Red-Sail
Terri Webster Schrandt

Sunday Stills: In the #Swim, But Staying Safe

I missed posting my traditional water safety post this past Memorial Day. The busy-ness and intensity surrounding my father’s celebration of life service prevented me from doing so.

I’m making up for it this week by sharing images of fun activities and things to do in and around the water.

stand-up paddler
Stand-up Paddler

“A vacation to the ocean swims you deep in to the past; when summer spun her beauty into moments meant to last.” ~ Angie Weiland-Crosby

Why Water Safety Matters

Memorial Day weekend (the last weekend in May) in the US is traditionally recognized as the kickoff to summer. The National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) partners with several organizations, including the American Red Cross and the International Water Safety Foundation.

May in National Water Safety Month

The partnership actively brings awareness to water safety practices for people of all ages. The month of May marks Water Safety Month, but safety is recognized throughout the summer.

“The National Coalition of water safety partners have worked to raise awareness and highlight the importance of public education regarding safer practices for kids and adults when they are in and around water of all kinds.” SOURCE

Lifeguard-On-Duty
original image by Kimberly Glaster, used by permission

Lifeguards are a vital and welcome presence on both public and private beaches, as well as in swimming pools. These highly trained men and women are the first responders within the EMS (Emergency Medical Services).

people in lifeguard stand
Lifeguard at Coronado Beach

They also teach swimming lessons and promote public safety by speaking in school classrooms and participating in special events. Some lifeguards get further certifications and teach lifeguard and junior lifeguard training.

Lifeguard Training
Image by Kimberly Glaster
people floating in water
Using Lift to Assist Disabled Swimmers
Junior Lifeguard demonstrates a rescue
Junior Lifeguard demonstrates a rescue

Despite water safety protocols…

The July 4th Holiday “is statistically the most dangerous holiday in the U.S.” ~SOURCE
Motor vehicle accidents are the #1 cause of death, followed by boating accidents, then fireworks accidents.

The good news is that most communities employ well-trained EMS personnel and offer safety awareness related to water activities. Most of these communities recognize that safety is needed over the entire summer. They work to partner with injury prevention programs like KIDS DON’T FLOAT, as seen in Sacramento County, California.

PFD-Water-Safety

During the years I spent at the Sacramento River Delta, I felt proud to see this safety kiosk in operation. It provided information and offered free life vests for children to borrow.

Kids Don't Float Sign
Kids Don’t Float Campaign

As a university professor, I also helped influence the importance of water safety awareness to students in our parks and recreation management courses. I arranged for them to visit the Sacramento Aquatic Center on Lake Natoma as part of their experiential education practice.

students
Sporting life vests, students eagerly await their turn in the kayaks

Before entering the lake, staff reviewed the rules and provided instructions on wearing life jackets.

students kayaking

However you enjoy the lakes, rivers, and oceans, this summer, please stay safe by wearing life jackets, swimming in designated areas, and keeping an eye on weather conditions.

blue swatch

Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders

The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.

  • Remember to title your blog post a little differently from mine.
  • Please create a new post for the theme or link to a recent one.
  • Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
  • Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
  • Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
  • I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.

Sharing for Becky’s Simply Red and Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday.

If you’re participating in the photo challenge, I look forward to seeing how you interpret this week’s theme! Creativity is encouraged, so please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme.

Join me next week as we explore July’s colors of red, white, and blue. For those participating in the challenge, feel free to use shades of red, white, and blue together or separately.

Brodie, Boykin Spaniel in life vest
Brodie says, “Stay Safe–Woof Woof”
SURF signature

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98 comments

  3. Water safety is of outmost importance! I am an avid swimmer and I used to go swimming by myself at different lakes all the time up until a couple years ago when there was a new public recommendation in Sweden to not go swimming by yourself, not even at a crowded public beach, since drowning and other accidents happens so fast and most people pay attention only to their group of people. Having a safety jacket on while boating should be a non-brainer one would think..but I know everyone isn’t of that opinion. Thank you for a great post and reminder to us all.

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  5. Always a good reminder. Being an avid swimmer, I’ve been tempted to leave the jacket off when I kayak on known flat water but still always put it on. On unknown water ways or iffy weather, it’s always on! Our Sheriff also takes water seriously by boating our river and citing those without the proper vest and whistle! He stopped our group just last week. I had my jacket and whistle but someone else received a donated whistle from the Sheriff. Don’t forget your whistle.

