The Water Safety Code

1. Spot the dangers.
   1. Ensure that whenever children are near water, they always take extra care.
   2. Ensure children never fool around or run beside water - they might trip and fall in.
   3. Advise children to take care on the riverbank - it can be slippery or crumble.
   4. Encourage children to keep away from the edge of canals - the water is often very deep.
   5. Beware of locks and weirs - the water flows very quickly.
   6. If you get caught in a riptide do not fight it but swim parallel to the shore until you can get in.
   7. Bodyboarders, stay with your board and don't go out too far.
   8. Don't take inflatables into the sea, you could be carried away by wind and tide.

2. Take safety advice.
   1. Choose a swimming pool or beach where there are lifeguards on duty.
   2. Listen to the LIFEGUARDS and follow their advice.
   3. Always follow the advice of lifeguards at the seaside - find out when and where it is safe to swim.
   4. Look for signs or flags telling you where it is safe to swim.
   5. Never swim where a sign or flag says not to.

3. SLIP-SLAP-SLOP
   1. SLIP on a tee shirt and other clothes on land and in the water
   2. SLAP on a hat
   3. SLOP on some sun cream

4. Make sure you're fit enough.
   1. Know your physical and mental limits.
   2. Don't swim for at least an hour after meals.
   3. Don't swim after drinking alcohol.

5. Don't go alone.
   1. Always make sure you know where your children are going, who they are with and when they will be back.
   2. Never let children go swimming, fishing or boating on their own.
   3. If your child goes alone, there will be nobody to help if they get in trouble in the water.
   4. Ensure they go with a friend. Even if they can't help out, they can go and get help.

6. If you see someone in trouble in the water, here's how you can help.
   
   1. Keep calm and think before you act.
   2. Try to get help - shout "help, help" as loud as you can.
   3. Reach out with a stick, a pole, a towel or clothing to pull the person to the edge of the water, lie down and hold onto something to make sure you don't get pulled in.
   4. If you can't reach the person and no-one comes when you shout for help, find the nearest telephone and ring 999 or 112 (911 in USA).
   5. Never jump into the water yourself.

7. Special Info for countries which follow RLSS rules, like Australia, Britain, Canada, etc.
   1. Don't swim when the Red flag is flying.
   2. Do swim between the Red over Yellow flags. Bodyboarders belong there too.
   3. Surfers should stay between the black and white flags.

   (Information obtained from www.lifesavers.org.uk)