*The four key water safety messages include:

How can I stay safe when swimming?

• Look for and read the signs. Read the signs posted in a swimming area and follow the safety information.
• Walk, do not run.
• Be careful getting in and out of the pool.
• Look before you leap or dive in.
• Stay within your abilities.
• Never swim alone.
• Play carefully.
• Do not drink alcohol.

Never swim alone; swim with lifeguards and/or water watchers present. Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket appropriate for your weight and size and the water activity. Always wear a life jacket while boating, regardless of swimming skill. Swim sober.

• Always swim in a safe place.
• Always swim with an adult.
• If you fall in, float, breathe, relax.
• If someone else in trouble, call 999/112.

A ring buoy is a buoyant ring with 40 to 50 feet of lightweight line attached to it. The ring is thrown by a rescuer to someone who needs help in the water.

Incorrect and Ineffective Posture Puddle jumpers and arm floaties are notorious for helping children develop ineffective swimming posture. These devices hold children in a vertical position — head up, feet down, arms out — causing them to use more of a bicycling motion in the water.

Safety Tips

• Always ensure that there is adult supervision when children are swimming.
• Never leave a child alone in or near the water.
• Never let children swim alone.
• Make sure children swim in supervised or designated areas.
• Never let a child swim during a storm or when there is lightening.

Water wings inhibit the ability to learn to swim. Floaties provide a false-sense of security to the parents. A parent’s back can be turned and a child can slip under the water quickly and silently. Both the Mayo Clinic and the CDC warn that water wings will not prevent your child from drowning.

Floaties and Water Wings are Dangerous They help the parent feel a little more comfortable with their child being in the water, and they give the child a false sense of security. Most kids love to wear these items, as they make them feel independent and bring them to the surface when they jump in the water.

Any floatation device especially ones that keep you in a horizontal position are not allowing you to learn to swim. Floatation devices are used as a safety precaution by most swim schools when young students wear floaties in lessons swim schools can cram more students into a class.

10 months old

For many parents water wings are seen as a way to keep kids safe and protected at the pool, but water wings or arm floaties are not recognized as safe personal flotation devices (PFD). The CDC in particular doesn’t recommend the use of water wings in the pool.

This article provides information about the four swimming strokes used in competitions, which are the front crawl or freestyle stroke, breaststroke, backstroke, and the butterfly stroke.

Front Crawl is also known as freestyle, as it is the most used stroke in freestyle events. This is because it is the fastest and most efficient of all the strokes.

22 strokes

4.76 mph

Breaststroke

Butterfly expends the most energy of the three, and is usually considered the hardest stroke by those endeavoring to master it.

You should be able to cover anywhere from 20 to 30 laps, at least. If you are capable of doing more, you should be swimming for longer periods of time, perhaps 45 minutes or even an hour.

While a mile is equivalent to 1,609 meters or 1,760 yards, a “mile” swim race is typically 1,500 meters or 1,650 yards….How Many Laps Are in a “Mile” Swim?

Can You Swim Every Day? Absolutely! You can swim seven days a week, 365 days a year – and I know some people who do this! The key is moderating your intensity and duration so your body is fresh for each workout.