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  9. I love John’s comment. Brodie is my favorite pic! I don’t know about dogs not needing vests. I’ve had dogs that couldn’t swim or hated the water at least. What timing with all the tragedies in TX and now NM is flooding. If only there was a pipeline that would drain off that water immediately and send it west. Our hearts hurt for those in that nightmare.

    I had a similar experience years ago in Oregon. I didn’t put my vest on first, but had just put it on when our canoe overturned and I went down the rapids under it, and under water for the most part. The life jacket saved my life, but wouldn’t have if the rapids had been deeper or longer. I had to hit bottom and kick myself up for a gulp of air before I went under again. Very important lesson – wear life jackets whether you like them or not.

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    • Brodie wooded back, thank you, Janis. By now the weekend is over and the stars will tell the tale. I remember seeing the aftermath of a drowning in Mission Beach when I was 7 years old. I watched the mother running helplessly back and forth. I was told later the child fell off the raft and drowned. I didn’t even learn to swim until I was 12. Very sobering.

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  13. Terri,

    This message is so important and can’t be repeated enough. In Eastern Tennessee we have many lakes, rivers, and streams and recreational boating is extremely popular. Unfortunately, many boaters leave the life jacket in hull storage–not good. I am posting a picture of my family on one of our lakes, and proud to say all are wearing jackets.

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  14. Hi, Brodie, woof, wof! That’s right, we’ll stay safe! You’re right, Terri! Water safety is so important. My daughter had both girls taking swimming lessons until they feel confident to swim. Autumn, at 6, took the swimming test and passed it. She swam a half Olympic size pool straight with ease. We’re so proud of her. It’s important for the girls because they go to the lake, the river, and the beach all summer. They do paddle-boarding a lot. Autumn could do it on her own with a life jecket on, of course, but the confidence being in the water is critical.

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    • Swim lessons are the paramount to water safety, Miriam! Havingt hat knowledge and skills is so important and children learn early to respect the water. I’ve overheard children scolding their parents about bad behavior around water!
      Glad to read your granddaughters are equipped to be safe around the water. You are proud and rightly so, Miriam! ❤️

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      • I have a video of Autumn on 2018.08.26 sitting by herself and paddling the paddeboat for a minute. I think my daughter and son-in-law don’t discourage them to do things but teach them how to do them correctly and safely. I appreciate the millenniel parents’ approach of raising kids. ❤

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  16. That closing shot of Brodie, in life jacket, was so cute

    also, this theme is important and so tru about raising awareness. We just heard a tip, that applies more to children around pools, but could apply to lakes etc – and the advice was that children shoudl wear brightly colored swimsuits – and never wear suits the same color as the water – because the bright colors allow them to be spotted easier if there is a problem.

    oh and condolence for your dad!

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    • Thank you, Yvette! Brodie has long since grown out of that vest. But his expression was priceless. You are so right about bathing suit colors. Pool birthday parties are fraught with issue as parents assume their own kids are being watched. Then the unthinkable happens. Brightly colored suits are visible even at the bottom of the pool.
      Thank you for your condolences. I know Dad rests in peace.

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  21. Terri, thank you for sharing the importance of water safety. It’s sad to read about senseless drownings.

    This doesn’t pertain to water safety, per se, but I just read where a New Jersey Coast Guard rescue swimmer, Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, has been hailed as a hero for saving 165 lives during the devastating flash floods in Texas.

    Highly trained lifeguards and first responders deserve praise for their skills and dedication.

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    • I’m always happy to share, thank you, Eugi! Its amazing to read that Ruskan saved lives during the flash flood. It DOES pertain to water safety, because water can get out of control in seconds. Having visited Arizona multiple times, flash flooding is common during summer monsoons. There is a lot of signage identifying wash areas and cautioning drivers not to drive into them when flooding. Of course people dont read.
      Your last statement rings true. Any first responder is truly someone to honor!

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  22. As you know, I’m not a fan of water, Terri. However, the message in your post is important because we in the Northern Hemisphere are currently in summer. It also reminds me to mention that reservoirs can be dangerous, especially since the water in them can be very cold. We’ve seen several deaths here due to young people jumping into reservoirs and the cold water causing heart attacks. Plus, the water in them can be very deep.

