VashonBePrepared: Summertime water safety and swimming lessons save lives

And those lessons aren’t just for kids.

July 17, 2024 11:30 am
Megan Yeager (right), Vashon Park District lifeguard, swim instructor, and Vashon Seals Swim Team assistant coach, holds a banner of water safety tips with lifeguard colleague Michael “Wish” Wishkoski. “At a bare minimum, every child should learn how to float,” Yeager said. (Courtesy photo.)
Megan Yeager (right), Vashon Park District lifeguard, swim instructor, and Vashon Seals Swim Team assistant coach, holds a banner of water safety tips with lifeguard colleague Michael “Wish” Wishkoski. “At a bare minimum, every child should learn how to float,” Yeager said. (Courtesy photo.)

Our recent heat wave sent many of us to the water to cool off — in pools, beaches, lakes, boats, kayaks, and on paddle boards.

It’s a good time to remember that swimming lessons are vital for water safety, especially for kids.

Drowning is the number one cause of accidental death for children under five and a leading cause of accidental death for children under 14. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that child drowning numbers have increased in recent years.

The CDC also notes that swimming lessons aren’t just for kids. As reported in VashonBePrepared a few weeks ago, a CDC study shows that more than half of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson.

Drowning can be sneaky, fast, and silent. So learn to swim and never swim alone. Keep kids and weak swimmers under constant visual supervision. Keep small children within arm’s reach.

A struggling drowning person often can’t call for help or even wave their arms. They might be vertical in the water and, in their struggles, may look like they are climbing a ladder. Their mouths may bob above and below the water.

Alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use can be extremely dangerous when driving a boat. They impair your alertness, reaction time, and judgment. Wear a well-fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket, even if you are a strong swimmer.

Hypothermia sets in quickly in Puget Sound’s cold waters, where surface temperatures average from about 45 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter to about 53 degrees in the summer.

Swimming Lessons

Vashon Park District offers group lessons for kids ages 5-12 and private lessons for children and adults. Learn more at tinyurl.com/vashonpool.

Vashon Island Golf & Country Club offers lessons for members and non-members — group lessons for kids ages 3 and older and private lessons for children and adults. Visit tinyurl.com/vashonccpool.

Vashon Athletic Club offers lessons for children and adults with one or two students per instructor. Call 206-463-5601 for information.

Take it from Carol Slaughter: “Knowing how to swim is important. We live on an island, travel by boat, and it’s also great exercise and fun.” Slaughter is a familiar face for many readers because she taught generations of island kids how to swim. (Courtesy photo.)

Take it from Carol Slaughter: “Knowing how to swim is important. We live on an island, travel by boat, and it’s also great exercise and fun.” Slaughter is a familiar face for many readers because she taught generations of island kids how to swim. (Courtesy photo.)

These kids are getting lessons from Vashon Park District instructors at Vashon Community Pool. Swimming lessons are available on-island at multiple locations for people of all ages. (Courtesy photo.)

These kids are getting lessons from Vashon Park District instructors at Vashon Community Pool. Swimming lessons are available on-island at multiple locations for people of all ages. (Courtesy photo.)