With Easter around the corner and school out for the next few days, kids will have a lot of free time on their hands. If a family trip to the beach, pool or lake is on your agenda, it’s important to keep a few things in mind. With local drownings in the area and across the state over the past few years, the Santa Fe Swimming Club is sharing some water safety tips.
Sophia Lindley has been a lifeguard for about four years, and her co-worker Joshua Russel has been keeping kids and families safe in the water for about six. They both work at Santa Fe Swimming Club and have seen a thing or two about incidents.
“I actually knew a kid who passed his swim test twice and once he jumped off the diving board, panicked and started to drown,” Russel said.
One of the most common incidents they see are drowning incidents.
“It can take seconds for something to go wrong. Just looking away to talk to somebody or checking your cellphone that can be the difference of a kid slipping and falling and hitting their head,” Lindley said.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 103 children in Texas were drowning victims last year, including a few locally.
“Always stay with your kids at least within arm's reach. It always shocks me how many parents don’t do that,” Russell said.
Contrary to what some might think, it’s not always the deep end that’s the most dangerous. Lindley said a lot of the issues actually tend to happen in the shallow.Even the most reported drowning locations were pools and bathtubs.
“It’s sort of a false sense of security, and parents think, oh, they can stand up, nothing bad is going to happen. The kids might get a little too comfortable, maybe they start jumping or diving and hit their heads,” Lindley said.
Lindley said if you find yourself in a place of panic the best thing to do is stay calm and let the lifeguard do their job.
“Float on their back, take deep relaxed breaths and float. I have seen that help kids from freaking out until we can get to them,” Lindley said.
Russell adds that there’s never any shame in using some extra help.
“Use a noodle, use a lifejacket. It’s better to be safe than sorry,” Russell said.
If a lifejacket or pool noodle is used, Russell said to make sure it’s not inflatable because those can actually pop, which is unsafe.
“Usually a fast way to tell if it’s coast guard approved is that hard foam sort of texture,” Russell said.
Lifeguards urge families to feel comfortable in the water before they dive in. Also, be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your kids at all times.
The Santa Fe Swimming Club will start teaching lessons this month for all ages with certified swimming instructors, including Lindley. For more information, head to https://www.santafeswimmingclub.com.
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