Meow Meow Foundation believes that as many people as possible should do their best to become water competent. Pools and open water can be fun and healthy, however, they also pose risks that we don’t discuss often enough. Despite what you might hear, research is extremely limited and inconclusive about whether swimming lessons help to prevent drowning. Water competency is different from swimming lessons. Water competency combines a variety of ways to avoid potential disaster from happening.

According to the most recently available research, which was 16 years ago, swimming lessons might increase a person’s ability to prevent drowning. However, that study was extremely small in scale. The conclusion also stated, “estimates were imprecise” and the Confidence Index was wide-ranging. Above average swimmers drown every year.

1. Water competency is a way for you to avoid common danger, acquire fundamental water safety skills and understand how to respond to drowning emergencies.

2. Remember, swimming lessons are in controlled environments under close supervision. Drowning dangers happen without controlled environments and without close supervision. This is why swimming ability is not enough.

3. The American Red Cross offers a very limited definition of water competency. We prefer this model from the organization known as Drowning Prevention Auckland.

4. Make sure you take these tests with at least one other capable, competent swimmer who will monitor you.

5. The essentials: Jump into the deep end of the pool. Hold your breath under water for 10-15 seconds. Emerge to the surface. Float in one place for 1 minute with your head above water. Swim at least 25 yards. Go underwater again for another 5-10 seconds. Get yourself to the side of the pool. Without using a ladder, get yourself out of the pool.

6. The extras: Swim underwater for 10 seconds. Understand how to properly wear a lifejacket and how to put a life jacket on infants, toddlers, youth and other adults.

7. Repeat the essential water competency test with clothes on.

8. Repeat the essential water competency test in open water (pond, lake, river, ocean). Swim to a place that is over your head. Be close enough to the shoreline where you can extract yourself without adding too much risk.

9. Name as many water hazards as possible (i.e. rip currents) and describe how to prevent harm.

10. Describe how much risk is too much for your skill and aptitude and why.

11. Describe and display how to rescue a drowning victim in a pool and in open water.

12. Describe what it is to have a healthy respect for the water.

Meow Meow Foundation believes that everyone in a boat should be wearing a life jacket at all times. Rules and regulations vary by state and city, but too many people, young and old, die or suffer injuries because they are not wearing life jackets in watercraft. When water gets rough or cold, a life jacket can be the difference between life and death.

• According to the most recently available research, the U.S. Coast Guard Recreational Boating Statistics study in 2021 cited 4,439 reported accidents, 2,641 reported injuries, and 658 deaths on our nation’s waterways. 81% of deaths were due to drowning and 83% of those who died were not wearing a life jacket. U.S. Army Corps of Engineers statistics show that for the last ten years, 87% of the water-related fatalities that occurred at their lake and river projects were men age 18+ and 87% were not wearing a life jacket.

• Drinking alcohol while operating a boat or jumping into the water from a boat must be strictly prohibited.

• Cold temperatures in natural bodies of water can shock your system and cause involuntary inhalation reaction which can rapidly lead to hypothermia. You will have less than 15 minutes before exhaustion or unconsciousness sets in. Natural bodies of water are colder than they look the deeper you go.

• Know where all the safety equipment is stored and how to use it.

• Know how to correctly evacuate the boat.

• Have a way to call for help, especially if you are out of cell range.

• Stay seated when in motion.

• Forbid any passengers to bow ride.

• Check the weather forecast and pack a map of the water area.

• Keep you trash onboard.

• Properly secure all lines for skiing and other tugging activities.

• Never create dangerous wakes and avoid creating wakes in general while other boaters and bathers are present.

• Take a safe boating course.

Meow Meow Foundation encourages people to explore oceans, lakes, rivers, ponds, canals, channels — otherwise known as open water or waterfronts. However, open water requires additional vigilance at all times.

• First and foremost, just like backyard and public pools, NEVER swim alone.

• We recommend a buddy system for all people, not just children, because open water can be far more challenging and murky.

• If you do not swim or swim well, avoid going into the water beyond your hips without someone who can swim well at your side.

