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Water Activities Checkpoints
In swimming and small-craft activities, safety is of primary importance. Each girl and adult is accountable for her own behavior and for conducting herself according to waterfront rules, including following instructions, swimming in assigned areas, and watching out for her buddy.
The leader must review the Step 1 checkpoints and these Water Activities checkpoints before reading the activity specific checkpoints that follow.
Planning and Supervision
£ Be sure supervising adults have current certification and/or documented experience in specialty areas such as swimming, canoeing, or windsurfing.
£ Determine the number of supervisors for a given aquatic activity by the skill level of the participants, the degree of risk, and environ mental conditions.
£ Be sure girls feel safe and confident in the water before participating in activities on the water. To determine each participant’s comfort in the water, conduct a safety exercise such as the following when water temperatures are acceptable: Under the supervision of a certified lifeguard, participants practice putting on a life jacket, entering the water, righting them selves, and coming to the surface. They practice floating and moving with minimal progress.
£ Follow the basic leader-to-participant ratios for small-craft activities in Standard 13 on page 69 for events, trips, and group camping. Ratios may be increased, depending on:
§ Number of craft
§ Size of craft
§ Age level of girls
§ Number of girls
§ Experience level of girls
§ Type of activity - instruction, recreation, tripping, etc.
§ Difficulty of activity
§ Size of body of water
§ Wind conditions
§ Tides and currents
§ Flatwater or whitewater
§ Turbidity
§ Bottom conditions
§ Shoreline
§ Proximity of other boats
£ Be sure instructions in boating safety and emergency procedures are given and are thoroughly reviewed and practiced while on land, including:
§ Preventing overloading
§ Properly distributing weight
§ Safe boarding and movement on the craft
§ General craft handling
§ “Rules of the road” for water traffic
§ Use of emergency equipment
§ Basic emergency procedures for person overboard, rough weather, firefighting
§ Self-rescue
§ Basic communication systems between craft and land, such as hand signals, whistles, horns, and flags
§ Preventing heat exhaustion or heatstroke
§ Preventing hypothermia
§ Distress signaling
§ Emergency weather procedures, such as in an electrical storm or high winds
§ Towing procedures
£ Be sure a system for recalling craft that is both audible and visible is taught.
£ Be sure that on a controlled water front, a system is in place to deter mine the location of boaters, such as a checkboard system.
£ Make sure craft weight and capacity are not exceeded (some craft have the maximum capacity clearly displayed). Consider weather and water conditions, weight of the passengers, and equipment.
Equipment
£ Be sure small craft are seaworthy, fit for water conditions, and used only for designated purposes.
£ Be sure boats comply with U.S. Coast Guard regulations and/or state and local codes.
£ Be sure that:
§ Each person wears a U.S. Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device (PFD or life jacket) at all times when boating, regardless of swimming ability.
§ Each wearable PFD (Types I, II, III, V, and Hybrid) is the appropriate size for the person who wears it (within the weight range and chest size marked on the PFD). Each person is instructed in the proper use and fit of the PFD that she is wearing.
§ Every PFD is in serviceable condition and appropriate for the type of waters on which the boat will be used.
§ Each person demonstrates and practices using a PFD, preferably including an in-the-water experience with the PFD to test the fit and amount of flotation it pro vides.
§ At least one graspable and throwable PFD (Type IV buoyant cushion or ring buoy or equivalent) is immediately available for each group on the water.
§ When watercraft are used beyond the immediate water front area, PFDs have whistles attached for signaling purposes.
£ Check that all equipment required by federal, state, and local regulations for the particular craft and waters is aboard, in serviceable condition, and, if appropriate, labeled “U.S. Coast Guard- approved.”
£ Be sure that no gasoline, liquefied petroleum gas, or other type of flammable liquid is used on board with heating, cooking, or lighting appliances.
£ Carry a repair kit and tools as appropriate.
Transportation
£ Check that the driver knows the principles and has mastered the challenges of driving a tow vehicle and trailer.
£ Check that the driver knows and uses the equipment required by law when trailering a boat.
£ Observe the same general principles when using small-craft sites that are either council-owned or public, loaned or donated facilities:
§ Council guidance is obtained in selecting the area.
§ The boating area is separate from swimming areas.
§ Water conditions are suitable (consider currents, tides, presence of dams, water releases, underwater obstructions, etc.).
§ Visibility is good.
§ A lifeboat and rescue equipment are available, where appropriate.
Emergency Procedures and First Aid
£ Be sure a first-aider is present and a first-aid kit is available.
