What are the dangers of swimming without a lifeguard

SPARTANBURG COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , there are more than 4,000 accidental drownings annually in the United States. According to the Spartanburg County Coroner’s Office, the number of accidental drownings in the Palmetto State has increased since 2020.

“⁠We’ve seen a steady increase since 2020,” said Rusty Clevenger, Spartanburg County coroner. “The numbers are staying about the same, but we’re seeing about 500 more statewide since in years gone past.”

Clevenger said in 2017, South Carolina averaged 1.4 accidental drownings per 100,000 people. In 2021 that number jumped to 1.5 accidental drownings per 100,000 people.

“Personal flotation devices are a must, especially if you don’t have any training,” said Clevenger. “I don’t care how it looks, saving your life is paramount.”

Spartanburg County father James Lies knows the importance of swimming with someone present and using swimming aids if you can’t swim well because tragedy in the pool struck him when he was a kid.

“Growing up I actually had friends who lost their lives drowning in pools and that’s never something anybody in a community wants to go through,” said Lies. “No parent should experience the feeling of losing a child.”

Lies said he enrolled his three-year-old daughter in swim lessons as a result and won’t let her swim without a lifeguard present anytime soon.

“We know that all kinds of things happen and it just takes a quick minute or two where something can happen,” said Lies.

On June 23, a 28-year-old Greenville County man drowned at a Greenville apartment complex’s pool. The Greenville County Coroner said he was not an experienced swimmer.

According to the City of Spartanburg’s head lifeguard Olivia McCutchen, it’s never too late to learn how to swim.

“It’s never too late,” said McCutchen. “You can always do it. If you feel, ‘Hey, I need to learn how to swim,’ even if you’re 89.”

She said it’s safest to swim when another person is watching the water.

“⁠We can see if you kind of get hurt and you may not notice it and your body has a delayed reaction,” said McCutchen.

But if there’s no one present like in a community pool or your own personal backyard pool, both McCutchen and Clevenger agree knowing how to swim, stay afloat, and remain calm until help arrives is your best bet to survive in the water.

“If you experience a little trouble and you panic, that’s where the major problem comes in,” said Clevenger. “Remember, you’re naturally buoyant. If you’ll just think about that for a moment. Calm down, relax, breathe [and] keep your head above water.”

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