    But nonetheless, if we are sensible, then we can enjoy the water, even if, like me, it’s from land, enjoying the refreshing sea breezes.

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    • You like water, Hugh, but you dont like being IN it. 😁 Excellent point about reservoirs. Last spring some teens jumped in one of ours and two died. Our water is cold, in the upper 30sF. Jumping in it literally takes your breath away and your autonomic respiratory system responds by making our lungs take a breath! Our Earth elements are powerful and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Strong winds create refreshing sea breezes!

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  23. Such an important message. In Australia, most of the population is on the water and swimming lessons used to be compulsory. Not so anymore and the drownings have increased, with the largest population affected being new migrants, particularly from the Middle East.

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  26. Brodie looks so cute in his life jacket! Good for you Terri getting people learning about water safety just by Googling and ending up here at your annual water safety post(s). Despite me telling you that the Metroparks were sponsoring free lessons and they were giving away life jackets, plus having them available at various parks, just like many of our state parks, we had several drownings this weekend (four I believe). The youngest victim was a three-year old at one of the Metroparks. How was a three-year old not monitored while swimming? Good the three-year old knew how to swim, a skill I’ve never learned, but where were the adults? SMH. I didn’t hear of any boating issues leading to drowning – these were all people who went for a swim and drowned, one 40 feet from shore. How sad.

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    • Thanks, Linda. I’m saddened to read of your local drownings. Years ago children drowned wearing water wings. They’re improved now, more like a life jacket with a flotable back piece connecting the arm floats. But nothing is more important than a parent in the water with a young child. Sigh…

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      • Terri, on the news today they reported that six more people, all adults, drowned in Michigan. These were not in the local/Tri-County area, like the four I mentioned. One of the four I mentioned in my comment to you last night was an 85-year-old man with dementia. His girlfriend noticed he was missing, as were his swimming trunks (hmm, would you immediately go look for swimming trunks if he was missing, unless he said he’d like to go for a swim to cool off?). That seemed odd. But ten drowning deaths is a lot. I didn’t understand why a three-year-old was unattended. We had a death in an apartment pool of a youngster a few weeks ago – there was a party and no one missed the child until it was too late.

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  34. Love the water photos on this hot summer day. And Brodie in his life vest is darling.
    Thank you for teaching the importance of water safety.
    Stay cool my friend!

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  38. Brodie is so cute!! I didn’t know that the July 4th holiday is so dangerous, Terri. Scary. I booked my flight to Michigan (10 to 15) after the 4th to avoid the crowds. I didn’t know that you were a professor. 😊

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    • Thank you, John! I have pics of my dogs looking so dejected with their life jackets on. Just like kids.
      Yep, I taught at Sacramento State University for 10 years. Best 10 years of my life, especially after having worked in parks and recreation most for 30+ years.

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      • You’re welcome! If you are in a small boat or going fast in a powerboat, the vest makes good sense. His little face is sooo cute! 🥰

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  39. We saw 2 paddle boarders require a boat rescue last week. They got into the current and couldn’t break out of it. And the 13 year old boy did NOT have a life jacket on.

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  44. I’m saddened by all the drownings in my county. Last year there was a record number, and this year seems on target to match or exceed that number. It seems there’s one almost every day. It’s been so hot more people are heading to the lake and many of them are not what we used to call ‘lake people’ and don’t take precautions like we grew up doing. Plus they are drinking. Not a good combo. I no longer live on a lake but I remember the 4th of July being a time we didn’t go out on the water because it was filled with people who didn’t know how to stay safe.

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      • People don’t like to wear life vests. I know. I don’t either. You always think you’re a swimmer, you’ll be fine. But in a boat accident you won’t be fine, and there’s no time to put it on after the series of events starts. Having enough life jackets in the boat doesn’t really much matter. But that’s the way we all live.

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      • Truer words were never spoken, Dawn. I’ve been known to attach my life jacket to my paddle board…gasp!…but I do wear the leash around my ankle. Boating is more dangerous because of speed and possibly alcohol. But I wore an impact vest last summer kayacking, the kind that self inflate. And whoosh, in I fell andI inflated. Luckily

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