Park Rangers at Millerton Lake in Fresno have their eyes peeled for anyone who looks like they may be struggling in the water.
"We're checking everything. We're checking people on the shoreline, making sure that people are close enough to the shoreline. Making sure that people aren't in distress," said State Park Ranger, Alex Luscutoff.
They're also looking for boat safety violations like proper number of life vests and a fire extinguisher on board. After 15 minutes rangers find a family in a boat. The engine somehow caught fire and was smoking.
It's proof anything can happen while in and on the water, so it's wise to be prepared.
While celebrating the Fourth of July, two men drowned at Lake Yosemite in Merced and
two other men were pulled out of the Kings River after they nearly drowned.
State Park Rangers say the best prevention against accidents is staying hydrated, always putting a life vest on children, using a life vest yourself if you're not a strong swimmer, minimizing alcohol consumptionand knowing where you are if you need to call for help, because every second counts.
"Even if you're on the Kings River or at the lake here, up the San Joaquin River channel here, always find out where you're going to be and try and know the location as best you can," said State Park Ranger, Mark De Leon.
They said rivers can sometimes be deceiving, calm and tranquil on top is met with swift undercurrent flow.
"If you're in swift water river, it can take you down river and it can be a very dangerous situation for you," said De Leon.
It's always smart to go swim where there are lifeguards to keep an extra eye out.
"We have two towers watching the water we have aquatic staff, ranger staff on the lake and we've had some pretty good rescues this year," said De Leon.