Warner Robins swimming instructor offers tips for water safety as temperatures rise

Clear skies and rising temperatures mean more Middle Georgians are gearing up for swim season, but in the wake of recent drowning deaths, it is important that swimmers of all ages take important safety measures before getting in the water.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Clear skies and rising temperatures mean more Middle Georgians are gearing up for swim season, but following recent drownings, it’s even more important that swimmers of all ages take important safety measures before getting in the water.

According to the CDC, drowning is the leading cause of injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4. June Hamborg, Director of Swim Lessons at Warner Robins Aquanauts, says many accidents occur because children are unsupervised.

“You need to keep your eyes on your child at all times,” she said. “If they’re a non-swimmer, you need to be in the water with them and hands on them at all times.”

Hamborg also warns that areas of open water, such as lakes or rivers, can be dangerous for swimmers of all ages due to uncontrolled factors such as limited visibility or swift currents.

“Any time you’re in open water, you should also have a life jacket,” she said. “So some type of life preserver, because there’s currents and stuff involved that could even be difficult for good swimmers.”

Accidents are just as likely to occur in back yard pools as they are in areas of open water. According to Hamborg, the best way to prevent an emergency is to have safety measures in place.

“If you’re gonna have a backyard pool, more than likely you’re gonna have children around it sometime, so you need to have barriers between your home and the pool,” she said.

Some of these barriers include child locks on doors leading to the pool, self-closing gates and fencing around the pool. Hamborg also recommends hiring a life guard to supervise pool parties. The best areas to enjoy safe swimming are facilities with these precautions already in place.

“So at our facility it’s a very controlled environment,” she said. “We only are open for lap swim. We always have life guards on duty, and so the pool is constantly being watched.”

Having a controlled environment significantly reduces the risk of drowning, but even with safety measures in place, Hamborg urges swimmers to never swim alone.

“Even if you’re a good swimmer, you should not swim alone,” she said.

Other water safety tips provided by Warner Robins Aquanauts include:

• Never push someone in the water.
• Do not pretend to drown.
• Don’t assume someone is joking. People have drowned and died because the people around them thought they were pretending.
• If you get tired or injured, do not panic. Relax and float on your back. Call for help if needed.
• Stay hydrated to prevent becoming ill in the water. Dehydration can cause dizziness, black outs, becoming faint, vomiting and other illnesses.
• Help if you can. Throw a drowning swimmer a noodle or floating device, push them to the wall from behind and always call for help.