ADVICE TO SWIMMERS

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28160, 26 December 1956, Page 5

ADVICE TO SWIMMERS

Health Department’s List Of “Don’ts”

CAUTION URGED ON HOLIDAYMAKERS Swimming and playing m the water are among the summer’s finest recreations for thousands of adults and children. With them go some basic precautions than can be taken by everyone who enters the water and can be understood by all. Here are some swimming “don’ts” that may save lives this summer, according to the Health Department. Don’t go swimming alone unless you are 'an expert and in familiar waters. Don’t swim immediately after eating. Don’t swim if you have heart trouble. Don’t stay in the water after you have become tired. Don’t fight against a strong current or undertow, but let it help you get to the surface, to quieter waters, or, in a stream, to a bank further downstream. Don’t struggle if you swallow water but clear your windpipe first. Don’t dive into water where the depth is unknown to you. Don’t ever call for help unless you need it. Country streams and creeks, which last year took the greatest toll in four years, are one of the worst menaces to children’s lives. Because they are almost impossible for a farmer to fence off, he and his wife must keep an eye on young children. Another thing people can do is to learn how to resuscitate. There is no doubt that many people in New Zealand are alive today because someone knew how to apnly resuscitation at the right time. The Holger Nielsen system is easy to learn and is the official system recommended by the Royal Life Saving Society.