YMCA, City, and County Officials Urge Water Safety Across Seattle Especially During Warm Weather

by Soumya Gupta

Renton Police responded to a drowning in Lake Washington during the early hours of Tuesday, July 9, a grim reminder of the need to practice water safety as people seek relief from a heat wave that has hovered over the Pacific Northwest this week.

Renton Police reported on the social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, that fire department divers found the body of a 26-year-old man in the waters off Gene Coulon Park. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

As Seattle's temperatures have risen, so have water-based activities. Seattle and King County officials, along with several organizations, have drafted several measures to ensure water safety, including swimming lessons and awareness resources to ensure that everyone continues to enjoy Seattle's water destinations safely.

According to the Washington State Department of Health, unintentional drowning deaths during the summer in Washington increased from 37% to 51% between 2018 and 2022. Most of these deaths occurred in larger bodies of water such as lakes and rivers, and are most common in children aged 1—4. King County reported approximately 135 unintentional drowning deaths in lakes and rivers, with numbers increasing since 2020.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that unintentional drowning is one of the leading causes of death in the United States, with numbers being at their highest in the summer months. Seattle Children's Hospital's website states that in Washington, an average of 17 teenagers and children drown each year.

"In Seattle when we have over 200 miles of shoreline," Seattle Fire Chief Harold Scoggins said. "All times of year, water safety is important, but what we know is when the weather warms up, more people migrate towards the water. So water becomes a concern for us all, you want to pay attention."

To address water safety, the YMCA of Greater Seattle organized two campaigns in partnership with King County, the mayor's office, and Seattle Parks and Recreation to inform and educate people on swim safety.

The first campaign, "Swim Seattle," was launched in 2023 and provides free swimming lessons to youth, primarily from low-income backgrounds and underserved communities. The YMCA of Greater Seattle's "Safety Around Water" campaign, in partnership with No More Under, has also worked towards providing water safety resources to the youth and their families, in addition to providing public and private swimming lessons.

Currently, the organizations involved are working to further both campaigns and provide a combination of both swimming lessons and a comprehensive curriculum for water safety resources. The "Safety Around Water" campaign also provides financial assistance to individuals interested in swimming pool memberships, as well as multiple training lessons and swim certifications.

"It's really important for us to target Communities of Color," Sonya Walker, senior program executive at the YMCA of Greater Seattle, said. "As a community center, it is really important for us to be able to have an impact and save lives, given the public health issue, and this something we want the public to have access to."

Walker stated that the focus of these campaigns was to ensure equitable access and swim safety across all communities in Seattle, given the socioeconomic factors attached to drowning-related deaths. According to Stop Drowning Now, an educational resource for swim safety, drowning risks and deaths varied depending on households and race: 64% of African American and 45% of Hispanic-Latino individuals did not have swimming skills, putting them at a higher risk of drowning.

"It's also because of a lack of access to swimming pools, and the high fees attached to swimming lessons," Walker said. "There's a lack of opportunity to pay for lessons, so it becomes more of a luxury item instead of a necessity."

According to Walker, the water safety campaign at the YMCA offers safety and swimming skills ranging from beginner to advanced levels, where youth can sign up for individual or family lessons offered in water and on land, based on the need and number of participants. The YMCA of Greater Seattle, she says, has enrolled around 20,000 people in swim lessons this year.

Walker also passed along YMCA of Greater Seattle CEO Loria Yeadon's personal story of learning how to swim at the age of 55 via these campaigns. Originally from Virginia, Yeadon recalled not having access to swimming lessons or skills, which eventually, upon joining the YMCA of Greater Seattle, made her realize the importance of water safety.

Historically, Seattle summer temperatures don't often rise above the mid-80s, but owing to climate change, the past few years have witnessed unexpected record temperatures. While many Seattle homes lack AC for such high temperatures, City officials are focusing on ensuring that individuals are equipped to prevent water-related accidents, given the increased dependence on water-based activities to escape the heat.

"Now more than ever, it's important to remind parents and caregivers that water safety must be a top priority as families look forward to their favorite summertime activities and having fun," Yeadon said, in a press release by the YMCA of Greater Seattle.

Meanwhile, earlier this month the Seattle Fire Department (SFD) announced that it is enhancing its ability to respond quicker to water-related emergencies with two customized Sea-Doos made available by donations to the Seattle Fire Foundation. The pair of rescue watercraft will complement their highly trained rescue swimmers and divers who are limited to responses no further than 300 feet from shore. The Sea-Doos, equipped with a back platform, will allow rescue swimmers to deploy farther and faster to vessels and people in distress.

📸 Featured Image: Seattle lifeguards monitor the water near Madrona Beach this week as hot weather draws people to Lake Washington in search of relief. (Photo: Susan Fried)