AUSTIN, Texas —
Many will flock to the water in Central Texas as temperatures rise, but without the proper precautions, things could get dangerous.
Going to the beach, lake or pool can be a great way to cool off. But if you're not a strong swimmer, all of those places can be dangerous or even deadly.
May is National Water Safety Awareness Month, and it's important to plan now to keep your families safe.
Swimming lessons offer tips for those who are interested. In general, it's important to be prepared to take precautions to keep your head above water.
For young swimmer Harlow, there's no place like the pool. But her mom, Angela O'Mahony, said that wasn't always the case.
"She would claw my skin off because she couldn't be let loose in the water by herself. I mean, it was terrifying for her," O'Mahony said.
Now Harlow has traded her claws for fins, learning skills like how to get out of the pool if you fall in and how to float on your back.
"Rolling over can kind of keep them afloat and keep them breathing," Chandler Staten, the general manager at Goldfish Northwest Hills Austin Swim School, said.
O'Mahony said she wanted Harlow to be comfortable in the water because she didn't have that same feeling growing up.
"Just because I took swimming lessons [that] didn't mean that I knew how to swim," she said.
O'Mahony said her swim lessons weren't consistent like Harlow's. As a result, she wasn't a strong swimmer and found herself in a scary situation.
"I was in an experience, probably in my 30s, where I did, as an adult, almost drown," she said.
She was floating on the San Marcos River and got caught underneath tubes.
"That was some panic. I didn't know what to do because I kept coming up, I kept pushing myself up and I would get to the top of the surface, but I couldn't break through," she said.
O'Mahony wants to make sure Harlow isn't in a similar situation.
"These are things that you learn either one, after going for perpetual lessons or two, a scary experience. I would hope that nobody ever has to be put into this scary experience," she said.
Instructors at Goldfish Swim School said to always have a swim buddy, never swim alone and if you're not a strong swimmer, wear a life jacket on boats and on the water.
"With the different currents in the water and on the boat, they could easily fall off the side. Or, you know, sometimes people get a little rowdy and they might push them out or something," Staten said.
They also said it's important to designate water guardians to take shifts to watch those in the water; no phones, no distractions, just watching swimmers.
"They know that that's their job for the 15 minutes. No phones, no distractions. Just pay attention to the kids while they're swimming," Mark Ursone, general manager of the Goldfish South Austin Swim School, said. "It's absolutely imperative, even if there's a lifeguard. It never hurts to have another set of eyes on the kids."
All of these tips can help keep swimmers of all ages safe and happy.