Summertime for young people should offer fun, friendship and great memories, and what can be more fun than a cool, refreshing swim? Sadly, every summer brings the news that someone in our community, usually a young person, has drowned. Why is this the case, and what do we need to know before heading to the water?

According to the World Health Organization, drowning is the third leading cause of accidental death worldwide, largely affecting children and teenagers. Males are especially at risk, with twice the mortality rate of females.

The male brain certainly bears examining. Young males, in particular, are more likely to take risks, such as swimming alone or in secluded waters not authorized for recreational activity. Males of all ages succumb to predictable notions of invincibility and bravado.

The point here is not to assign blame to drowning victims or their families but rather to spark a discussion. It is not they who are tragically tone-deaf. It is society at large for not giving drowning the urgency it demands.
Adults, this is where you come in. First of all, we need to know what drowning looks like. Contrary to the popular notion of someone flailing madly in the water, experts agree it usually happens in silence. It can occur quickly, in as little as a minute.

A swimmer with his mouth open, gasping for air, his head bobbing in and out of the water, needs immediate help. Hair blocking the eyes or forehead and trying to swim in a specific direction but with no progress are other danger signs.

Safety experts agree on a few key suggestions: don't go swimming alone, learn CPR, avoid alcohol before swimming and boating, add fences, alarms and cameras to home swimming pools and swim only in designated waters (secluded spots pose such risks as rocks, debris, currents and extreme depths not always anticipated). Most importantly, encourage swimming lessons. The YMCA, Boys & Girls Clubs and municipal pools are the best places to start.

In a nutshell, supervise. Supervise the inexperienced swimmers, and supervise the experienced. In addition to adult supervision, encourage young swimmers to look out for each other.
Fifty years ago this month, I lost a dear family member to drowning. Surviving family members tend to torture themselves, wondering what they could have done differently. We endlessly ponder how far our best efforts go before fate takes over, but, as mere humans, our best efforts are all we have.

News reports alone can't convey the loss felt by families and communities touched by drowning. Individual stories are, in fact, chapters in a national tragedy, but we as a society reflexively write them all off as an unfortunate offshoot of an otherwise carefree season.

My wish is that young people enjoy their summers and let go, if only temporarily, of care and worry while still looking out for themselves and each other. Our job as adults is to foster the perfect balance between having fun and exercising caution. Youth is fleeting enough; let us hold onto its energy and innocence for as long as we can.