Smart Summer Swimming
Jun 09, 2026 11:41AM ● By Jacquelene D'Amico
As the pool season kicks off, parents might be focused on packing the perfect swim bag: snacks, goggles and sunscreen. But for lifeguards and first responders, the start of summer marks the beginning of their most high-stakes season of the year.
Drowning is the second-leading cause of accidental death among kids in Virginia. According to the Virginia Department of Health’s Office of Environmental Health Services, from 2016 to 2020, nearly half of drowning victims (48%) were 19 and younger, and 13.6% of those incidents occurred in pools.
To help protect your family this summer, we spoke with three experts on the front lines of water safety, and their message is clear: water emergencies are fast, silent and preventable.
So here are five things they wish every parent would stop doing and one life-saving habit they wish you'd start.
1. Stop assuming drowning is loud or obvious
One of the most dangerous misconceptions parents have is that they’ll hear splashing or cries for help if their child is in distress.
“Drowning is quiet and fast. A child can slip under right next to people and not be noticed. Parents think, ‘I’ll hear it if something’s wrong,’ but you usually won’t,” said a local firefighter, who responds to water-related emergencies in Stafford and Prince William counties. He requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of his work.
In reality, a child can become submerged and in distress in as little as 20 to 60 seconds.
Taylor Pohanka, founder of Otter-ly Safe Infant Aquatics who specializes in foundational self-rescue for infants and toddlers, agreed.
“Many assume they will see it happening, but drowning is still and silent,” she said. “To an untrained eye, it can look like a child is simply playing or bobbing underwater.”
Expert advice: Don’t rely on noise or splashing as warning signs.
2. Stop multitasking when kids are in the water
Even with the best intentions, parents can sometimes be easily distracted. A glance at your phone or a quick conversation with another parent can be enough time for an accident to happen.
For Ryan Hoy, a veteran lifeguard and certified Red Cross water-safety instructor for Woodlands Pool, he sees this behavior daily.
“I see many parents with young, weak swimmers go on their phone or sunbathe without monitoring their children, assuming shallow water or flotation devices will keep them safe,” he said.
Pohanka said that “supervision requires an unobstructed view and being close enough to reach the child instantly.”
Many drownings happen when kids aren’t supposed to be in the water, making constant vigilance essential when you are close to the water’s edge.
Expert advice: Put your phone away. If you aren't close enough to touch them, you aren't close enough to save them.
3. Stop relying on "floaties" for safety
Many parents believe that puddle jumpers or inflatable rings make their kids safe, but experts strongly disagree.
“We do not recommend using these flotation devices at all,” Pohanka said. “They place children in a ‘drowning position’—head up, feet down—and give a false sense of confidence.”
She explained that this vertical posture is the exact opposite of the horizontal "swim" position a child needs to master. It creates a dangerous muscle memory, so if your child does enter the water without their device, they will instinctively try to stay vertical, which leads to immediate submersion.
To combat this, Pohanka advocates for early self-rescue skills. At Otter-ly Safe, infants can enroll as soon as they have been sitting independently for two months (typically around 7 months old). As Pohanka puts it, early instruction isn't about learning strokes; it's about building the skills to find air and stay afloat until help arrives.
Expert advice: Flotation toys are for fun, not for safety. Build self-rescue skills early, so your child’s first instinct is to float, not panic.
4. Stop treating water safety as a single-layer approach
Water safety works best when it’s treated like a series of safety nets. While we often rely on lifeguards, they shouldn’t be your only layer of safety.
“It is your responsibility to watch your children, as guards cannot be everywhere and see everything at once,” Hoy said.
In a crowded community pool, splashing and constant movement reduce visibility. Lifeguards scan the entire pool, but you only need to keep your eyes on your child.
Hoy suggested parents explain pool rules rather than just reciting them.
“Explaining the ‘why’ behind the rule makes it more meaningful and helps prevent injury,” he said.
However, safety shouldn't stop at the public pool gate. The veteran firefighter noted that many emergencies occur in everyday environments that are familiar to both parents and kids.
“We respond to backyard pools, hotel pools, lakes, and even bathtubs,” he explained. “We also see boating incidents where life jackets simply weren't used.”
Simple safeguards like gates and life jackets add another essential layer of protection, but they are not the first line of defense. You are.
Expert advice: Fences, lifeguards and life jackets are tools. Be the first line of defense.
5. Stop wearing pastel-colored swimsuits
A modern safety tip gaining traction among experts is the "Neon Rule." Pohanka suggested that kids wear neon and high-contrast swimsuits, saving the blues and pastels for the sprinkler or splash pad.
“In a pool, blue and light-colored suits act as camouflage,” Pohanka said. “They vanish against the pool floor or blend into the reflections on the surface.”
Hoy said that many parents do not realize that the “most dangerous areas are often around water features, such as slides and diving boards, due to a lack of visibility.”
In these high-activity zones, a child in neon orange or hot pink is much easier for a lifeguard or a parent to spot.
Expert advice: Dress your children to stand out.
The Best Habit to Start: Assign a “Water Watcher”
If there is one change that could make the biggest difference, experts agreed that parents should assign a water watcher. This removes the ambiguity of shared responsibility and ensures someone is always actively supervising.
“Designate one adult as the dedicated watcher,” the firefighter said. “No phone, no multitasking. Rotate every 15 to 20 minutes, so the person stays fresh. You have to treat supervision as an active job, not something in the background. Brief lapses in supervision and the thought, ‘I thought someone else was watching’ is the most common pattern we see.”
Ultimately, water safety is about active presence. When we put the phones away and stay within arm's reach, we aren’t just being "lifeguards" for our families. We get a front-row seat to every splash, every handstand and every summer memory in the making.