“We’re going to be doing a lot of swimming on our upcoming vacation,” parents tell me. “We want to get lots of practice in before we go.” No problem. So the kid and I work on treading, underwater swimming, and rhythmic breathing or just getting air unassisted.
Then I come to find out the lot of swimming is going to be conducted in the ocean or a lake. Well, that’s a whole new bag of potatoes. There is a striking difference between pool swimming or safety skills and what goes on in open water. Here’s what to work on if you are planning to take your kids swimming in open water:
- Never turn your back to the ocean. Unless you want to get wiped out by a wave, of course.
- Duck under waves — not over. You’ll just get slammed. Take a big breath, curve under, and come up on the other side.
- Work in the no-visibility factor. Even with goggles, no one will see anything. Remind.
- Put a life vest on. At a lake, a river. Standard operating procedure stuff. They make vests of all sizes, from infants to adults.
- In riptides or currents, swim parallel to the shore. Don’t try and fight it. If you’re getting pushed out, take a 90-degree angle and swim to the side of things.
- Insist on a backfloat in times of trouble. Grabbing at you for any reason is not good. If they get scared or you find yourself in trouble, tell them to turn over on their back and float. This makes them more manageable and calm. You do it too.
- Learn to love treading. This is swimming with your head up the whole time. They can talk to you, give energy or fear updates, and just generally get strong. It builds quad/leg muscle like nothing else.
- For Dog’s sake, don’t dive. It just isn’t worth it — rocks and trees are hidden in murky water.
