Experts remind Michiganders to stay safe in the water this July 4th holiday

(CBS DETROIT) - The Fourth of July is another time for families to hit the water, but officials say a fun day of swimming can turn into a nightmare if not careful.

"Every child in America knows how to stop, drop and roll. We would love every child in America to learn how to flip, float and follow," said Bob Pratt, the director of education for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project .

Pratt spent over two decades as a fireman and paramedic in East Lansing and has since taken on another element, the water.

"Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in kids one to four, and the second leading cause in kids under 15," Pratt said.

Statistics from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project show 36 drownings in 2024 as of July 1 :

• 16 in Lake Michigan
• 2 in Lake Superior
• 2 in Lake Huron
• 10 in Lake Eerie
• 6 in Lake Ontario

"We recommend that people designate a water watcher. A water watcher is someone whose only responsibility is watching the water," Pratt says when hanging out near bodies of water, like one of the Great Lakes. "So designate someone whose only job it is to watch things in the water because drowning is subtle," he said.

Unlike movies or television that show arms waving in the air and yelling, Pratt says drowning happens in the snap of a finger.

"They're literally going to be there one second, and then they're going to submerge, and unfortunately, a lot of times, they're invisible in the water because of the disruption and glare," he said.

He says any water education is good education, but when it comes to those brightly colored swimsuits,

"If you're worried about noticing your child submerged in the water, we're already behind the 8 ball. We're already way too late, so it's far more important that we prevent submersion from happening than we are in dealing with it after it's happened," Pratt said.