Summer Safety: Swim safety tips to know before the summer 

The start of summer vacation is about to begin for several Floridians this summer.

The pool is warming up to be the hot spot for kids and families this summer. It’s now also the number one leading cause of drowning deaths for children ages 1-4 in the state. 

New stats from the CDC show drowning deaths are going back up again after decades of declining numbers. It also reports that 4,500 people died due to drowning every year from 2020-2022. 

This is about 500 more drowning deaths each year compared to 2019. According to the CDC, basic swimming and water safety skills training can reduce drowning risk, but over half of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson. 

One of the board members of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, Michael Haggard, is currently working on 18 drowning cases in the state. 

He said most of those drownings are happening in rental properties like Airbnb and apartments. 

“Whether it’s Airbnb or Vrbo, people want to come to Florida now,” said Haggard. “They want to stay in a house, and guess what they want in that house? They want to pool. We have seen an incredible increase in drownings. I would caution all vacationers who are using short-term rentals to know how that pool works and if is it secured.” 

Haggard said most of those drownings are caused by a lack of protection around swimming pools and added there are solutions to prevent it. 

“Two things we know work very well are barriers and fences and alarms that alert parents that a child has gotten out of their apartment; it might be near water at that point and time,” said Haggard. 

The number one cause for drowning is due to children not taking swimming classes early on in childhood. 

“It is incredibly important for families to look into the resources that might be provided by the community or the state to get their kids to learn how to swim early,” said Haggard. “At the earliest age, you can start getting your kids to swim lessons.”

Swim schools like Swimastics are working with families throughout Southwest Florida to make swimming lessons more accessible. 

“Just learning how to swim reduces your rate of drowning by 88%,” said Lindsay Pursglove, owner and operator of Swimtastic Swim School. “At Swimtastic, we are all about learning to swim, which covers water adaptation, drowning, prevention, learning to swim and learning now and into the future because it’s a life skill.”

From learning the four competitive strokes to floating on your back are just some common lessons taught at Swimtastic for children and adults. 

“We’re really pushing for adults and kids to get in the water with us now into the summer and really all year long. So they’re always ready no matter what happens around the water,” said Pursglove. 

Each swim lesson is divided into age groups and is taught separately. 

Click here to learn more about Swimastics and the lessons they offer for sign-up.