• Wear a Coast Guard-Approved LIFE JACKET (life vest, personal flotation device) if you do not know how to swim and want to enter the shallow water or if you are on a raft or other object such as kayak or boat. Many public waterfronts require life jackets, so be aware of the rules.

• Many open waterfronts have significant drop-offs from shallow to deep water. Stay alert and ask lifeguards or others if there is a shelf.

• Open water with lifeguards is absolutely preferable, otherwise, always read about the waterfront conditions in advance, including any restrictions or hazards. If you do attend a lifeguarded beach, ask about tides, conditions any other concerns you may have but do not distract them because their job is to scan the water and save lives.

• ALWAYS check the weather in advance to know if a stormfront or other challenging conditions are on the horizon.

• Make sure you know the best place to enter/exit the water.

• Rip currents are quite common in oceans and large bodies of water. If you get caught in a rip current, DO NOT PANIC. Breathe as normally as you can to save strength and float WITH the current parallel to the waterfront until you get to a position where you can swim directly toward land. You WILL be able to do so, but you must be patient.

• Open water is usually much colder than pool water. Ease into the water to let your body gradually adjust. Either wear a wet suit or shirt or do not linger too long because your body temperature can significantly drop and sap your ability to swim or float and also cause hypothermia.

• Wear bright swim clothes so you can be easily seen if you do wind up in distress.

• KNOW YOUR LIMITATIONS. Most people drown in open water because they are not capable of swimming or floating well enough.

• If you are snorkeling or engaging other activities, your equipment should fit right and work effectively. Also, be mindful of other bathers as you explore.

• Remember, most open water comes with some wonderful creatures. Be aware that some of those creatures can be harmful and the others that are not need to be respected.

• If you see another swimmer in distress, DO NOT TRY TO RESCUE THE PERSON because there is a very good chance that you could become a victim. Immediately alert a lifeguard if possible, form a human chain or reach and throw an object that will enable the victim to float.

Meow Meow Foundation believes that good lifeguards are absolutely imperative to reduce preventable drowning. But what are good lifeguards? They aren’t simply seeking “to have fun” and “enjoy being outdoors.” Lifeguards must be interested in protecting and saving lives and being trained well enough to do just that.

• Lifeguard certification is available to adolescents as young as 15 years of age. Our foundation strongly believes that lifeguard certification agencies must do much more research before continuing to certify adolescents whose brains have a considerable amount of maturation ahead of them. Our recent presentation at the National Water Safety Conference addresses this very serious issue. In fact, we are currently demanding immediate considerations from lifeguarding certifiers who have admitted to not executing enough critical research. Go HERE for the presentation and watch from 37 minutes on.

• Sadly, Meow Meow Foundation has discovered that the American Red Cross has very limited oversight policies which enable colossal gaps in their lifeguard and water safety certification programs. Such lethal gaps contributed to the preventable drowning death of Roxie Forbes.

• That said, well-trained, experienced lifeguards are responsible for tens if not hundreds of thousands of rescues each year, at public pools, oceans, lakes, etc.

• Lifeguards are NOT babysitters. It is a guardian’s job to watch his/her children, period.

• It is also a guardian’s job NOT to distract lifeguards in any way, because constant concentration is imperative for safety.

• Lifeguards must undergo at least 25-30 hours of rigorous in-pool and in-class testing before being certified. However, Meow Meow Foundation and its advisors will be assessing a variety of certification programs for strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

• Before you use a public facility, we strongly recommend that you ask about or research lifeguard certifications, experience and protocols. You are NOT being difficult by doing so — you are actually being a responsible guardian.

• Lifeguarding might look simple, but it is actually extremely challenging. Scanning water all day, primarily in challenging weather and environmental conditions, requires exceptional concentration, patience, persistence and ongoing training.

• Rescues are harrowing for lifeguards, not only physically, but also mentally. Meow Meow Foundation would like to see improved mental health services for lifeguards.

• Meow Meow Foundation would also like to see more female and racially diverse lifeguards. Certification agencies must do a better job at recruitment in these areas.

