Why are the dog days a bad time for swimming?

The dog days are the sutlry weeks of hottest summer. In this sticky, stuffy weather, a cool dip is just fine   if we use our natural good sense. Let’s keep the first few swims of the sea, on fairly short swims. The water warms up more slowly than the land and our bodies need a chance to get used to cooling dips.

Let's not plunge into cold water after a heavy meal or flounder around until our muscles are exhausted. Let's not swim out beyond the range of safe return   and let's rub dry with a rough towel when we leave the water. The dog days are dangerous only to a swimmer who cannot be trusted to use their natural good sense.