Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Water Safety (Recreational)
Playing in the water - whether swimming, boating or diving - can be fun. It can also be dangerous, especially for children. Being safe can help prevent injuries and drowning. To stay safe in the water:
- Avoid alcohol when swimming or boating
- Wear a life jacket whenever you're in a boat
- Don't swim alone, or in bad weather
- Learn CPR
- Learn to swim and teach your children to swim
- Supervise your children when they are in the water
- Prevent sunburns - use plenty of sunscreen
It sits within Safety Issues.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Outdoor Water SafetyNemours Foundation
- Preventing Swimming-Related IllnessesCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Water SafetyAmerican Red Cross
- Water SafetyNemours Foundation
- Water SafetyDepartment of Agriculture
Related Issues
- About Swimmer's ItchCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Preventing Diarrheal Illnesses (Healthy Swimming)Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Preventing Molluscum Contagiosum in Schools, Daycares, and PoolsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Preventing Swimmer's EarCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Risky Drinking Can Put a Chill on Your Summer FunNational Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Recreation, Water Sports, Safety. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Water Safety (Recreational), a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.