The American Red Cross of the Susquehanna Valley urges you to learn water safety before launching out on an aquatic adventure. It only takes a couple minutes to read through the following safety tips, and it could mean the difference between life and death for you or a loved one.

Follow these basic tips to make your experience near the water this summer safer.

• Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim.
• Always swim with a buddy; never swim alone.
• Swim in supervised areas only.
• Obey all rules and posted signs.
• Watch out for the dangerous "toos": Too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun and too much strenuous activity.
• Don’t mix alcohol and swimming. Alcohol impairs your judgment, balance, and coordination, affects your swimming and diving skills, and reduces your body's ability to stay warm.
• Pay attention to local weather conditions and forecasts. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
• Know how to prevent, recognize and respond to emergencies.
  

The #1 way to prevent an aquatic emergency is to be sure you and those you are with know how to swim. The Red Cross offers swimming and several other aquatics classes for adults and children to develop swimming skills and become certified. Learn more about the programs we offer by visiting our Local Aquatics Courses page.