Practice Water Safety While on Vacation

Whether vacationing on a beach in California, staying at a hotel with a pool, visiting relatives or friends who own pools, taking a tubing trip down a river or boating on a lake… water safety must be practiced wherever water is present!

Vacation Water Safety Tips

Here are some simple water safety tips to follow when planning your next family vacation:

• Check out the pool before you swim and answer these questions:
  • Is the water clean and clear? Where is the deep end? Is there a lifeguard on duty? Where is the rescue equipment, and how is it used? Where is the phone, and can you dial out directly?
• Enforce the same safety rules you use at home, take time to explain the importance of following these same rules to your children
• If the water is shared by boats, be visible; have your child wear a bright colored swim cap, stay close to shore, and actively watch for boats
• Know what is in and under an open water area; find out about hazards such as marine life, parasites, currents, drop-offs, very cold water, or submerged objects; enter all unfamiliar water feet first
• Know what to do if your child falls in the river, go downstream immediately to position yourself to help
• Never allow children to swim unsupervised in a hotel/motel pool; never assume someone else is watching your child
• When boating, wear a Coast Guard approved lifejacket; when planning boating events, make sure to pack a lifejacket for each person, children are required to wear a lifejacket at all times in a boat in many states; bring along other items that float such as cooler, cushions, etc.
• When staying at a relative or friend's home, look for possible water hazards (pools, ponds, buckets, bathtubs, toilets, dog bowls, etc.)