Essential Safe Swimming Tips

Summertime means pool time and safe swimming tips! While you probably want to dive headfirst into the fun, we need to talk about pool safety. Pool safety is a very serious matter. Did you know that in 2022, more than 410 people died by pool drownings in Florida according to the CDC? Having safety measures in place is a key part of the pool experience, so we’re here to give you the ultimate guide to a safe swimming environment with safe swimming tips.

Barriers

Keeping a safety barrier of some sort around your pool is a great starting point. These could be:

• A fence at least 4ft high all the way around the pool with no way to get around/under
• A pool safety cover
• Alarms on all doors leading to the pool
• Latches that are a minimum of 54in off the ground on doors leading to the pool

Whatever you choose, having a way to keep unsupervised small humans away from the pool is a must. For a residential pool in Florida to be considered legal, it needs to have at least one of these safety features. If the pool owner fails to do this and someone drowns, then they may face second-degree misdemeanor charges.

Water Quality

Swimming is supposed to be nice and refreshing, right? Not if your water quality is poor. Another of the safe swimming tips is that you need to maintain the proper balance of chemicals in your pool to make sure that your water is safe to swim in. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Ensure that your filtration system is properly maintained. Your filter keeps debris and other particles out of your water, so keeping it maintained is crucial to a safe pool.
• Chemical balance is another key thing to check on. Your pool requires a delicate balance of chemicals to be safe to swim in. This includes your chlorine level, pH levels, calcium hardness, etc. We recommend using at-home testing kits (that you can find in most pool stores) or having routine checks by a professional.

Safety Tools

If you have a pool at your home, then you likely won’t have a personal lifeguard. Instead, you need to make sure you have the tools of the trade on hand. Here are some safe swimming tips. Keep these items within easy reach of your pool area in case of an emergency:

• Lifeguard hook – to pull someone at risk of drowning to safety from the side of the pool
• Flotation devices – to toss to someone at risk, or to keep people safe ahead of time by wearing (like arm floaties for the kiddos)
• First aid kit – just in case someone gets injured

This is just a small sample of the types of tools recommended to keep on hand around your pool. Keeping these items around is a great way to be prepared in case of an emergency.

Common Sense Safe Swimming Tips

This is where we remind you to just use some common sense around the pool. Stay sober enough to be safe, don’t let kids play in or around the pool unsupervised, make sure you teach your little ones how to swim and stay safe (and yes, that includes your pets), and keep yourself hydrated and protected from the sun. A little common sense can go a long way to save a life, so just remember to be responsible for yourself and others around the pool.

Your pool is a great way to cool down and have some fun times, but you can’t let yourself get too caught up that you forget to take precautions and keep your swimming area safe to be in. This quick guide to pool safety is just a start, but it’s definitely a good start! Follow these tips and have a safe summer.

Don’t forget to install a Baby Barrier Safety Fence. These are specifically designed for each pool to keep your family, pets and guest safer, even when you are not watching your pool. Check out all the safety fence options and schedule your estimate today!

Now enjoy your pool with these safe swimming tips!