INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — May is National Water Safety Month, an important topic because according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is the leading cause of death for children between the ages of 1 and 4.

The CDC also reports that the drowning rate in the U.S. is on the rise, affecting nearly 4,000 people each year – reinforcing the need for water safety awareness, education, training, and preparedness.

Three-time Olympic gold medalist, swim safety champion, and drowning prevention advocate Rowdy Gaines joined Daybreak on Tuesday to discuss the importance of water safety.

“I didn’t start swimming until I was 17, but I ended up going through that Olympic journey and swam in the 84 games. It was a really magical time for me because it was in Los Angeles in our home country,” Gaines said. “And about 2,025 years ago, I started reading more and more about children drowning and it just literally started breaking my heart.”

Data from the CDC shows that 90% of drownings happen in front of an adult and a child can drown in less than 30 seconds. Unlike what is often depicted in movies and on TV, drowning is silent.

“It’s the number one killer of children, 1 to 4 (years old), but it’s number two (killer) for the age group, 5 to 14. And I think for me, the platform has always been, ‘Hey, we found the cure.’ Literally, the cure is for the children to take swim lessons,” Gaines said. “The most critical thing is to put your children in swim lessons because swim lessons – that’s been proven. (Swim lesson) Reduces the risk of drowning by 88%.”

Gaines emphasizes that floaties can often give children (and their parents) a false sense of confidence in the water and can be a crutch in learning the proper way to swim. He also encourages people to seek out affordable or free programs offering swim lessons through various community centers, the YMCA, the JCC, or even the Boys and Girls Club.

Gaines is passionate about putting an end to childhood drowning and is leading the efforts of Step into Swim, a water safety education initiative through the Pool and Hot Tub Alliance to keep kids safe in and around water and to get kids access to free swim lessons in their local communities.

Advice from Gaines:

• Assign adult water watcher
• Put distracting cell phones away while children are near water
• Ensure adequate layers of protection around the pool
• Learning CPR in case of an emergency

“I’m begging parents to make sure that they never take their eyes off their children when they’re in and around water. They are the first line of defense in protecting your children to make sure that water should be joyous,” Gaines said. “You don’t want to turn that joy into something that creates a tragedy and something that lasts a lifetime. So, you really have to be diligent as a parent to watch your child at all times.”

Gaines will spend this week educating parents and people about swimming safety in Indianapolis. He will also return to Indiana this summer for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials-Swimming in Indianapolis from June 15-23 at Lucas Oil Stadium.