Water Safety (Recreational)

Summary

Playing in the water – whether swimming, boating or diving – can be fun. It can also be dangerous, especially for children. Being safe can help prevent injuries and drowning. To stay safe in the water:

• Avoid alcohol when swimming or boating
• Wear a life jacket whenever you’re in a boat
• Don’t swim alone, or in bad weather
• Learn CPR
• Learn to swim and teach your children to swim
• Supervise your children when they are in the water
• Prevent sunburns – use plenty of sunscreen

Patient Handouts

• “Hot Tub Rash” and “Swimmer’s Ear” (Pseudomonas) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Find an Expert

• American College of Emergency Physicians American College of Emergency Physicians
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Related Issues

• Cercarial Dermatitis (Swimmer’s Itch) FAQs Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• COVID-19 and Public Pools and Beaches Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Diarrhea and Swimming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Hot Tub Rash (Pseudomonas Dermatitis/Folliculitis) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Leptospirosis Risk in Outdoor Activities Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Risky Drinking Can Put a Chill on Your Summer Fun National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
• Scuba Diving Safety American Academy of Family Physicians
• Swimming and Ear Infections Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Swimming Pools and Molluscum Contagiosum Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Encyclopedia

• Ear barotrauma Medical Encyclopedia
• Swimming pool granuloma Medical Encyclopedia

Start Here

• Healthy Swimming/Recreational Water Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Outdoor Water Safety Nemours Foundation
• Steps for Healthy Swimming Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
• Water Safety American Red Cross
• Water Safety Nemours Foundation

Statistics and Research

• Healthy Swimming: Publications, Data, and Statistics Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Journal Articles

• Water Safety (Recreational)

Specifics

• Staying Safe in the Water: Guard Against Germs While Swimming National Institutes of Health