At What Age Can a Child Legally Swim Unsupervised in Massachusetts?

The summer months are coming soon, and families throughout Massachusetts will have fun in the sun, including swimming in pools, lakes, the ocean, and more.

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When I was a kid, my parents would regularly take me swimming. Whether it was in the pool at Look Park in Florence, MA, the waterfalls like Bellevue and Pecks in Berkshire County, Lake Onota in Pittsfield, or DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) in Goshen, weekend family outings in the summer regularly included some kind of swimming excursion.

Whenever we went swimming at these places, my parents were always with me. Even when I got older, I would regularly swim with other people as it made the experience fun and safe.

As I look back at those swimming outings, I started wondering if there is a swimming law in Massachusetts regarding if one can legally swim unsupervised at a certain age.

At What Age Can a Child Swim Unsupervised in Massachusetts?

According to a few web sources, including an AI source, there is no specific age at which a child can swim unsupervised in Massachusetts. However, general safety guidelines and pool policies strongly recommend that children under 16 should not use a swimming pool without an adult. Many facilities require adult supervision for children under a certain age, often 10 or 12, especially in the deep end. Some facilities may have swim tests or other requirements for unsupervised pool use.

Other sources say that a child should never swim unsupervised, no matter what the individual's skill level may be. I would agree, parents and/or buddy systems should be set up especially in those natural areas of water like lakes and the ocean, etc. What are your thoughts? Should children swim with others, or is there an age when it's okay to swim unsupervised?