Time On The Water
Help guests be safe during waterfront activities
By Greg Schmidt
Before patrons arrive at your facilities to enjoy the warm weather and spend time in a lake or other body of water, you can share certain skills with them on how to be safe. Here is some advice from an old pro in water safety on how to make the most of these activities.
© Can Stock Photo / zzzdim
Strong Swimmers Required
First, one must be a competent swimmer to be truly safe. Generally, this includes the following:
The ability to jump into water that is too deep to stand in, without fear.
The ability to surface, level off, and assume a comfortable swimming position, either prone or supine.
The ability to return to a shore, dock, or boat without struggle.
The ability to tread water for two minutes without struggling.
Note—competent swimming does NOT equal a crawlstroke/freestyle. Although the crawl is the most commonly used swimming stroke, it is certainly not the easiest to perform. That stroke is winging and kicking (also called combined stroke on the back). This is the first stroke most effective swimming instructors teach students. Why? It provides a return to shore/safety with minimal coordination and practice. Winging is the act of flapping the arms at one’s sides like a bird, but pushing the water towards the feet with the palms of the hands. Arms must bend at the elbows and kept close to the body to reduce drag and increase the efficiency of the arm stroke. Both arms should move in a simultaneous pattern. The kick is a flutter kick, which can be effective in keeping the hips up if the kick is slightly submerged and the legs are fairly straight.
Although a flutter kick provides relatively poor propulsion, it does provide some, and certainly provides much of the stability of one’s body position, especially for a swimmer with legs that sink like rocks.
Meanwhile, being able to tread for two minutes is another skill one should possess, and the reason is simple—if someone were to fall out of a boat and must wait for rescue, treading will allow for this safely. But how does one do it with minimal instruction?
Remember two words: BIG and S-L-O-W! Little kicks and arm strokes must be done quickly to provide support because they are an ineffective force that is more to the side than straight down. Beginning swimmers usually know the flutter kick, and some others can do the scissors kick without much instruction. Combining these two kicks into a modified flutter that is super-wide (virtually doing the splits forward/backward) and going very slowly will maintain a relaxed tread. Similarly, the arms should sweep WAY out and WAY in to provide constant downward force against the water. The pitch of the hands should be nearly flat, with only a slight angle to avoid slipping, to push the water almost entirely downward. There is no recovery phase in this arm motion. The directional change from the out sweep to the in sweep is merely a tiny flip of the wrist to keep the pressure pointing downward. Palms should face down/out on the outward sweep, then down/in on the inward sweep. To maximize the size of the sweep inward, the arms should cross in front of the body before flipping the wrist to do the outward sweep.
© Can Stock Photo / oneblink
Before jumping into deep water, one should practice all of these skills in shallow water. Only chest-deep water is needed to practice treading, since participants will lean forward, like sitting on the edge of a stool. The chin should be touching the water with the legs directly under the body to provide upward force to the entire body.
Brush Up On PFDs
The second way to enjoy the water safely is to be familiar with personal flotation devices (PFDs). There are five different types designed for different applications, with the Type III vest the most commonly used for recreation.
Here’s a summary of PFDs and recommendations for safe use:
Type I—Being the most buoyant, it’s typically for open-water use. It is also the PFD typically found on ferries, cruise ships, etc. All flotation on Type I is in front, and it will help keep an individual or perhaps even an injured person face up. This also depends upon wave action and body type for it to work consistently. This PFD is rated at 22 pounds of buoyancy.
Type II—This device has the same buoyancy as type III, and all buoyancy is again in front. Type IIs often have a head-rest feature, like a pillow, but not necessarily. These are commonly in a yoke style or vest style. The vest-style type IIs are commonly used for toddlers and preschoolers. They’re safer than a Type III.
Type III—It is comfortable, easy to swim in, and designed for fishing, hunting, water skiing, boating, canoeing, etc. It is NOT the most buoyant of the PFDs, however, and has no tendency to turn an injured person face up. These are virtually all vest style, with slightly more flotation in front than in back, but with flotation completely around the torso. This device is generally rated at 15.5 pounds of buoyancy.
© Can Stock Photo / noonie
Type IV—This is a throwable device, and only two types are recognized: a ring buoy and a boat cushion. Of the two, the boat cushion is easier to throw and has more flexibility. This type can be worn as well as clung to. To wear it, one leg is slipped through one handle and the head through the other. With the cushion in front, one can swim on the back to safety using the winging and kicking stroke.
Type V—This pro device is designed for restricted use: commercial fishermen, military, river rafters, etc. Type Vs vary widely in shape, size, and configuration. Some have CO2 cartridges and locator beacons, plus a number of other specialized features specific to a user.
PFDs can look very different, depending on their individual uses. Also, remember they may look different within the same type as well. For example, Type I and II can both be yoke style as well as vest style.
For best results, encourage visitors to learn to swim at level 3 or higher in the Red Cross Learn to Swim progression before participating in water-based activities. Parks and rec departments can assist in water safety by researching and purchasing good PFDs for boats, as well as for weak swimmers who cannot yet rely on their ability alone to be safe. A little leg work up front can pay dividends all summer long.
Greg Schmidt is the Aquatic Center Manager for Eastern Washington University in Cheney, Wash. Reach him at leos@ewu.edu.