Take Extra Care Near the Water

A woman who cannot swim slips off the foam board keeping her afloat and drowns off Seal Beach. A woman and her daughter who cannot swim are found submerged in the pool of their Aliso Viejo apartment complex. A child slips unnoticed beneath the water in the pool of his condominium complex in Anaheim.

The tragic tales of summer drownings in Orange County in the past few weeks continue to mount. They underscore the need for caution.

The hot weather of recent days has made the lure of the ocean and the community pool, always powerful in the Southern California summer, even greater than usual. Nor has it been just the young and the inexperienced who have died.

In June, a Laguna Hills man who was scuba diving alone off Laguna Beach drowned. Investigators believe he was wearing too much weight. One of the first rules of scuba is to dive with a buddy. One of the first rules of night swimming also is to swim with a companion. But it’s not unusual to see those rules flouted, with deadly consequences.

Drownings have a wide impact, especially when the victims are children.

Experts say more than half the couples who lose a child in a drowning accident will divorce. Obviously, no one thinks his or her child will drown. But officials of the Drowning Prevention Network note the need to be extra careful when children are near the water, be it a shallow inflatable pool in the backyard or the ocean.

Public safety agencies recommend asking an adult swimmer who knows CPR to supervise children under 12 and having a cordless phone at the pool in case of emergency.

People with pools need to have several kinds of barriers to prevent children from slipping in when no one is around. A four-sided fence with a self-closing gate, a pool alarm and locked pool cover can provide protection.

The Orange County Fire Authority will send residents a checklist on swimming pool safety and can send someone to check homes. The phone number: (714) 532-7266.

Most drownings are preventable and happen quickly. Adults need to remember not to mix alcohol and swimming or even an overly long stay in a hot tub. They also need to remember that children need extra attention even if they have had swimming lessons.