If you camp near a stream, a lake, or the beach you need to be aware of water safety. If you have a pool or a Jacuzzi - study this page well. If your children bathe in a tub you should be concerned. Most people feel comfortable while their kids wade in shallow water. If you can't see a person in water their life is at risk.

I am a great swimmer and I love the water. I have been referred to as a fish. I do not have an unnatural fear of the water. I respect bodies of water and treat them with caution. I hope that this web page will help you to do the same.

Before you camp near water Learn to swim - There is no better way to protect your family than to learn to swim and to enroll your children in classes to learn swimming. Teach your children to always swim with a buddy - and do the same! Adults drown all the time so don't assume that you are safe because you are an adult or because you are a good swimmer. Know your limits and stay within them - If your friend is a great swimmer, don't try to match their skill. Be honest and turn back when you need to! Watch out for the dangerous 2's - 2 tired. 2 cold, 2 far from shore, 2 much sun, 2 much strenuous activity. You may be a great swimmer, but these factors can take a big toll on your swimming ability. Swim in supervised areas only. You may be a confident swimmer but your children or friends may be lacking basic skills. Many areas have dangerous problems you may not know about like rip tides. Always consult the lifeguard before you enter the water. Obey 'No Diving" signs. There may be many people diving in the area - but that doesn't matter. The signs are there for a reason. Go to the bottom section of this page if you need more information on this topic. Don't mix alcohol or any other drug and swimming - Anything that can impair your judgment can be a fatal mistake in water. You may feel confident driving under the influence (bad mistake) - but swimming intoxicated is even worse. If nobody is there when you are no longer able to function - you don't crash into a tree. You can easily drown. Always wear a life jacket when boating or fishing. Good swimmers seem to forget that people knocked unconscious don't swim well. A good life jacket will support your head above water even if you are not conciouse. Know local weather conditions - some areas have regular weather patterns. In the gulf area of Florida there is a major thunder storm every day at the same time during summer weather. The sky may be blue and clear one moment and black and stormy the next. The locals know when to seek shelter - but do you? Know how to prevent, recognize, and respond to emergencies.

In the year of 1998 there have been a terrible number of people who have died in drowning accidents. Most of the people who have drowned are the rescuers - not the victims. If you see a person drowning - use caution if you try to rescue this person. Throw out a raft, a life preserver, anything you think may float. If you must reach out to a person who is drowning make sure you have a good grip on a solid object. There are many people who have drowned trying to rescue a drowning person. Don't let a person drown - but do not attempt to rescue anyone unless you have a good grip on a person on shore... A person who is drowning will claw their way on top of anything they can reach. If you are trying to help a drowning person - this floating object may be you! Throw this person a life raft, a cooler: toss them an end of a towel to grab on to. Do not let a drowning person grab you. Do NOT APPROACH a drowning person. A person who is drowning will attempt to climb on top of anything at the surface of the water. If you are not underwater - your best friend may drowned you.

There have been an abnormally high number of people who have died trying to save other people. This has been a terrible year for this kind of catastrophe. A great deal of drowning victims have been saved and a great deal of people attempting to save people who are drowning have been drowned. How do you measure this kind of statistic? Trying to help a person who is drowning is quite dangerous. Do not attempt to approach a drownding person in any way. Offer them a towel, a cooler, a flotation device of any kind. Do not risk yourself in any way. These people are incapable of discerning your hand from a pillow, a towel or any other device that may mean safety. This person could easily kill you accidentally in an attempt to save themselves.

Home Safety Issues from HomeSafe in Australia.

Always watch children near water - ALWAYS.

Take the child with you if you answer the phone at bath time.

Diaper buckets should have a firm lid and be stored up high.

Indoor spas should have a lockable door and be emptied immediately after use. Outdoor spas should be fenced the same as swimming pools.

Empty paddling pools immediately after use.

Cover post holes or trenches during building.

Cover outdoor ponds with a fixed grill.

After heavy rain, check your yard and empty any rain that collects in containers.

Remember that flotation aids are not lifesaving devices. Stay with your child when swimming in the pool.

Learn how to give resuscitation or take a refresher course. In an emergency, take the child to the phone and call the ambulance. Directions will be given to you over the phone.

