6 Factors That Increase The Risk Of Drowning In WA

SEATTLE — On May 31, a 14-year-old boy was swept offshore near Long Beach. The Coast Guard searched for the child for hours, covering 52 square miles of land, but the boy's body was never recovered, and rescue efforts had to be called off.

“Suspending search efforts is always an extremely difficult and heart-wrenching decision, especially when involving children,” said Capt. Nathan Coulter, 13th Coast Guard District, chief of incident management. “This was a real tragedy, and our thoughts and prayers go out to the family and friends of the young man involved."

Unfortunately, incidents like that are not uncommon during Washington summers, when crowds flock to the water to get out and enjoy the heat. And after spending a year stuck indoors because of the pandemic, many more people are likely to get out on the water this year than in years before.

"As COVID-19 restrictions ease, many families will have informal gatherings and take trips to the beach, increasing the potential for children to have unsupervised access to water," the Family Features group said in a recent news release. "Because of this, it's important for children to take swimming lessons to learn water safety skills and create safer habits in and around water. As swimming lessons begin across the country, many are being conducted safely with COVID-19 precautions in place."

Drowning causes more deaths among children 1 to 4 than any other cause except birth defects, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Drowning is the second-highest cause of accidental death for children ages one to 14 in the United States, the CDC finds.

These factors can increase the risk of drowning:

A lack of swimming ability

Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children from 1 to 4 years old, according to the CDC.

No or few barriers

Most children ages 1-4 drown in home swimming pools. Pool fencing and other barriers can prevent young children from getting to a pool area while unsupervised.

According to the CDC, a four-sided fence that separates the pool area from the house and yard reduces a child's risk of drowning by 83 percent compared to three-sided property-line fencing.

A lack of close supervision

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, including bathtubs or buckets, notes the CDC.

Not wearing life jackets

Under Washington law, all children under the age of 12 must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while in a boat.

>> Learn more about how the choose the right life jacket size.

No CPR training

Family Features recommends that parents and caretakers learn CPR.

"If the unthinkable does happen, knowing how to perform CPR allows you to take immediate action, which has been shown to significantly better the outcome for children with submersion injuries," the group notes. "In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, you could save someone's life. Seconds count; the quicker CPR is started, the better the chances of recovery."

Finally, one Washington-specific concern:

Cold water

Cold water is defined as anything below 70 degrees, and anything below 60 degrees should be approached with caution. Washington State Parks says it's important to remember, despite the warm air temperature, Puget Sound and other Washington waterways can remain frigid all year long, and can easily cause cold-water shock and hypothermia if you're unprepared.

>> Learn more about cold water safety.

Patch staffer William Bornhoft contributed to this report.