MOUNT HOLLY, N.C. -- Between Saturday and Monday, four people drowned in four separate incidents.
On Saturday, a man drowned in the Catawba River near the U.S. National White Water Center. On the same day, another person drowned in Spring Lake.
Then Monday morning, York County rescue crews recovered two bodies from Lake Wylie, in two separate drowning incidents.
CDC says each year, more than 3,000 people in the U.S. drown.
Drowning can happen quickly, and in some cases, you may not even realize someone right next to you may be struggling in the water and needs help immediately.
Mt. Holly Fire Chief Ryan Baker said, “The movies, they do give a false vision of what drowning actually looks like. A lot of times when someone does drown, they just go under water.”
And it can happen in a blink of an eye.
“Whenever you are swimming make sure you always swim with a partner, or if you're with a child, you know, swim with that child. Stay with that child while they are in the water,” he said.
So even if you know how to swim, you should wear a life jacket, especially out on a lake or river.
“Because you can become tired. You can swim out too far and not realize that you're as far out as you are,” said Chief Baker.
And if you see a "no swimming" sign, do not swim there. Take a safe boating course. And never dive into lakes or rivers.