A popular summer activity is swimming or relaxing on a boat, as a health expert in Dallas County cautions people with safety reminders.

According to Community Health Educator Natalie Peters, parents or guardians should watch their children closely around water. She stresses that adults should keep young kids within arms reach and to keep eyes on them 24/7. Peters details that it’s not a bad idea to enroll children in swimming lessons to teach them basic skills. When it comes to open water, she suggests that children should be wearing life jackets instead of floaties, as it’s not as secure. Peters has advice for adults as well.

“Always swim with a buddy, even if it’s just in a pool or a familiar area you’ve always gone to, if an accident (that’s) happened, you definitely want to have someone nearby to be able to act quickly. Know your limits, so don’t overestimate your swimming abilities (and) take breaks to avoid fatigue. Also, avoiding alcohol around water. Alcohol just impairs your judgement and your balance and your coordination, and it really does increase your drawing risk, so make sure you’re careful about that.”

Peters confirms that there’s been multiple cases of water borne illnesses reported this year, as she acknowledges to avoid swimming in natural water bodies following heavy rainfall, not swallowing natural water, and to wash your hands after being in any lake or pool water, especially before touching your face or eating.