Two water-related deaths in two days are raising concerns about water safety on the Gulf Coast.
On Wednesday, 74-year-old Michael Gibson was found unresponsive in a Jacuzzi at Cypress Trace in North Naples. On Tuesday, divers recovered the body of 16-year-old Armando Radius from a pond at Vanderbilt Reserve. Neighbors believe he drowned while trying to retrieve his soccer ball.
With spring break in full swing and summer approaching, drowning prevention advocates are urging families to stay alert.
"We're still the leading state for drownings, and drowning is still the leading cause of death for children under four," said Dr. Lindsay Pursglove, owner of Swimtastic Swim School in Naples, Fort Myers and Cape Coral. "Teenagers and adults drown just as much as children do."
Pursglove stressed that drownings can happen unexpectedly.
"Most drownings are going to happen when you have no intention of going in the water," said Pursglove. "So if you have no intention of going in the water, you can't put your life jacket on, you can't get your buoys and your fencing up because you didn't know it was going to happen. So drowning prevention swim lessons are still the best way to do that."
She recommends starting swim lessons for children as young as 4 to 6 months old. Pursglove added that it's never too late for adults to learn.
"We've had seniors in their 70s come learn with us at Swimtastic. We do adult lessons all year long," Pursglove said.
Swimtastic Swim School partners with the Florida Drowning Prevention Foundation to offer swim lesson scholarships for families.
Pursglove encourages families to start practicing water safety now rather than waiting until summer.
"We're trying to get parents to think about that ahead of time because it does take time and get past this expectation of, oh, they can just learn real quick. We can throw them in, they'll be ready. And that's it. No, it takes time. It takes practice, and you have to commit," Pursglove said.
For added safety, Pursglove recommends wearing lifeguard-approved jackets, installing door alarms, and adding fencing around pools. She also advises adults to assign "water watchers" to make sure someone is actively supervising swimmers and scanning the pool's bottom.
Drownings are often silent.
If you see someone struggling in the water, pull them out immediately, call 911, and start CPR if needed.
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