Water Safety - Haumaru Wai
Swimming Pools
Everybody loves a day at the pool, and we love it even more when everyone is safe. Whether you’re at a public pool or in someone’s backyard, here are some important rules to follow to make sure everyone stays safe and has a great time at the pool.
- Never go into the pool area without an adult.
- Walk (don’t run) around the pool’s edge.
- The edge of the pool is slippery!
- If you can’t swim or are still learning, you need to:
- Wear a life vest. This will keep your head above water.
- Make sure you swim in the shallow end with an adult.
- Make sure an adult is within arm’s reach at all times.
- Always go into the pool feet-first, and check the depth of the pool before you enter the water.
Never go into the pool area without an adult.
Everybody loves a day at the pool, and we love it even more when everyone is safe. Whether you’re at a public pool or in someone’s backyard, here are some important rules to follow to make sure everyone stays safe and has a great time at the pool.
If you can’t swim or are still learning, you need to:
- Wear a life vest. This will keep your head above water.
- Make sure you swim in the shallow end with an adult.
- Make sure an adult is within arm’s reach at all times.
- Always go into the pool feet-first, and check the depth of the pool before you enter the water.
Parents:
Supervise your children at ALL times. Pools therefore need to be fenced such that children cannot gain access without adult supervision.
Information provided courtesy of Water Safety New Zealand. www.watersafety.org.nz
At the Beach
Understanding the ocean is extremely important, especially in New Zealand where our surf can be particularly dangerous. The more you know about waves and rips, the better you will be at keeping yourself and others safe from danger.
Swim between the flags
Surf Life Saving New Zealand patrol over 80% of our busiest beaches each summer. Always swim between the red and yellow flags, as they identify the safest area to swim when an active lifesaving patrol is on the beach.
Rips
A rip is a strong current of water running out to sea. They can be very dangerous to swimmers as they can quickly and unexpectedly sweep you out to sea.
Rip currents can be hard to spot, but by understanding a few key features, you can learn to identify rips:
- Discoloured or murky brown water caused by sand stirred up off the bottom.
- A smoother surface of water with much smaller waves, with waves that break on either side.
- Debris floating out to sea.
- A rippled surface, when the water around is generally calm.
If you get caught in a rip:
- Don’t panic
- Don’t try to swim against the rip back to shore.
- Let the rip carry you out until the current subsides, then swim parallel to the beach for 30-40 metres before swimming back to shore.
- If you get tired or become frightened, stay calm, raise your arm, call for help and wait for assistance.
Find more beach safety tips from our partners at Water Safety NZ here.
Life Jackets
When you’re out and about on a boat, there is always a danger of getting into trouble. Make sure you wear a life jacket; it’s not only responsible but also a legal requirement.
Life jacket safety tips:
Here are some key tips to keep in mind when choosing and wearing your life jacket:
- Ensure that it has enough buoyancy to float your head and shoulders above the water.
- It must not have the tendency to turn you onto your face – the “down position.”
- Because everyone is of different shapes and sizes, it is vital to spend time trying on different life jackets to make sure you find one that fits properly.
- The jacket must suit the activity you will be doing
- It must be comfortable.
- Fastenings should be durable, with zips made out of plastic and not metal.
- Colour choice is also something to consider, as bright, contrasting colours will help rescuers find you. The most effective colours are RED, ORANGE and YELLOW.
Find more information about life jackets from our partners at Water Safety NZ here.
Kayaks
Kayaks are a great way to have fun and explore New Zealand’s beautiful oceans, rivers and lakes. Used properly, they are very safe, but their limitations need to be understood. When kayaking, always make sure you can be seen, especially when you’re kayaking in areas used by other craft.
Kayaks can be almost invisible to skippers of larger boats. Wear a bright life jacket, use brightly coloured paddle blades with reflective strips, and display an orange or red flag about a metre above the water on a rod to greatly reduce the chance of colliding with another vessel.
Only fit and experienced kayakers should kayak in rough water, as kayaks can easily capsize.
Some key kayaking tips:
- It is essential to have buoyancy bags or blocks fitted to make sure your kayak stays level so it can be reboarded if you capsize.
- Always wear a buoyancy vest or life jacket designed for kayaking; make sure you do not become separated from your kayak following a capsize.
