Always supervise children around water
Supervision means watching your children at all times when around water, even if your children can swim. This means no distractions and staying off your phone while you are watching children around water. You should be able to reach your child to help them if they get into difficulty in the water, which means getting into the water with them. It is really important that you look after your own children even if there is a lifeguard at the pool or beach. The lifeguards are there to look after everyone and cannot watch your children for you.
Check Safety Signs
Look for and read any safety signs at pools, beaches and rivers. These signs will tell you about local dangers you need to be aware of. Red symbols mean danger, and the yellow and black symbols mean you should be aware of specific hazards (eg, sudden drop off or big waves).
Red and yellow flags on a beach mean that the beach is patrolled by lifeguards. You should always swim in between the red and yellow flags because this is a safe area for everyone to swim. This is where lifeguards watch people swimming and can help if you get into difficulty. You do not have to pay to swim here. Check the Beachsafe website and app for your closest beach with lifeguards.
Out and about
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Unsafe for swimming | No swimming | Strong currents |
 |  |  |
|---|---|---|
| Shallow water. Not suitable for diving | Deep water | Sudden drop off |
At the pool
 |  |  |
| No diving | No running | No pushing |
|---|
Lifejackets
If you are going out on a boat, there should be enough lifejackets for everyone on the boat, including children. Wearing a lifejacket is recommended when on a boat and this is compulsory when you are in small boats.
You should wear a lifejacket when rock fishing. In New South Wales, it is the law to wear a lifejacket when rock fishing.
Lifejackets must be properly fitted. Children should never wear adult sized lifejackets. Lifejackets can be bought at outdoor and sporting shops, including boating and fishing shops.
Other safety precautions
Avoid alcohol around water, because alcohol can affect your balance and coordination around water, and increases risk-taking behaviour. It can also can increase the risk of hypothermia.
Be aware of weather and water conditions. Always check weather websites/apps such as the Bureau of Meteorology for the latest information. Remember conditions can change quickly so do not take any risks.
