Every year we learn about boaters, anglers, and campers falling into the water. It is a guarantee that when you put kids and water in the same space, someone will end up All Wet!
It takes just a teaspoon of water to cause you to drown. This tiny amount of water in your trachea can cause a gagging reflex that can lead to suffocation.
What Is the first reaction of a person when they jump or fall into the water? They inhale, and may swallow, water. If they do, it will only take a brief time to drown. Icy water makes the reaction even greater. Jumping into chilly water, on a sweltering day, can shock the victim.
My fishing friend, “Cookie,” trekked with me across the country. We canoed, boated, waded, soaked, and booted lakes, rivers, beaches, rapids, and slippery watersheds. Luckily, we never had an accident. Our travels took us to Canada, Montana, Wyoming, into the Atlantic Ocean, the Chesapeake Bay, and many other wet places.
Later, I moved away, and my brother ended up taking Cookie fishing. On one trip, to a local trout stream, Cookie got dunked! The water was shallow, but he panicked and began rolling down the current. His boots filled with water, his rod broke, and Cookie barely managed to make it to the shore. That was his last fishing trip.
What we did not know was that Cookie could not swim! He had never told us or had learned to even do the Doggie Paddle. When we boated, he always had on a life vest but never told us that he did not know how to swim!
Swimming is an important survival skill that we all need to learn. Some parents begin teaching swimming when their kids are infants. Fetuses swim for 9 months in their amniotic fluid. At the very least the swimming class needs to be on all Kids’ Bucket List.
Drowning is never planned. Once you are in over your head it is too late to learn. If you do not know how to swim, find a local pool or park where you can learn. Begin with a kickboard and a proper life vest. Build up your skills and confidence.
You may not care whether you learn how to swim but what if your kids or friends need rescued from a watery death. Could you dive in and save their lives?
Make the water part of your comfort zone. It is guaranteed, that at some point, if you are near the water, you will need to know how to swim for your or someone else’s life!
Humans are just big bags full of water. You just need to learn how to move it around.
Montana Grant
