Government Information
that Can Help one Avoid
Some Dangers of
Open Water Swimming
SaraJean Petite
Government Resources Manager and Bibliographic
Access Librarian
Case Western Reserve University School of Law
Presented at AALL Meeting, July 27, 2007
Introductory Material
• I got involved with open-water swimming
about two years ago, when I began
training for triathlon.
• As I was working, I realized that there was
a great deal of government information
relevant to this activity.
• This presentation is intended to highlight
some of that information.
Open Water Swimming
• While the information sources in this
presentation may be interesting, one
should always heed warnings posted at a
beach or given by a lifeguard.
Sources of Information
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration is major source
• Other helpful information is available
from the EPA, NIH, and the Coast
Guard.
Weather (General)
• National Weather Service
– NOAA Weather radio will give you the most
up-to-date weather information.
– General site at http://www.nws.noaa.gov/
– Marine weather at
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/home.htm
Weather: Can you spot the Danger?
Photograph taken by Suzi Harmon, January 1, 2007.
Accessed via Cleveland Triathlon Club’s Photo Blog.
Weather (Water Temperature)
• As the water temperature drops below 70 degrees Fahrenheit, one’s
chances of hypothermia increase. (Graphic from Think Safe: Choose the
Right Personal Flotation Device brochure published by the United States
Coast Guard.)
Weather (Water Temperature)
• NOAA’s National Oceanographic Data
Center Coastal Water Temperature Guide
– Current temperatures, but there are gaps
– http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg/
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
• NOAA’s National Environmental Satellite,
Data, and Information Service’s Sea
Surface Temperature Contour Charts
– Gives recent temperatures in degrees
centigrade.
– http://www.osdpd.noaa.gov/PSB/EPS/SST/contourthumb.html
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
• NOAA’s Great Lakes Coastal Forecasting System
– Forecast and recent historical temperatures
– Gives times in GMT
• Eastern Daylight Time is -4 hours.
• Central Daylight Time is -5 hours.
– Also contains information about air temperature,
winds, waves, and water currents
– http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/res/glcfs/
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather (Water Temperature)
Weather: Can you spot the danger?
Photo Courtesy of Delaware Sea Grant, accessed via NOAA’s website.
Weather (Rip Currents)
• “Rip Currents are powerful, channeled
currents of water flowing away from
shore.”1
• Of weather-related causes, only heat kills
more people than rip currents.2
References:
1. http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/
2.
http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/resources/GCRL-128335-Article.pdf
Weather (Rip Currents)
• For some areas, the National Weather Service
has Rip Current Forecasts
– http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/forecasts.shtml
Weather (Rip Currents)
Weather (Rip Currents)
Weather (Rip Currents)
• Every year, NOAA has Rip Current Awareness Week
– http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/week.shtml
Weather (Rip Currents)
http://www.ripcurrents.noaa.gov/signs/rip_current_sign.pdf
Weather (Waves)
• NOAA Wavewatch
– http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/main_int.html
– Instructions:
http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/waves/pres/primer
/primer_1.html
Weather (Waves)
Weather (Waves)
Weather (Waves)
• NOAA Wavewatch Great Lakes Model
– Gives wave height in meters
– http://polar.ncep.noaa.gov/NEW.waves/
Weather (Waves)
Can You Spot the Danger?
Hint: It’s not weather or boats.
Photo of Huntington Beach (Bay Village, OH) taken by SaraJean Petite.
Photograph of swim leg of 2001 Cleveland Triathon taken by Richard Petite.
Water Quality (National)
• The Center for Disease Control has a beach page
– http://www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming/beaches_rivers.htm
Water Quality (National)
• One of the sources to which the CDC
refers people is Earth 911.
• Though it is not a government source,
Earth 911 has partnered with local
governments to provide information
about beach water quality
–
http://www.earth911.org/WaterQuality/index.asp
Water Quality (national)
Water Quality (national)
Water Quality (national)
Water Quality (National)
• The CDC also refers people to the EPA’s
beach page.
– http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/beaches/
Water Quality (National)
Water Quality (National)
• The EPA’s BEACON system will let you find your beach.
– http://oaspub.epa.gov/beacon/beacon_national_page.main
Water Quality (National)
• BEACON is good for directing you to state sources.
Water Quality (National)
Water Quality (National)
Water Quality (National)
Water Quality (National)
Water Quality (state)
•
Ohio Department of Health Beach Bacteria
http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhPrograms/eh/bbeach/beach_sa
mplemonitoring.aspx
Water Quality (state)
Water Quality (State)
Water Quality (State)
Water Quality (Local)
• Ohio Nowcast (Cuyahoga County)
http://www.ohionowcast.info/index.asp
Water Quality (Local)
Water Quality (Local)
Wildlife: Avoiding the Dangers
Photos from NOAA Ocean Explorer’s “Living Ocean” gallery at
http://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/gallery/livingocean/livingocean.html
Wildlife (Sharks)
• NOAA has information on avoiding shark
•
attacks
Fact sheet written by the International Shark
Attack Website and distributed by NOAA:
http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/sharks/Press_Kit_Sharks.htm
Wildlife (Sharks)
• Some of the helpful hints from this
publication:
– Don’t swim at times and places where sharks
feed.
– Don’t swim if you’re bleeding.
– If you see a shark, get out of the water and
don’t harass it.
Wildlife (Jellyfish)
• Prevention of Marine Life Bite (quoting from
Medline Plus)
– Swim near a lifeguard.
– Observe posted signs that may warn of danger from
jellyfish or other hazardous marine life.
– Do not touch unfamiliar marine life. Even dead
animals or severed tentacles may contain poisonous
venom.
•
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000032.htm
Wildlife (Jellyfish)
•
Treatment of Jellyfish Bite (quoting from Medline Plus):
–
Portuguese Man-of-War:
• Wash with salt water. Protect affected area if possible. Soak the
•
–
•
area with a solution of vinegar and water (1/2 vinegar and 1/2
water) for about 30 minutes to remove any remaining tentacles.
Rinse the area and then resoak with more 1/2 strength vinegar.
(To remove remaining tentacles, may use flour or shaving cream
and scrape with a dull instrument such as a credit card.) Apply a
cream containing a pain killer, an antihistamine, and a
corticosteroid.
Sea-Wasp (usually found in Australian waters):
• CALL FOR AN AMBULANCE. Death can occur within minutes.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002845.htm
Wildlife (Sea-Wasp)
• According to the City of Honolulu’s
website, Sea-Wasps, also known as Box
Jellyfish, are also found in Hawaii.
– http://www.honolulu.gov/esd/oceansafety/bo
xjellymainpage.htm
Watercraft
•
•
–
–
This is the Coast Guard’s Sign for a Designated Swimming Area
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/aton/non_lateral.htm (graphic of sign)
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/law_negligent.htm (rules for boaters)
Local beaches may have different signs prohibiting boats from
entering swim areas.
If you Decide to try this at home…
• This presentation is not designed to give you all
•
the information you need to swim safely in open
water.
Your best sources of information are people who
are familiar with the water in which you plan to
swim. They may know which government or
commercial resources give the best information
for water in their areas.
If you Decide to try this at home…
For information about open-water swimming
in a specific location, contact:
–
–
A Lifeguard at the beach
Your local triathlon club
–
United States Masters Swimming
http://www.usms.org/
Stores that specialize in surfing and scuba
diving supplies
–
http://www.usatriathlon.org/Clubs/FindAClub.aspx
After the conclusion of the AALL Meeting,
this PowerPoint will be available online.
An e-mail will be sent to the listserv with
the URL.