The Bottom Line - A Few Thoughts Before Your First Spring Swim Fling by David S. Smith, Ph.D., Commander, USCG (RET) Spring has arrived in full force! Boaters eye shining hulls and test their trailer's brakes, while parents think of beaching it with the kids. Good ideas both -especially when they are combined. Moral: Just as you are smart to check out your boat and its transport system prior to getting into full-time water activity, it is just as wise to find out what has happened during the winter to the old swimming hole (or beach) where you and your family spend time together. One of the most frequent, but highly preventable forms of aquatic accidents involves small children stepping into big holes. In our part of the USA, winter ice at least a foot thick tends to gouge lake and pond bottoms when wind shoves ice sheets toward the shore. On bodies of water farther south, the ice may not be as big a player, but wind and current during the winter, not to mention construction, can alter bottom contours. Therefore: Always personally double check the places where your children will be wading and/or swimming. AND: watch them closely! Remember, it only takes 20 seconds for a small child to soundlessly slip under the surface. Every year drownings occur when families unknowingly venture too close to newly dug/poorly marked dangers, such as boat canals -that hadn't been there the year before. If you do discover hidden hazards, contact the parties responsible for safeguarding the area. Get them to put up proper signs and warnings -before a tragedy has a chance to happen. Dr. Smith's latest book, Water Rescue, is available by calling Mosby-Lifeline Publishers at (800) 426-4545. For upcoming seminar information, visit his website at: www.aquaticsafety.com. Got a question about boating safety? Post your question in one of our Boating Forums! Got a boating safety tip to share with others? Share it in one of our Boating Forums or submit an article about it and have it published right here on BOATOhio.com! Back to the top... Back to the Boating Safety Index...