Lifeguards Teach Dos, Don'ts For National Beach Safety Week

MIAMI (CBS4)- With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, many tourists and South Floridians will hit the beach for a swim. That's why Miami-Dade Fire Rescue is making sure beachgoers are safe on the sand and in the sea.

This week is National Beach Safety Week and Ocean Rescue lifeguards are demonstrated how they rescue and save lives every day.

The United States Lifesaving Association sponsors National Beach Safety Week in an effort to remind beachgoers to use caution in the aquatic environment. National Beach Safety Week begins the Monday before Memorial Day, which is the last Monday in May, and ends seven days later on Memorial Day.

To prevent distress situations there are some dos and don'ts before hitting the beach.

First, you have to know how to swim right. Teach your kids to swim at an early age.

Don't fight the current.

"Do not try to swim directly in against the current because then u can get tired and that's the beginning of the drowning process," Captain Joe McManus from Miami Dade Fire Rescue said.

If you do get stuck in a rip current, stay calm and swim parallel to the shore until you feel the current relax.

At home, you're the lifeguard. Drowning is the leading cause of death for children under the age of two.

"Parents should install gates to protect children from falling into pools," McManus said.

And most importantly, swim near a lifeguard. The chance of drowning at a beach without a guard is almost five times as great.