Swimming for Beginners: Safety and Equipment Checklist

If you want to start your swimming lifestyle with a safer swimming pool, you need the right swimming equipment for beginners to learn and develop their skills with. From swimming safety equipment that keeps them safer to the accessories that help refine technique or add enjoyment to your pool time.  Every swimmer started someplace, and beginners approach swimming with different levels of personal water experience, training, and preparation.  Whether you’re new to swimming or new to having a home pool you can swim in whenever you want, we’ll help you make sure you have the right safety and swimming equipment for beginners who are more than ready to get their feet wet.

Safety First

As your swimming skills evolve, it’s important to always put safety first. Accidental drowning injuries send tens of thousands of victims to emergency rooms and doctors’ offices each year, and over 4000 lives will be lost to these largely preventable tragedies. Swimming safety equipment is a great first step to protecting both your own life and the lives of those you share the pool with, but equipment alone is not a solution. You need to cultivate a safety mindset that can identify potential hazards, help you mitigate them, and help you understand how to respond during emergency situations where seconds matter. If you want a safer swimming pool, it starts with the decisions you make as a beginner choosing the swimming equipment and training to protect yourself and your loved ones.

• Know How To Save A Life – Enroll in classes from the American Red Cross that teach you vital life-saving skills. For beginners, this can include infant, child, and adult CPR and first aid skills that prepare you to respond to emergencies around the pool, at the office, or in the supermarket. As you become a better swimmer, water safety classes take this training to the next step, teaching you how to get the most out of swimming safety equipment in and around the pool.
• Be Rescue Ready – Some of the most important pieces of equipment for beginner swimmers are the tools needed to help a swimmer in distress, whether it be themselves or others. Every pool should have a rescue hook, emergency flotation device, or other rescue apparatus available to help someone struggling reach the edge of the pool where they can be pulled to safety. First aid kits give you the tools to manage the bumps and scrapes that sometimes happen in a boisterous environment, as well as the tools to put your trained skills to use in more serious emergencies.
• Prevent Unsupervised Access – A lack of protective barriers has been cited as a contributing factor to the majority of accidental drownings by the National Drowning Prevention Alliance. Preventing unsupervised pool use by at-risk swimmers can help prevent your pool from becoming the sight of a tragedy. Removable mesh pool fencing helps secure the perimeter of your pool with anchored poles, rip-resistant mesh, and a self-closing and latching gate. Swimming pool safety covers and nets are anchored around the deck and stretched above the surface of your pool to prevent water entry by pets, children, or any at-risk person.

Swimming Equipment

Getting the most from your pool will mean giving your swimming skills time to evolve. You have swimming safety equipment helping to keep you protected, and now you need the right beginners swimming equipment. As skills develop, many swimmers find that they’re ready to leave their gear behind, while others still use it from time to time to get more enjoyment out of their pool activities.

• Not All Swimsuits Are Built The Same – While it may seem like a no-brainer that a swimsuit is a necessary piece of equipment for beginner swimmers, you need to make sure it’s the right kind of swimsuit. Your body will feel different in the water, and a good suit should provide the security and support you need for both coordinated and uncoordinated movements in the water. Two-piece suits, especially, may be designed primarily for sunning or for gentle swimming by an experienced swimmer who understands how the suit moves with their bodies, while the unpracticed movements of someone still new to the water might dislodge it, leaving you in an embarrassing situation. Even one-piece suits, whether designed in traditionally male or female styles, can fail to offer the support and security you need. Your suit should fit snugly without restricting you or leaving billows of extra fabric and stay secure through a range of motions, remaining in a comfortable position.
• Goggles – Designed to protect your eyes under the water, some consider these to be important swimming safety equipment. Goggles should fit tight over the eyes, helping you keep them open to see underwater without slipping or scraping across your face. Goggles come in a range of styles and colors to accentuate your other pool gear and can be especially helpful while you’re still getting the knack for adjusting your water chemistry for comfort.
• Fins – Swim fins are flexible shoes that increase the surface area of your feet to help provide the propulsion that may be lacking while you’re still developing your skills. Some swimmers will forego them as their own body becomes more efficient moving through the water, but they can be a useful and fun way to keep working on your technique to improve your aquatic lifestyle. 
• Pull Buoy – Another popular piece of beginners swimming equipment, pull buoys help new swimmers with the often-vexing problem of sinking legs. Buoys add to your body’s own buoyancy, helping hold your legs afloat and teaching proper body positioning while you build the muscles, coordination, and skill to maintain proper form yourself.
• Ear Plugs – Another piece of gear that bridges the gap between swimming safety equipment and personal preference, ear plugs help keep water out of your ears. Water in the ear can confuse your body’s sense of direction in or under the water. Further, water trapped in the ear can lead to infections, making these a must-have for those prone to swimmer’s ear.
• Nose Plugs – Some people scoff at nose plugs, but other swimmers swear by them. Nose plugs restrict airflow through your nose, helping you hold your breath better, giving new swimmers the confidence to develop skills in the pool and increasing buoyancy for better push-offs and surface swimming. For those whose anatomy won’t let them pressurize their pharyngeal cavity underwater to keep out water, they are a must-have for some swimming actions.

Get the Swimming Pool Safety Equipment You Need

Your local All-Safe Pool installer is your go-to source for a safer swimming pool area. Make sure your beginner swimmers are safe as well as anyone who visits your pool. When you request a no-obligation estimate, an experienced professional will come to your home, take measurements, and talk to you about your pool uses and safety needs. Then you’ll get a written summary of your options with clearly laid-out costs so you can make an informed decision about your pool’s safety. Take the first step toward protecting your friends, family, and loved ones. Get your free quote from an independent installer today.