When visiting, ask about any drowning hazards. Many children have drowned at friends' homes because their parents didn't know there was a pool, spa or pond on the property.<

Kayack safety provided by The Mining Company A kayak or canoe in good, serviceable condition, with plenty of secure buoyancy, fore and aft

A paddle

A spraycover that fits your boat

A personal flotation device and whistle

Clothing suitable for the conditions

A bailer or pump

An accessible spare paddle, min. of 1 per group

In any but the most benign conditions, also consider: an accessible flare pack

a flashlight, (even if you are only planning a daytime trip)

self rescue aids

rain gear, and extra clothing in a waterproof bag

a minimum of 25 feet of tow line

charts and tide tables, current tables if appropriate

a compass

a knife

matches or a lighter

first aid kit

a weather radio

The author of this information also suggests that hypothermia is the biggest threat to new kayackers - so please read the information on that as well!

Flood Danger

This section is provided by Water Rescue Safety Basics

The information provided here may seem a bit technical - but it all adds up to the same thing. If you are camping and heavy rain forces you to leave - do not attempt to cross waterways with heavy drainage. You may cross with no problem, you may be seen on the local news being rescued from your vehicle, and your body may make the local news as it is dragged from a creek 20 miles downstream.

Each gallon of water weighs about 8 pounds. A cubic foot of water weighs 62 pounds.

Water wicks heat away from our bodies 25 times faster than air. Without thermal protection, a person in water with a temperature of 70 degrees Fahrenheit can become hypothermic in five minutes or less.

Hypothermia affects victims and rescuers alike robbing their ability to think clearly and reducing strength, coordination and stamina. The effects are more pronounced in colder water, combined with wind chill and cold air temperatures, and by the amount of exertion required by rescuers and victims.

At 3 miles per hour, one cubic foot of water exerts approximately 17 pounds per square inch of force on our legs and 34 pounds per square inch on our bodies. At 6 mph, the force water exerts almost quadruples to 67 pounds per square inch on our legs and 134 pounds per square inch on our bodies.

One foot of water can displace approximately 1,500 pounds of vehicle weight. In moving water, this force plus the buoyancy of vehicles explains why even heavy vehicles can easily be swept away by what may seem like a small amount of water.

These powerful forces in flood currents also displace soil under roadways, bridges and underground spaces. Roadways can be washed away, underground storm drains become deep, open trenches, and manhole covers, drain grates and metal access lids weighing hundreds of pounds can be forced out of their resting places and washed away. These spaces become underground tombs to trap and drown victims and rescuers.

Debris can become a trap or hindrance in water incidents.

Debris is found in three levels: on the surface, suspended in the water and on the bottom. It is important to remember that just about any material or object may be in the three types of debris loads in water. The suspended and bottom loads are invisible to you and thus are very dangerous.

Pollutants are common today in runoff and floods. Expect chemicals and other pollution to be in the water you train and operate in.

Cold Water Safety

Cold water causes death in nearly half of the drowning cases reported - a life jacket provides little help but the tips below could save you and your family.

Tighten your clothes and try to cover your head.

Act quickly before losing use of your hands. Right a capsized boat or climb atop it.

Don't swim unless it's to reach a nearby boat. Swimming saps heat and cuts survival time in half.

Stay as still as possible. Movement robs you of heat.

Once out of the water, rescuers should not apply heat to arms or legs, or give massages or hot baths.

All can cause heart attacks in hypothermia cases. The best way to warm a victim is with body-to-body contact and a tight blanket.

I was working at a park where we had several tragic deaths by drowning.

One young man was in a river with many other people trying to beat the heat on a July day. He dove beneath the surface attempting to cool off and he never came up. His family assumed that he was with other people and he was never missed. Another park visitor discovered his body with her foot several hours later.

A young man dove off of a rock in this same swimming area a year later. This rock was a popular diving spot. Most of the areas around this rock were quite deep - but this 17 year old dove into a rock that was a few inches from the surface. He did not die - right away. People on the scene did all they could, our staff did all they could, the medivac crew that arrived did all they could. This man died a painful and pointless death. He was alert and aware up until the end. I can only wish that his friends would be more aware of what diving in an unknown area can do.

I do not wish to scare anyone. I have dived into a dangerous area myself. I did check the water depth first and I dove without incident. I was lucky. I found out later that a kid was killed diving in the same place after hitting a submerged log. There are no guarantees. Another friend of mine got a ticket for attempted suicide from jumping from the same place. He was not attempting suicide - but if the threat of a $100.00 ticket will keep a few people from doing something this stupid, so be it!

My husband was a student at U.C.Berkely. His first year at this college he was rooming with a quadrapaligic. His roommate couldn't use the bathroom, couldn't make a meal for himself, he had to ask his room mates to empty his colostomy bag (his urine) for him every day. This guy dove into the ocean trying to grab a Frisbee. Something as simple as a game of frisbee cost this guy the use of his arms and legs. His wife left him and took his daughter. He lost everything in a few moments.