Water Wisely: How to stay safer in the water

Many summers ago we went to a state park with a small but swimmable lake. A few of us had already waded out from the shore with a gradual slope and were swimming out in the water. One girl decided she would run and dive off the dock when BAM! Unbeknownst to her, a huge tree had fallen but was hidden under the water. She dove right into it, striking her head almost perpendicularly. The tingling ran from the top of her head to the bottom of her spine. A fun splash in the lake quickly turned into a much more serious situation.

– Dr. Mark Ellis, GOES Health

🌊 Making a splash this summer?

Whether it’s a refreshing dip in the pool, a paddling adventure on a river, or a fun day out on the boat, these hot summers bring many of us out to the water. It might surprise you, but drowning is not the only accident that can happen in the water – head injury, spinal trauma, sprained ankles, and hypothermia (even in the summer) are all common water injuries, which is why it’s a good time to shore up your water safety skills. Learn how to prepare for water risks, prevent and recover from drowning, and wash away any misconceptions you might be holding on to.

💡 Myths & Misconceptions

Here’s a somber fact: Drowning is the leading cause of death from injury for children ages 1-4 in the US, and the second highest for ages 5-14. Amidst this truth, there are also a lot of water safety myths and misconceptions swimming around out there.

• Misconception #1: Drowning always ends in death.
  While you might associate drowning with tragedy, drowning can represent a range of different outcomes, from something brief and quickly resolvable, to severe lung or brain injury, or even death. Drowning is when someone’s airways are submerged in water and water is aspirated into the lungs, making it so they cannot inhale air and are instead breathing in water. This can happen very quickly, so measures to prevent drowning should always be taken.
• Misconception #2: You can have a “dry drowning” injury that happens suddenly, several hours after exiting the water.
  When water enters the airways it causes immediate coughing and gagging. If this occurs while submerged, it can result in a lack of oxygen that may lead to a loss of consciousness. Once the drowning victim is no longer submerged, and depending on the amount of lung injury from the inhaled water, it can get progressively harder to breathe. In other words, you will know if something is wrong immediately. And if there are no signs of drowning injury, it’s unlikely that those signs will appear later on.
• Misconception #3: You can’t experience hypothermia from cold water in the summer.
  There are few things more refreshing than a swim in cold water on a hot day. However, if the surrounding water is colder than your body’s temperature, it can pull heat out from your core. Water conducts heat 25 times faster than air, so you will lose warmth to cold water, regardless of how hot the air temperature is. Spending a long time in cold water increases your chances of hypothermia.
• Misconception #4: You can’t get heat stroke from swimming in hot water.
  Swimming in water warmer than 91°F can lead to increased core temperatures. Your muscles can increase their metabolic rate by 25 times when exercising (including swimming). Since 75-80% of generated metabolic energy is lost as heat, it is easy to get hot quickly. While you may not be aware of feeling hot while surrounded by water, the shallow temperature gradient from your hot body to very warm water will lead to heat being added (not lost) to the exercising swimmer.

Learn all the facts and get true, step-by-step, guidance from wilderness medicine doctors with GOES.

Keep learning

📋 How to prepare

Getting ready for a water-related adventure? Dr. Grant Lipman offers these 5 tips to stay safer during your next day on the water:

1. Kids don’t float. If young children are playing next to a body of water, even on the shore, ensure they have a well-fitting personal flotation device.
2. Swim with a friend. The buddy system can help keep you out of trouble and get help if necessary.
3. Only dive in if you know the water is deep.
4. Be careful of fast moving water. Waves can mean submerged rocks or hazards, or in the ocean may represent deeper water or rip tides.
5. Take a CPR class. Be a hero. Arm yourself with the knowledge to help others. (In a pinch, the GOES app has hands-free guides that can walk you through CPR, whenever you need.)

🌡️ Jump in, the water’s warm

Rising ocean temperature is a crucial climate change indicator. The ocean covers over 70% of the earth’s surface, and contains 90% of global warming. Besides signifying the urgency of our climate situation, rising sea temperatures also impact the health and biochemistry of the ocean, ocean-based creatures’ habitats, and weather patterns responsible for hurricanes. You might not notice this temperature increase in your recreations, and it doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy a good beach trip! If anything, let your ocean encounters be reminders of the importance of being prepared for emergencies and protecting our earth.

🏊🏽 Get GO(ES)ing

Whether getting outside for you involves water, dry land, or a little bit of everything, GOES has all your safety needs. Assess the weather, potential health risks, and any symptoms or emergencies that might come up on your adventure. So, water you waiting for? Download and dive into GOES.