly against the current. If you are being pulled away from shore in the neck, do not fight against the current, swim parallel to shore until you are clear of the outgoing flow and then swim in.

The Head is the outer-most part of the rip current that mushrooms out as the current mixes with the surrounding water. If you remain in the rip current, you will eventually end up in the head. The same basic technique of not fighting the current and swimming to the side out of the rip current applies. Do not panic if you are being pulled out into the head of a rip. The current will pull you out, but will not pull you under.

It is always important to swim near a lifeguard and know the conditions before you enter the ocean. In any case where you are unable to get back to shore on your own, stay calm and raise your hand for assistance from the lifeguard on duty.