May is National Water Safety Awareness Month, and it's important to start planning now to keep your family safe.
AUSTIN, Texas —
Warmer temperatures are drawing more people to Central Texas' waterfronts, which can become dangerous without proper precautions.
Going to the beach, lake, or pool is a great way to cool off, but if you're not a strong swimmer, all of those places can be dangerous or even life-threatening.
May is National Water Safety Awareness Month, and it's important to start planning now to keep your family safe.
Swimming lessons provide tips for those interested. In general, it's important to be prepared to take precautions to keep your head above water.
For young swimmer Harlow, there's no place like a pool, but her mother Angela O'Mahony said that wasn't always the case.
“She was scratching my skin and peeling it off because she couldn't release it into the water herself. So it was scary for her,” O'Mahony said.
Harlow has now replaced her claws with fins and is learning skills like how to get out of a pool if she falls in and how to float on her back.
“Rolling over helps them stay afloat to some extent and helps them breathe,” said Chandler Staten, general manager of Goldfish Northwest Hills Austin Swim School.
Ms O'Mahony said she wanted Harlow to be comfortable in the water because she didn't have those same feelings as a child.
“Just because I took swimming lessons doesn't mean I knew how to swim,” she says.
Ms O'Mahony said her swimming lessons were not as consistent as Ms Harlow's. As a result, she wasn't a good swimmer and she ended up in a horrible situation.
“There was a time in my adult life, probably when I was in my 30s, that I almost drowned.”
She was floating in the San Marcos River when she became trapped under a tube.
“It was a bit of a panic. I didn't know what to do, because I kept surfacing and kept pushing myself, thinking I'd get to the top of the surface, but I couldn't break through. I did,” she said.
O'Mahony wants to make sure Harlow doesn't end up in a similar situation.
“These things are things you learn after you've done them. One or two of the eternal lessons are horrible experiences. I hope no one ever has to go through this horrible experience.”
Goldfish Swim School instructors recommend that you always have a swim buddy, never swim alone, and that if you are not a strong swimmer, you should wear a life jacket when on the boat or on the water.
“The currents are different in the water and on the boat, so you can easily fall off the side. Or sometimes it can get a little rough and get pushed around,” Staten said.
They also said it was important to appoint rotating water guardians to monitor people in the water. No phone, no distractions, just watching the swimmers.
“They know it's a 15-minute job. No phones, no distractions, while they're swimming,” said Mark Arson, general manager of Goldfish South Austin Swim School. Just pay attention to the kids.”
“That's absolutely necessary, even if there's a lifeguard. It never hurts to have another eye on the kids.”
All of these tips will help keep swimmers of all ages safe and happy.
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