#TakeNote: If you know this about the beach and pools, then you’re safe

Safety tips around beaches:

1. Swim where there are lifeguards on duty and go during lifeguard patrolling hours. It will usually be from 10:00-18:00. Don’t swim before or after that. You can still visit the beach at that time but try to stay out of the water until lifeguards arrive.
2. Make sure that you are seen by lifeguards in the water. Don’t swim outside the designated swimming area, i.e. outside the flags. This area is chosen because there are no currents and it is outside the surf zones
3. Swimmers need to watch out for surfers and surfers need to watch out for swimmers.
4. Don’t drink alcohol on the beach. This is illegal and extremely dangerous. Alcohol dulls your senses which in turn makes it difficult to swim. You don’t realise that you may be hypothermic and that your limbs don’t work as well as they should.
5. By dulling your senses, alcohol may inhibit your ability to sense when your children are in danger
6. Never swim alone.

Safety tips around pools:

1. Secure your pool area with appropriate barriers. Barriers that can’t be pushed down by little kids.
2. Never leave children unsupervised near water.
3. Stay within arm’s length from little children as they submerge very quickly – especially if the water is murky.
4. Make sure that children don’t play rough in the pool and jump on top of one another.
5. It is important that adults who supervise must be able to swim as well.
6. Remember that anyone, including people who can swim, is at risk of drowning
7. Avoid taking risks and being overconfident.

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