• We would also like to see lifeguard jobs receive the financial and logistical support they deserve. Lifeguards are often responsible for so many additional tasks beyond safety, and according to experts, these very tasks can be distracting and taxing.

• Finally, as summer camp season approaches, make absolutely sure you demand to know about your camp’s lifeguards. You must see their certifications, you must know exactly how much experience they have, you must ask about their in-service/weekly training drills and you must, absolutely must, know if they have had fatal or non-fatal drowning incidents or other aquatics-related injuries. Demand information about those incidents and do your own research!

Meow Meow Foundation agrees with a recent Children’s Health - Dallas research assessment (Dr. Marissa Abbe and Jesus Alderete) which said that the best water safety tip is to plan ahead so that you can give your child undivided attention around water.

• 4,000 fatal drownings occur every year.

• For every non-fatal drowning, an additional 8-10 non-fatal drownings require emergency care and 40% of those require hospitalization.

• Remember that drowning is fast and silent, so “listening can’t be your strategy” because your child will not be able to call out.

• 88% of childhood drowning happens with an adult nearby yet 99% of parents don’t consider drowning to be a concern.

• When your young child learns to ride a bike, you are within arm’s length, so do the same with water even if they can swim or float.

• Just like you can’t text and drive, put your phone down and lift your eyes up at all times while children are in the water.

• Always have a dedicated “water watcher” who is 100% attentive and rotate in other water watchers within an hour max.

• The Buddy System ensures that your child has friend close by who can call out if a problem arises.

• Alcohol and water might mix in a glass but not around a pool… whomever watches the water must be sober.

• Expect the unexpected and revise your supervision plan with patient, thoughtful solutions, even if they require further restrictions.

The Abbe and Alderete research assessment referred to a research study by Saluja, Brenner et al. that referred to three primary areas of Supervision. Keep this in mind:

• ATTENTION: Visual and Audio

• CONTINUITY: Continuous, Intermittent, Absent

• PROXIMITY: Touching, Nearby, Beyond Reach

Meow Meow Foundation believes that barriers, especially isolation fences, play an important role in prevention, but they are not fool-proof, because adults are not-fool-proof.

• Unfortunately, comprehensive and current research on all types of barriers — fencing, alarms, covers, robots — is sorely lacking.

• The best barrier is adult supervision and drowning prevention planning.

• An isolation fence is recommended because it provides 4-sided protection whereas a perimeter fence (usually a property fence) allows access from a house.

• Kids are creative problem-solvers, so make sure your fence is self-closing with an automatic locking latch and as sturdy as possible. Very young children scale fences all the time by piling objects to climb over.

• Know your local ordinances and state laws before you install a pool, remodel it or buy a house with an existing pool.

• Do not think that lifeguards are barriers at beaches, lakes, rivers, canals, ponds and other waterfront areas, so make a plan to be your own barriers.

• Bathtubs and toilets should be locked up while buckets and kiddie pools drained and placed out of reach.

Meow Meow Foundation supports swimming lessons as a beneficial safety component in our fight against preventable childhood drowning. However, being able to swim is absolutely not a guarantee against drowning.

• Meow Meow Foundation agrees with the American Academy of Pediatrics and other agencies that express how swimming lessons can be beneficial in drowning prevention and certainly in health and wellness.

• With the exception of the United States Brenner study in 2009 and the 2020 Quan, Sakamoto et al. study, the correlation between swimming lessons and drowning prevention is only peripherally addressed and in the case of the Brenner study, the findings concluded that “estimates were imprecise” and only “associated” with risk reduction.

• No two children are the same, so introducing lessons should be based on ability, interest, age, medical and physiological conditions.

• Acquire swim lessons from an accredited provider, demand proof of legitimate certifications, request information on experience and speak with others about their engagements with the provider.

• Make sure that swim lessons are conducted in a safe manner, inclusive of on-duty lifeguards if possible.

• Ask the lesson provider what outcomes you and your child should expect.

• Especially young children should first understand water safety followed by water competency, especially since a large portion of the U.S. is not water competent.

• Swim lessons do not make anyone — anyone — drown-proof.