Camp Swim Time Checklist

NYC camp rules require buddy checks at least every 15 minutes, and say an incomplete buddy system has been a significant factor in every camper drowning since 1986 (NYC Health (opens in a new tab)). Follow your camp's written plan.

Before swim

• I know our written swim plan, our lost swimmer plan and the buddy check signal.
• Every camper is swim-tested and grouped; non-swimmers stay in water less than chest deep.
• Buddies are paired by similar ability and checked in on the board.

During swim

• Phone away. Eyes on my zone the whole time, counting heads.
• Buddy check no later than 15 minutes after entry, then at least every 15 minutes.
• I watch for quiet trouble: upright and not moving forward, can't tread water, or face down.
• On a boat, every camper wears a Coast Guard-approved life jacket that fits (federal law under 13).

If a buddy is missing

• Get the name, call it out, and tell the nearest lifeguard: water search now.
• Clear the water, gather campers away from it, and start the lost swimmer plan.

What you can do today: ask your aquatics director for the written plan and practice one buddy check. Learn the signs in what drowning looks like.