That way, if something goes amiss, you can simply stand up and breathe. When you're first learning how to swim, don't venture into water that's too deep for you to stand in. If you must learn to swim this way, try to make sure you're with someone who knows what he or she is doing, and be sure to read the step about getting out of a riptide or a rushing river (below).
If you're learning to swim in an ocean or river, you'll need to be more aware of the motion of the water. Don't start out swimming in moving water.An area with a lifeguard is usually the best place to swim. Always go swimming with one other person who is a strong swimmer, if not several other people. Follow these guidelines whenever you're swimming, and the odds of drowning will decrease dramatically: X Research source While drownings do occur, most of them could have been prevented by simple safety measures. A lot of people put off learning how to swim because they're afraid of drowning.
