I also learned to swim as a child and we had a pool growing up. I don't recall many pools in our neighborhood but recall hearing of the occasional drowning due to a pool or the ocean. Sad.

Kevin, I wonder how many of those drownings are out of state visitors who are not used to the ocean?

By the way,  our Great Lakes state to the north has more shoreline than CA and FL combined with treacherous Lakes Michigan and Superior as well as Huron and Erie.     (I know you said coastline, but it is truly an inland sea)  ^_~

You should blog on this Kevin as every parent needs continually reminded how important it is to learn to swim,  and for children to be supervised at all times around water.

Is there a law that all pools must be completely fenced in? It's the law in CT.

 Florida's swimming pool fence law.    Some years ago, a Tallahassee news anchor's 2 year old child wandered outside and drowned in the pool.  That  sad incident is when the Legislature enacted the swimming pool fence law.

This is a good reminder that the kids need to learn how to swim.

I would love to see mandatory swimming lessons for all children in our schools as part of phys ed. And there are classes for young children where they learn to float and tread water that should also be required.

Fred Griffin's comment reminded me of a local child drowning some years ago. The details were sketchy but, apparently the mother was in the shower and the toddler managed to unlock the door to the caged pool. The alarm went off but by the time the mother got there, it was too late.

Why can't our legislature  pass a law requiring swimming lessons?

Good question Kevin.

It really is hard to understand Kevin J. May . I live in a land locked State and we have no pool but our kids received swimming lessons as soon as it was possible to give them lessons.

I was a lifeguard and swam in college- taught lessons for free hundreds of times. A child who can follow verbal or hand directions can learn to dog paddle, turn and grab the side at about age 2 (age threshold depends on child)  I wish you had some statistics on the why and when and how. 

Some instances are:

not passing the baton of honor and responsibility clearly when the watching parent takes a break,  drinking, a gate left ajar, use of arm floaties rather than swim lessons giving false confidence, and unfamiliar landscape...

My parents had me swimming when I was 4. My son could swim by 3 but  never ever without supervision. Supervision is the key!

To me, swimming is a life skill. I hate that my children can not swim any better than they can currently. When I was their ages I was all over the pool by myself and on the swim team. They just aren't into swimming like I was and I have a tough time getting them to listen and swim.

So sad, Kevin J. May 

And hopefully a long lifetime!

As tragic and sad as these deaths are ... they do happen.  Learning to swim is a must in my world.  My son was in water babies at 6 months of age. He is a strong swimmer today ... and was a lifeguard when he was younger. 

It is tragic and a part of having water easily accessible, important to have these fenced well and have adults watching them closely.

Well I would say it boils down to the parents right? I remember when I was a kid my Mom insisted we take lessons to at least get us back to shore. 

I also thought you had rules about pool fences & water monitor alarms.

This is such a sad statistic as it is so easy to change as you say.

very very sad, and a good question... just a guess..  maybe a combination of..  lots of: water; beaches; pools; swimming; and tourists... equals overall high number of drownings.  Would be curious about number of drawings per pool,  etc.. to dig a little deeper on the stats may help understand the "why" question you are asking.

Kevin,

I was born in a port city on the Mediterranean.  I learned to swim in the sea at 3 years old  It is just what every parent did then.  With FREE lessons, parents have no excuse.  A

I've seen your pool areas.... we always had an inground pool and the pool was surrounded by a 4' fence with a gate that closed on its own and had a padlock on it.... safety .... it's our building code for the installation of all pools...inground and above ground....

This is a question that has no good answer. But your solution, Kevin, is spot on!

Repeatedly we read the overseer was momentarily distracted.

Left child in car....momentarily distracted.

Ran over pedestrian.. momentarily distracted.

Raising children is an awesome privilege that requires unrelenting vigilance.

Swimming lessons would be a good start but vigilance is the answer.

One NJ father recently arrived to Florida flew into outrage realizing alligators populate the shoreline of fresh water lakes. Yes, that means you most be vigilant even at the park.

I agree, it is the best gift ever, Kevin. I've never understood parents not teaching their children how to swim at a very early age. We lived on the coast at one point and I was always surprised at the number of people who didn't know how to swim and would never get in the water.

That's terrible. Kids should learn to swim young, and parents / pool owners need to take extra steps to monitor kids and create safe areas around pool with fencing, or keep them covered when not in use.

I know some cities have mandates in which a pool must have a separate fence with a lock. I have a family member in Arizona and even their windows leading to the backyard must be secured to avoid a tragedy.

This is one of those sad things that most people don't think it will happen to them. Kinda like texting and driving. So sad.

I do agree with swimming lessons early. And always respect the water. We used to live in CA and so many people turn their back on the ocean, or try and get that perfect picture only to find themselves washed out to sea. 

I think it is more often the case of inattentiveness. Sadly, it is that 5 minutes when mom is doing something and doesn't realize that the gate to the pool was open and Jr. toddled out there. 

As far as lakes and oceans, I think most people are visiting and are hyper-vigilant about where their kids are. It is easy to get distracted by the "every day". I would not buy a lake house as a primary residence before we had kids. My husband was not that happy, but I didn't want the added danger of my kids toddling off into the lake when I turned my back. Our kids are both swimmers now and, since prices have increased dramatically, we never did buy a lake house. I am ok with it. 

Kevin J. May We had a little boy drown in my neighborhood a few years back. It is a sad situation when this happens.

That is a very, very sad statistic to have. 

very sad

A very good question.  Mn has 10,000 lakes and  I can't even float

I'm not sure what's surprising comparing Florida vs. Alaska.  It's warm year round in Florida, but not in Alaska, so simply more opportunities.

All that aside, yes, this is sad.  Teach people how to swim, have gates, never have kids unsupervised, even if they know how to swim. 

Swimming lessons are critical; such preventable tragedies.

Human nature demonstrating itself....Learn from others or get your own experience. These dynamics visit with us all known as a word to the wise

Well you may have sort of answered your own question... more pools would increase the number of pool drownings regardless of precautions. 

If safeguards aren't being enforced or followed that would also contribute.

Good information.

I learned at a young age

Pools need fencing, water alarms and yes, teach your kids how to swim. Most important, kids should not be left alone to play near a pool, ever

When I grew up we had a pool and so did many neighbors-all with no fences! No one drown and that is because we were all taught to swim very young (less than 1 year old for me). Also our parents weren't as distracted as they are now so I blame it on the parents, end of comment.

I am sor

Kevin J. May - I guess, this means there are more places where kids can drown!

Are the stats for drowning in the owner's pool or at the beach?

I think many parents overlook the danger when you mix a small child and a pool.

Now you have me wondering, are there any outside pools in Alaska

That is really sad - parents should have a better plan in place if their kids get into the pool.

Here in CA,family with kids usually install a gate around pool....

what a sad statistics....

living on a lake my parents and myself taught kids to swim as toddlers.  Besides you have to be extra watchful where kids and water are at the same place even if they can swim, that just buys you a tiny amount of time.

Kevin, Are there statistics showing if kids are drowning in pools or bodies of water? Fl has a ton of lakes and marsh areas. You're right, people need to make sure their kids know how to swim at an early age as well as take safety precautions. We bought a house with a pool when my son was just crawling. The pool was enclosed and the house had an alarm system which beeped when doors or windows were opened. We also put up a kid safety fence with was difficult to open, even for adults. Lastly, we taught our son safety swim lessons. he could swim and exit a pool by the time he was 14 mths old. You can never be too careful. Parents also need to make sure their kids can't access a pool via a pet door.