Safety Tips for Swimming at the Beach, Pool or Lake

"It's summertime and you know what that means -- gonna head out to the beach, gonna do some beachy things." Summertime loving is more than just a catchy song from "The Regular Show." Loving the summertime seems strange to me, but then again I live in a place where short sleeves are mandatory wear on most Christmas Days. If you love the summertime and don't have access to doing beachy things, you may still do some pool things or lake things. Safety first and safety always. Here are some safety rules to live while you are engaging in summertime loving of the water.

Salt Water Swimming Safety
Salt water swimming means taking a dip in an ocean or gulf unless you live in Utah or some other place with salty lakes. Beach water presents some very definite water safety recommendations. The first rule of swimming safely in ocean water is to give this powerful force of nature the respect that it deserves. Swimming at the beach can mean a riptide that will pull you further out to sea the more you try to swim against it. A riptide is just a strong current under the water. The riptide is usually not very wide so the best method for getting back to the shore before you tire out so much that you give up is to swim horizontally until you exit the pull of that current. Another respectful element to ocean water is the waves. Depending on which ocean or gulf you are swimming in and what the wind conditions are, you may run into waves that can easily knock you down even if you have a body like Evander Holyfield. Ocean swimming also calls for checking out any area where you plan to dive or jump. Look for rocks and reefs and sandbars before taking a chance that may leave you paralyzed. Learn what different colored flags mean regarding safety conditions of the water.

Pool Swimming Safety
Summertime loving for the majority of Americans means enjoying a pool rather than ocean water. Safety tips for fun play in the pool starts before you even get into the water. Do you know how many videos on "America's Funniest Videos" show men and women slipping on wet pool tile and often banging their head down on the hard surface? I don't either, but I know I've seen it a lot. Walk, don't run on any type of surface around a pool that gets slippery. If you are entering a pool with which you aren't familiar, get into the water and actually test the depth rather than relying on painted numbers. Make sure that the water is deep enough to jump or dive into. Pools can be very populous places and they don't offer nearly the amount of territory as the ocean. For this reason, always make sure that you aren't going to land on anybody when you plan to jump into a pool.

Lake Swimming Safety
Those who are used to swimming in lakes who vacation along the Gulf Coast will invariably comment on the warmth of the water. The fact is that lake water can be exceedingly cold. Some swimmers are committed to facing this aspect of lake swimming by taking it in all at once. A much safer approach to entering the cold waters of a lake is to do it slowly and deliberately. The slow approach will reduce the chances of experiencing muscle cramps. A lake is more likely to have a surface pocked with variously sized rocks than the beach where the current is constantly moving things around. In addition to checking the depth yourself, you should put your head underwater to make sure that a spot you've picked out for diving isn't adorned with rocks that could crack your skull.