The first essential for your activities in or near the water is, of course, knowing how to swim. In addition, you must know and obey all the safety measures that can prevent accidents. For example, never go swimming just after you've eaten or when you are very hot. Wait at least an hour after meals, and when you are overheated from the sun, cool off in the shade before entering the water. Never dive if you get earaches or dizzy spells from diving. If you are enjoying the water with a group of friends, it is a good idea to use the buddy system, that is, to swim in pairs and watch out for your buddy. That way you won't discover too late that someone has disappeared.

You should also master throwing a life preserver. On your honor, now, have you ever practiced throwing a real life preserver such as there are at pools and beaches everywhere? That is something you must practice to be ready for emergencies. You should also be able to swim with your clothes on, and that requires practice too. At the pool, or in a river deep enough for swimming, you and your friends should frequently test each other's strength and scuffle around a bit to accustom yourselves to water and be at home there. A jumping frame, which you can build for yourself, can help you toward this goal. But don't indulge in horseplay in water which is very deep or unfamiliar.

Diving

James Fennimore Cooper, in Leatherstocking Tales, told of Indians who stayed under water for hours to avoid pursuit. They breathed; it was said, through reeds, holding one end above the surface of the water.

Such stunts are no longer restricted to the warpath. Today they have become a sport, as diving masks with snorkels enable us to extend our roving expeditions even to underwater areas.

On the clear, sunlit bottom of a lake, pond or slow-flowing river, all kinds of things can be observed: you might see a pebbled bottom as colorful as a mosaic, growths of algae, and the fishes' hiding spots. There are seashells too, and even if the truly fantastic shells cannot be found in our latitudes, there are still enough snail shells which are equally fascinating.