How to stay safe swimming in open water
Key takeaways
- Never swim alone in open water, and stay in supervised, marked areas.
- Wear a life jacket on boats and in rough or unfamiliar water.
- If a rip current catches you, swim parallel to the shore instead of fighting it.
Open water means lakes, rivers, quarries, and the sea. It looks inviting on a hot day, but it behaves nothing like a pool. There are no lane ropes, no shallow end you can trust, and no wall to grab.
Depth, temperature, and currents can change within a few strokes.
This article explains how to stay safe swimming in open water, including checks before you enter, hazards in the water, what to do if trouble hits, and how to help someone else. This article is for general information, not medical advice.
Before you get in the water
Check the conditions before you swim. Look at the weather forecast and any local advisories. If lifeguards post flags or warnings, follow them.
The City of Surrey warns that open water conditions can change quickly, and that currents, sudden drop-offs, and waves can be deadly.
Swim where people can see you. Choose a supervised, designated swimming area and stay inside it. Avoid boating channels and areas with no lifeguard cover.
Night swimming is a bad idea, since low visibility hides hazards and makes it harder for others to spot you in trouble.
Never swim alone. Take a buddy, and agree to watch each other. If you swim with children, stay within arm's reach of young or weak swimmers.
Active supervision means watching the water, not a phone. If you must leave, hand the job to another responsible adult or take the children with you.
Learn to swim before you test open water. Pool skills help, but they do not cover everything. If you never learned as an adult, it is still worth starting, and our guide on how to learn to swim as an adult without embarrassment covers the first steps.
Open water adds waves, wind, and cold, so build stamina in a pool first.
Bring the right gear. A life jacket that fits is the single most useful item for boating and for weak swimmers. UCI Health emergency specialist Isabel Algaze Gonzalez notes that roughly 85% of people who drown in boating-related incidents were not wearing one.
After the swim, warm up and dry off promptly. A simple rule is to stay warm outdoors without bulky clothing by layering dry clothes over your swim gear. If you walked to the water, prevent blisters on long walks with socks that fit and shoes you have broken in.
Inflatable toys, arm bands, and water wings are toys, not safety devices.
How to read the hazards in open water
Cold water is the hazard most swimmers underestimate. A lake can feel warm on the surface and turn cold a few feet down. Cold water can trigger gasping and a spike in heart rate, which is dangerous for anyone with a heart condition.
Enter slowly and let your body adjust instead of jumping in.
Depth changes catch people out. A sandbank can drop away without warning, and a calm-looking river can hide a deep channel. Mayo Clinic physician Christopher Tookey warns that in natural bodies of water, depth can change rapidly, as can temperature, currents, and weather.
Murky water may conceal hazards under the surface.
Currents come in several forms. Rivers push you downstream faster than you expect. Tides can reverse while you are in the water.
Rip currents at beaches pull swimmers away from shore. The American Red Cross advises swimmers to stay at least 100 feet away from piers and jetties, since permanent rip currents often form near these structures.
Know your limits and keep energy in reserve. Distances look shorter on open water than they are. Surrey advises swimmers to know how far they have gone and to keep enough energy to return safely.
If you feel tired, cold, or short of breath, head back early. There is no prize for finishing a swim that turns into a rescue.
Alcohol and water do not mix. Do not drink before swimming, boating, or supervising children near water. Alcohol dulls judgment, slows reactions, and makes cold water feel less dangerous than it is.
Save the drinks for dry land, after everyone is out.
What to do if you get into trouble
Panic burns energy fast. If you get into trouble, the first move is to stop fighting the water. Roll onto your back and float.
Floating buys time, slows your breathing, and lets you think. Signal for help by waving one arm and calling out.
If a rip current catches you, do not swim straight back to shore. That fights the current and exhausts you. The American Red Cross advises swimmers to swim parallel to the shore until they are out of the current, then turn and swim toward shore.
If you cannot escape, float or tread water until you are free of the current, then head in.
If cramp hits, float and stretch the muscle. A calf cramp in deep water feels alarming, but floating keeps your head above water while you work on it. If cold water makes you gasp, focus on slow breaths and stay still until the gasping passes.
Then swim gently back to shore.
If you swallow water and start coughing, get out and rest. Coughing after a near-drowning event can signal water in the airways. Seek medical care if coughing persists, if breathing feels hard, or if you feel confused or unusually tired after being in the water.
Learn CPR. UCI Health lists learning CPR and keeping rescue equipment nearby among its core drowning prevention steps. A bystander who knows CPR can keep someone alive until paramedics arrive.
Many local Red Cross chapters and community pools run short courses.
How to help someone else without becoming a second victim
Drowning rarely looks like the movies. A drowning person may not splash or shout. They may slip under quietly, with their head tilted back and their arms pressing down.
If someone looks still, glassy-eyed, or unable to call out, treat it as an emergency.
Alert a lifeguard first. If none is present, call emergency services. UCI Health warns that people who are drowning tend to pull rescuers under the water in their panic.
That is why reaching and throwing beats going in.
Throw something that floats. A life ring, a rope, a cooler lid, or an empty sealed bottle can keep a person afloat. Talk to them calmly.
Tell them to grab the object and float on their back. Keep talking until help arrives.
Only enter the water to rescue someone if you are trained and equipped. The Red Cross gives the same warning for rip currents: people can drown while trying to save someone else. If you do enter, take a flotation device with you and approach from behind.
Never let a panicking swimmer grab your head or neck.
After a rescue, watch the person. Keep them warm, since open water can chill even a strong swimmer. If they coughed up water, struggled to breathe, or lost consciousness at any point, get medical help right away.
Drowning injuries can develop hours later, so do not brush off a rough incident.
Why is open water riskier than a pool?
Open water has currents, tides, cold spots, sudden depth changes, and murky water. Pools have none of these, plus lifeguards, clear water, and walls to grab.
Can strong swimmers drown in open water?
Yes. Tookey of Mayo Clinic says anyone can have a water-related accident, even people who know how to swim. Currents, cold water, and incapacitation can overwhelm skill.
Should children wear life jackets in open water?
Yes, especially children who cannot swim well. Use a Coast Guard-approved life jacket that fits. Arm bands and water wings are not substitutes.
What is the most common drowning mistake?
Swimming alone, or without supervision, ranks high. The City of Surrey notes that 67% of drownings occur in the summer, when open water draws the biggest crowds.
The bottom line
Open water rewards respect. Check conditions, swim with a buddy, stay in marked areas, and wear a life jacket when the water or your skills call for it. If a rip current grabs you, swim parallel to the shore.
If someone else is in trouble, throw help before you swim to them. The stakes explain the care: the CDC estimates that about 4,000 Americans die each year from unintentional drowning, according to UCI Health. Algaze Gonzalez puts it plainly: drowning is preventable.
Tags: swimming safety, open water, drowning prevention, water safety
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