This short 1970s film by the National Safety Council “Find a Float” takes a look at water safety and what to do in the event of an emergency situation. It opens with a water skier enjoying the sport and conducting spin jumps and dodging around buoys (1:08) as well as a family of three water skiing together (1:58). Other recreational water activities beyond water skiing include diving from a diving board (2:07) and scuba diving (2:16). While many see the water as a place of sport, some see the waters as a place of danger, especially those who cannot swim (2:25). The first incident involves a fisherman named John Davidson who takes himself on a fishing outing with a young companion to relive himself of his daily troubles (2:39). John catches a fish (3:37) and shows it to the boy on the shoreline watching him. In his excitement he stands and proceeds to start the boat while standing (4:08) he falls into the water. Unfortunately, when he pulled the starter rope, the engine was in gear and the boat takes off (4:11). He is left helpless splashing in the water as the boy runs for help (4:22). Another character, Joe Schultz, had taken his wife and two kids out on the water in a small row boat (4:44). Two speed boats come zipping through and almost hit him and his family (5:10). He stands and waves his oar to warn them not to hit him and he ends up falling off the boat (5:27). In an attempt to get back on the boat, he approaches the side and therefore capsizes the whole thing and lands his family in the water as well (5:39). A woman on the shoreline witnesses the incident and yells for help, though there is no one around to hear her (5:48). A fourteen-year-old girl named Alice Templeton enjoys herself while on a float listening to music (6:01). Her parents are on a nearby dock fishing when she had drifted out to deep water unknowingly and cannot swim (6:14). When her radio takes a spill into the water, she tries to save it landing herself in the water as well instead (6:25). A zoom in is shown of the picnic basket her parents brought which could have been used to save her as it does in fact float without the lid on it (6:48). Her parents could have also used a long pole once she was close enough to pull her onto the dock (7:03). The wooden folding chairs left sitting on the dock also float (7:14). In the John Davidson scenario (7:30), he should have ensured the motor was not in gear prior to starting and he should have started the motor from a seated position (7:36). While the boy did what he thought was best and ran to get help, he could have used his capped gallon thermos as an improvised floatation device (7:51). Joe Schultz should not have stood when the speed boats came by (8:07) though he could have also attempted to re-enter the boat from the stern which would have kept the entire boat from capsizing (8:14). The woman on the shoreline also had a spare tire in her trunk (8:29) which was buoyant enough to support her as she swum it out to them as well as the entire family as they floated back to safety (8:57). The film points to the fact that none of the instances should have occurred as there were many options for floatation devices on hand (9:12). They all should have also had Coastguard approved life saving vests or floatation cushions out with them (9:28). An approved ring like buoy could have been on hand as well (9:33). The most important tool of safety however, would have been for all of them to have known how to swim (9:41). It only takes 14 lbs. of buoyancy to keep an average human afloat (10:04). A span of random objects that can float follow including a capped bleach bottle (10:07), a branch (10:09), wooden bench or a surf board (10:24). The film concludes as a man in the water looks at all of the objects just shown floating around him and appearing to decide which one to use (10:33).

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