The sun has been burning hot and the sky a bright blue these past few glorious days. What a perfect time for us to gather up the towels, sunscreen and perhaps a picnic basket and hit a favorite swimming hole.
We have plenty here with our area lakes, creeks, streams and rivers. Living in rural Western Washington during a hot summer day is as good as it gets; adding a trip to a water hole makes it all that more pleasant.
Along with the fun, however, comes tragedy. Drownings in our area last summer are a reminder to be safe. One teen drowned in the Lewis River near Woodland in June. He told friends he was getting cold and having trouble swimming just before he went underwater and disappeared.
He was 10 feet from shore.
Last summer, again, was a tragedy, as 10 people drowned in Southwest Washington and Northwest Oregon between Memorial Day weekend and June 18. It is important to note that all of those 10 deaths were male, and six were teenagers.
The Lewis River, as an example, as it runs through Paradise Point with its cold water, needs respect. A few simple actions will prevent more deaths this summer. Among the easiest is wearing a lifejacket. Another major contributor to drowning is mixing alcohol and/or drugs while out on area waterways.
So how can you keep yourself and your loved ones safe this summer while still enjoying the region’s abundance of natural swimming areas? Experts suggest the following:
Avoid the high-risk spots
There are more than a dozen popular swimming spots scattered throughout Clark County, but not all of those spots were created equal. Avoiding the most dangerous swimming holes is step one for keeping safe this summer.
A Clark County deputy last year said swimmers should avoid all of the swimming spots on the Columbia River and in the Lucia Falls area, as reported in The Reflector last year.
Rivers in this region are particularly dangerous due to their swift-moving currents and very cold water. County officials warn against swimming at the following Columbia River locations: Frenchman’s Bar Regional Park, Captain William Clark Regional Park and Wintler Beach Community Park.
Swimming in the Lewis River can be a very dangerous proposition. Last year, in early July, two men drowned in different spots along the Lewis River on the very same day. At Paradise Point State Park near the La Center I-5 exit, swimmers on the East Fork Lewis River are at risk of cold water and fast moving currents. During the summer months, a sandbar juts out into the river. On the edge of the sandbar is a steep dropoff into cold, swift-moving water. A Paradise Point park ranger, who did not want to be identified, said he sees families with small children playing on the sandbar.
In July of 2009, a 28-year-old Ridgefield man was swimming with his girlfriend in this very spot, in the East Fork Lewis River at Paradise Point State Park, when he went under and vanished. Divers found his body in deep water hours later.
Swimming is allowed at Lewisville Regional Park in Battle Ground, on the East Fork Lewis River, but officials have posted warnings about swimming at the county’s oldest park: “The river can have swift currents and water depths can vary. Park users swim at their own risk. Parents are urged to be vigilant watching children near the water.”
Lakes and ponds come with their own set of risks, including deep, cold water and underwater vegetation hazards, but are typically more safe than rivers for summertime swimming. Locally, Klineline Pond at the Salmon Creek Regional Park in Vancouver, is considered one of the safer swimming areas, thanks to its roped-off, guarded swimming area. The county provides lifeguards at Klineline from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily, from July 1 through Labor Day. There are no lifeguards at Battle Ground Lake or Vancouver Lake, but there are designated, roped-off swimming areas at both of these local lakes.
Wear a life jacket
The statistics on life jackets paint a stark picture – 9 out of 10 people who have drowned while boating or swimming would be alive if they’d had a life jacket on.
Getting people to don a life jacket – or even put a life jacket on their young children – is a continuous battle. Even at areas like Paradise Point State Park, which has a free life jacket station, with all sizes of life jackets available for swimmers and boaters to borrow, the majority of people still go without the life-saving flotation devices.
Some tips for wearing a life jacket:
• Make sure it fits correctly. Life jackets come in a variety of shapes and sizes. For children, make sure that the life jacket is snug and will not pull over their ears. Children who wear life jackets that are too big are in danger of sliding out of the jacket during a water emergency.
• Don’t just have the jacket in your boat. Wear it at all times — when you’re on the dock, when you’re getting in and out of the boat and while you’re boating on the open water. The same goes for swimming and/or fishing from the shoreline. It is especially important to make sure children are wearing a life jacket whenever they are near open water.
Leave the alcohol behind
Dr. Alan Melnick, the county’s public health director, said alcohol dilates blood vessels at the body’s surface and causes people to lose heat faster than they would if they hadn’t consumed the alcohol. He said 70 percent of the deaths associated with water recreation involves alcohol.
Final safety tips
Knowing where to swim, wearing a life jacket and avoiding alcohol and other drugs are the top three tips for staying safe this summer, but local experts say there are other things you can do to keep yourself and your loved ones protected in the open water:
• Don’t dive into shallow water or unfamiliar swimming holes
• Never leave children unsupervised in or near water, even for a few seconds.
• Designate a responsible adult to watch the swimmer from the shoreline. This “watcher” should be a good swimmer, have access to some sort of rope or branch to throw to a swimmer in distress, and should be vigilant in keeping an eye on the people in the water and not distracted by reading or looking at their phone.
• Avoid panicking if you find yourself unable to swim in open water.
• Know your own limits. If you’re starting to feel tired, get out of the water and rest. Rehydrate by drinking water and give yourself some time to regain your body heat and energy before reentering the water.
