Swimming Safely

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Swimming is a fun summertime activity that can turn deadly in an instant.

Perry County OSU Extension Educator Misty Harmon talked about swimming in a variety of places and shared pointers on how to stay as safe as possible.

“I just wanted to remind parents, first of all, there is no substitute for you being… paying attention when your child is in the pool, or in a lake, or the ocean or whatever that is. You know, drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages 1-to-4 and it’s one of the leading causes of death in kids period. Drowning is silent for the most part. So your kids aren’t going to be making a lot of noise if they are having trouble in the water. They’re not going to be splashing around, especially those younger ones,” Harmon said.

Understanding depth and currents in unfamiliar places can help you navigate through troubles and if there are no-swimming signs posted, oftentimes, they’ve been put there for your safety. Harmon also noted that swimsuit fashions are often designed to set trends instead of providing safety. 

“What colors of bathing suits show up best in that,” Harmon said. “Depending on whether your child swims in a pool more frequently, or in the like, natural bodies of water. Or if you’re like me and you have a pool with darker color even, really paying attention in those bright neon colors, like orange, yellow and green really show up the best in both. But you know, if your child primarily swims in a bright pool there’s certain colors that are going to show up better there. Or if they swim in natural bodies of water there are other colors that will show up better.”

Swimming fatalities happen too many times each and every summer but many can be avoided through paying closer attention and practicing a little common sense.