Water Safety Tips From the Pros
Beach safety tips have varied sources. One is the formal listing of regulations throughout shore communities and on beach-patrol websites.
Another is insight from leaders like Avalon Beach Patrol Chief Matt Wolf and Stone Harbor Beach Patrol Captain Sandy Bosacco.
A third, somberly, are recent drownings that occur just before the start of the summer season. They usually happen in unguarded ocean waters. This year, they occurred in swimming pools.
All come together as 7 Mile visitors settle into the sand, sun, and the water.
Important Safety Pointers
Wolf referenced two heart-wrenching Memorial Day tragedies to hang both his instructional and community outreach hat on.
Two unattended youngsters, ages 11 and 14, were pulled from a residential swimming pool in Williamstown, Gloucester County, and later died. On the same weekend, a 4-year-old North Brunswick child drowned in a pool.
This was not the ocean, which has dangerous rip currents and an aura of unpredictability. This was calm water, the most desirable safety conditions. In either location, trouble can emerge quickly.
“How tragic it is that any child drowns in a pool,” Wolf says. “If you can drown in a pool, you can drown in the ocean. When anyone swimming is left unattended, that’s when problems can occur.
“That’s why, the first thing I would say to the public is to always swim in front of a lifeguard. To me, the most important advice begins and ends right there. This is why we have jobs. This is why we get paid. Use us. Swim in front of us. We can’t do any good for you if you are not there.”
Wolf adds evidence supplied by the United States Lifesaving Association, which indicates that one’s chances of drowning in guarded ocean waters is infinitesimally small.
On busy days, the Avalon patrol takes the philosophy one step further. It will have guards in the water.
When in doubt, people can look to a guard for guidance, coming in the form of verbal instruction, whistles, and instructional arm motions.
Wolf also advises sunbathers to prepare their bodies for the heat, which can soar suddenly in late morning.
“There are times when people will have heat-related issues,” possibly passing out, for instance, Wolf says. “They have come to the beach and perhaps they are not properly hydrated. Maybe they haven’t taken medication if they need to do that.
“What happens if you come down to the beach in the heat and humidity and go for a run when you have not been hydrated? You do have to worry about heatstroke.
“Be careful. Get a good night’s sleep before coming to the beach. Get your vitamins and minerals. Find the shade. If you are not feeling well, don’t come to the beach, or at least let a lifeguard know that you are not feeling well.
“We are seeing more instances of this happening.”
Bosacco cautions against lightning.
“People sometimes don’t take this threat seriously,” he says. “A big thing to remember is that lightning travels farther than thunder. If you hear the thunder, you can be struck quickly by the lightning.
“It’s a very good idea to know the weather forecast before you come to the beach. We monitor the weather all day and can keep the public up to date. Everybody also has a phone. Everybody can look up when the bad weather is coming and be ready to move to a safe area.”
Bosacco advises finding a place with wiring or plumbing to avoid lightning. A car is a safe haven, for instance, but a shed is not. It’s important for people to plan where they’ll go when thunderstorms are imminent.
Stone Harbor is different than some shore communities in that its business district is not located on a boardwalk, or promenade. People will take a little longer to get to a safe location when they can’t dart into an enclosed boardwalk business.
Bosacco adds that 7 Mile visitors sit facing east to the ocean, while the storms generally come from the west.
“If you are down by the water, the noise from the surf often muffles the sound of the thunder,” he says. “You may not have someone to tell you about it. We do monitor the weather and direct people, but being aware of how problems can come to you quickly on the beach are important.”
Bosacco says people are vulnerable to lightning strikes near the water because they are the tallest objects in a flat, open area. Thus for boaters, kayakers, and sunbathers, this threat is significant.
Bosacco estimates that this situation occurred roughly a dozen times last year.
He also advises visitors to be clock watchers. When the guards leave the beach, usually at 5pm, people should not go in the water. He’s even stressed this to Stone Harbor guards – all of whom have athletic backgrounds – regarding after-hour risks.
If this instruction is good enough for the people who guard the public, it’s good for visitors, too.
Augmenting how Bosacco and Wolf instruct their guards, here is a list of Top 10 Safety Tips according to the USLA:
Swim near a lifeguard.
Learn to swim. (Bosacco believes swimming should be taught to kids when they are 5 years old.)
Learn rip current safety.
Never swim alone.
Designate a water watcher. (Especially in a group setting. This is not a substitute for a lifeguard but makes it someone’s sole responsibility to watch the water at all time.)
Alcohol and water don’t mix. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, alcohol use is involved in up to 70% of deaths associated with water recreation. It’s also linked with nearly a quarter of emergency department visits for drowning and one in five boating deaths.
Feet-first water entry.
Life jackets save lives. (Wearing a life jacket is the simplest life-saving strategy for recreational boating, paddling, or towed water sports. Some 77% of fatalities associated with boating accidents are from drowning, and 84% of those were not wearing life jackets, according to the USLA.)
Observe signs & flags.
Beat the heat and block the sun.
When in doubt, ask a guard about any safety concern.
