If you’ll be visiting the ocean this year, now’s a good time to brush up on the potential dangers you may encounter to make your visit safe and enjoyable.

Prevent Drownings
The biggest danger in ocean swimming is the risk of drowning. To help avoid trouble:

• Learn to swim. This is the best defense. If you have children, teach them to swim at an early age.
• Choose a beach with lifeguards. The odds of drowning at a beach without lifeguards are almost five times higher than those of drowning at a beach with lifeguards.
• Never swim alone. People swimming by themselves account for a lot of drownings. Always swim with a buddy, or at least have someone watch you from shore who can signal for help if needed.
• Don’t fight a rip current or offshore current by trying to swim straight to shore. Instead, swim parallel to the beach until you’re out of the current, then swim to shore. If you can’t swim out of the current, float, wave an arm, and yell for help.
• Swim sober. Alcohol and drugs are major factors in drownings. Substance use can impair judgment, causing people to take risks and overestimate their swimming ability.
• Never dive headfirst. Serious injuries, including paraplegia, can result when people dive headfirst into water of unknown depth and strike the bottom with their heads. Check the depth before you dive. If you bodysurf, put a hand out in front of you for protection.
• Learn the conditions of the water and the shoreline. Ask about strong currents, hidden rocks, and other obstructions.

Sun, Sharks, and Sand
Water isn’t the only potential threat at the shore. To protect yourself:

• Apply a liberal dose of SPF 30 or greater sunscreen 15 to 30 minutes before arriving at the beach, every two hours after that, and immediately after swimming or sweating.
• Avoid sharks. It’s extremely rare for sharks to attack humans. To keep the odds low, don’t swim in areas frequented by marine mammals such as seals, sharks’ favorite prey. Avoid swimming on foggy mornings or at dusk, when a shark might mistake you for a seal.
• Don’t dig or play in deep sand holes. Over a 10-year period, 31 people died after becoming submerged in dry-sand holes on beaches.

Remember, the ocean is a wild environment. Respecting its creatures and the conditions can keep you safe.

For more information, visit the United States Lifesaving Association at www.usla.org.

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