Vacation water safety check

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Before you book a place with a pool or hot tub

Ask the host, or check the listing photos.

• The pool or hot tub has a non-climbable fence on all four sides. Ask the host before you book. If there is no fence, think about another rental or plan for constant, arm’s-reach supervision.
• Gates to the pool are self-latching, and doors to the pool have alarms. The CPSC lists self-latching gates and pool door alarms as things to check before you book.
• The pool and hot tub have raised, intact drain covers. Covers prevent entrapment. Never use a pool or spa with a loose, broken or missing drain cover.

Before you go

• Your children have had swim lessons and are comfortable in the water. Lessons are one layer of protection, not a replacement for watching. Many YMCAs and community centers offer free or reduced-cost lessons.
• You are bringing (or know you can borrow) fitted, Coast Guard-approved life jackets for children and weak swimmers. The AAP says to use life jackets in, on or near lakes and rivers, and for weak swimmers at pools and water parks.
• Going to the beach? You know how to check the surf zone forecast and beach advisories for the place you are going. Check the official forecast before you leave, or ask your hotel or rental agency for local sources.

When you arrive

• You have walked the property and found every pool, hot tub, pond and nearby lake or creek. Check for water dangers wherever you stay: a new place means new hazards.
• You have checked that the pool gate latches and that doors to the pool lock. If they don’t, tell the host and keep children within arm’s reach until it is fixed.
• You have agreed who the Water Watcher is: the rental has no lifeguard. Vacation rentals don’t have lifeguards. Never leave children unattended in or around the water.

At a lake or river

• Everyone understands a lake or river is not a pool. Natural water has currents, drop-offs and poor visibility, and swimming ability declines with age. At Army Corps of Engineers lakes and rivers in 2024, 91% of people who drowned were not wearing a life jacket.
• You go into unknown or shallow water feet first, and only dive where it is marked safe (at least 9 feet deep). The Red Cross says to dive only where the water is clearly marked safe for diving: at least 9 feet deep, with no underwater obstacles.
• You watch for fast currents and rapids (even in shallow water), dams, underwater obstacles and sudden drop-offs. Choose a spot with a lifeguard when you can, and keep children within arm’s reach.

At the beach

• You swim only in an area with a lifeguard on duty. Always swim in a lifeguarded area.
• You read the safety signs at the beach entrance and check the warning flags. Flags aren’t used everywhere and their meaning can change from beach to beach. Ask the lifeguard.
• Everyone knows what to do in a rip current: relax, swim along the shore to get out, float if you can’t, wave and yell for help. Practise the steps with the rip current trainer before you go.

Everywhere

• The adults watching children stay sober. Among teens and adults, alcohol is involved in up to 70% of deaths linked to water recreation.