£ Be sure to review first-aid procedures, including those for immersion hypothermia, near-drowning, and sunburn.
£ Be sure a float plan is filed with local authorities and a back-home contact, indicating:
§ Names of all persons on board
§ Destination
§ Description of the craft
§ Times of departure and return
§ Route to be taken and an alternate route
§ Agency or person to be notified if return is delayed
§ List of marine communications, if applicable (VHF radio, Channel 16, is constantly monitored for distress calls and is also used as a contact frequency for all recreational boaters)
£ Be prepared to alter the float plan if weather conditions change.
£ Teach girls to take shelter away from tall objects in a storm with lightning and thunder. Find the lowest point in an open flat area. Squat low to the ground on the balls of the feet. Have girls place their hands on their knees with their hands between them. Make themselves the smallest target possible and minimize their contact with the ground.
£ During storms, if shore cannot be reached, secure all loose gear, keep a sharp lookout for other boats and obstructions, head into the wind at a 450 angle, and stay low.
National Organizations
American Red Cross, U.S. Coast Guard (www.usaboating.org),
U.S. Power Squadron (www.usps.org).
Water Skiing Specific Checkpoints
Planning and Supervision
£ All instructors are currently certified by USA Water Ski or have equivalent certification or documented experience, knowledge, and skill in teaching and/or supervising water skiing.
£ The boat driver has an appropriate license, if applicable, and is skilled in operating the craft, safety and emergency procedures, and man aging personnel. USA Water Ski offers a Trained Boat Driver course.
£ Each boat has a minimum of two adults at all times in all water skiing classes—one to observe the skier(s) and one to drive the boat.
£ Another adult is on shore, organizing and supervising the girls waiting to ski or watching.
£ Individuals using the ski boat receive preliminary training in boarding, debarking, self-rescue in capsizing or swamping situations, boat handling for water skiing, trimming, loading, changing positions, using a PFD, and safety procedures for the particular craft.
£ On a controlled waterfront, there is a system for determining the whereabouts of swimmers and boaters, such as a checkboard system.
£ The hand and voice signals are posted at the dock area.
£ Participants know and practice the Water Skier’s Safety Code and skier hand and voice signals as defined by USA Water Ski.
Clothing and Equipment
£ Participants and instructors wear a Type III PFD ski vest while on skis or in the ski boat. Ski belts are not acceptable.
£ Instructors demonstrate knowledge and skill in operating the boat, motor, and all specialized skiing equipment.
£ Ski boats are seaworthy, fit the water conditions, have sufficient power to tow a skier(s), are appropriate to the skill levels of the participants, and are used only for the designated purposes.
£ Ski boats are equipped with a wide-angle rearview mirror.
£ The ski boat contains at least the following safety equipment:
§ Fire extinguisher
§ First-aid kit
§ Paddle
§ Horn
§ Bailing device
§ Two gas tanks (for outboard motors)
§ Mooring ropes/extra line
§ Boarding ladder
§ Throw bag
£ Fuel containers are clearly labeled.
£ Ski lines (tow lines) are at least 75 feet long, in good repair, and of a suitable material.
£ A single handle is used on the ski line.
£ Skis are appropriate to the skill and size of the skier.
£ Skis meet the recommendations of USA Water Ski. Skis are in good condition.
£ Skis are free of sharp points and edges; ski tips are rounded, not pointed.
£ Skis have properly sized adjustable foot bindings and are the correct length for the skier’s weight and planned skiing speed.
Site
The ski area meets the following description:
£ A powerboat moving 15 to 25 miles per hour can make a straight-line run of at least a minute, with a broad sweeping turn at each end. With this “dumb bell” pattern, the boat can remain at least 100 feet from shore at all times (state regulations may require a greater distance from shore). Thus, a body of water that is closed to other uses during instruction is at least 2,000 to 2,400 feet long and 250 to 300 feet wide.
£ There is a designated pickup and dropoff area for skiers.
£ The ski dock is separate from the swimming area and the sailing dock.
£ Lifeboat and basic rescue equipment are on hand. Visibility is good (consider time of day, fog, etc.). Water conditions are suitable.
Emergency Procedures and First Aid
£ A first-aider is present who is prepared to handle cases of near-drowning and immersion hypothermia.
National Organization
USA Water Ski (www.usawaterski.org).
These pages are for check-list purposes only. Please refer to
your Safety-Wise book to make sure the checklist information is current and
accurate.
These pages are not endorsed by Girl Scouts of the USA. 'Girl Scouts' and
'Girl Scouts of the USA' are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Girl
Scouts of the USA.