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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I’m a strong swimmer, my kids are good swimmers, and I wouldn’t want any of us to swim in a lake without a life vest on. Way too many unknowns, water temp changes etc. Literally anyone can get a cramp, and they’ll never rescue you in a lake. They may not even find your body.[/quote]

I think a roped off, lifeguarded section of a lake, at someplace like a camp or a town beach, is pretty safe.  It sounds like they're being cautious about which kids are allowed over their depth and there is supervision.

[/quote]

NO.

The least safe open water is the kind you're describing. People look at it, see lifeguards and ropes, and step back from direct supervision of their kids because "lifeguards and ropes".

As a lifeguard who has worked in a variety of environments, I wish more parents would stop seeing a lifeguard as a babysitter or swim instructor and see a lifeguard as basically someone who's there to pull a body out of the water. Ropes are not magical forcefields that prevent drowning or turn a lake into a controlled environment. I've never been more stressed than when lifeguarding camps and town beaches. At least at camp we had a headcount and could focus on that. A town beach is scary chaos.

A shallow, roped off lake is the most dangerous environment I can think of, because people make all sort of assumptions based on depth. In reality, there are tons of neck injuries and paralysis because of irregular slopes and depths and people who unexpectedly hit the bottom when playing around. Someone might get freaked out by the darkness or temperature change or a fish or by missing the bottom if they take a step too far, and if they open their mouth as they go under they can very quietly drown.

Our town beach has a very aggressive swim test which frustrates kids but also forces families to really work on situational awareness and swimming skills. I wish more places with open water did so.[/quote]

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