GET WET, BUT NOT TOO WILD

It’s swimming and boating season in Florida! But before you make that first splash, please consider these important water safety tips that we’ve “pooled” together.

WRITER: JAMES COMBS

The warm weather that comes with April finally arrived.

For many Lake County residents, that means dusting off their swimming trunks and bathing suits and enjoying the area’s abundance of water-related recreational activities.

Some prefer the convenience of their home pool, where they can float lazily on a raft or enjoy an exciting game of Marco Polo with family members and friends. Others enjoy some fun in the sun at one of the county’s public lakefront beaches, such as Hickory Point in Tavares or Ski Beach in Leesburg. And some enjoy an afternoon of paddling or boating through our scenic waterways.

Water recreation is indeed a way of life here because it’s relaxing and enjoyable. But those who fail to follow simple precautions put themselves at risk for injury or even death.

In the United States, an average of 3,536 drowning fatalities occurred each year from 2005-2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That’s why Healthy Living is providing readers with valuable water safety tips. Simply put, we want you to stay afloat so you can stay alive.

Taylorrose Long worked two summers as a lifeguard for the recreation departments of Leesburg and Fruitland Park. To be hired, she had to undergo CPR certification training and complete a weeklong water safety course.

Fortunately for her, she never had to save a child or adult from drowning. But she did witness many swimming no-no’s that required constant correction: kids running around the pool, recklessly jumping off the side, and seeing how long they could hold their breath underwater.

“By being a lifeguard, I learned that the things I used to do around the pool as a kid are very dangerous,” says Taylorrose, a sophomore at Lake-