When exercising in and around the pool, your first priority should be your safety. Whether swimming or participating in vertical water exercise programs, keep in mind basic safety factors in and around the aquatic environment:

• Always swim/exercise in the pool with a buddy - never alone.
• Select a supervised area.  A trained lifeguard who can help in an emergency is the best safety factor.  Even good swimmers can have an unexpected medical emergency in the water.
• Obey all rules and posted signs.
• Watch out for the “dangerous too’s”- too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, 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 sign or indication of bad weather.  The standard rule of thumb is not to enter the water again until 30 minutes after the last occurrence of thunder or lightning.
• Drink plenty of water regularly and often even if you do not feel thirsty.  Your body needs water to keep cool. 
• Know how to prevent, recognize and respond to emergencies.
• Watch for signs of heat stroke.  This is a life threatening condition where the body’s temperature control system, which produces sweat to cool the body, stops working.  The body temperature can elevate to the point that brain damage and death may result.  Signals include hot, red, and dry skin, changes in consciousness, rapid, weak pulse, and rapid, shallow breathing.
• Protect your skin when exercising outdoors. Sunlight contains two kinds of UV rays. UVA increases the risk of skin cancer, skin aging, and other skin diseases.  UVB causes sunburn and can lead to sun cancer.  Limit the amount of direct sunlight you receive between 10:00am and 4:00pm and wear a sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 15.
• Wear eye protection when exercising in an outdoor pool.  Sunglasses are like sunscreen for your eyes and protect against damage that can occur from UV rays.  Be sure to wear sunglasses that absorb at least 90 percent of UV sunlight.
• Wear foot protection.  Your feet can get burned from the sun or possibly even from the hot pavement.  Plus, if you are exercising vertically in the water – water walking, aqua aerobics, etc. – shoes not only protect the feet, but also improve the workout results!

Water safety knowledge and skills provide the foundation for which all aquatic activity should be based.  Prevention is always better than care.  This means that preventing water accidents, by taking necessary precautions, is better than having to be rescued. Now go enjoy the water and be safe.