With the weather starting to heat up it’s crucial to equip yourself and your loved ones with essential swimming and water safety skills.
Learning to swim is especially important due to the mandated closures of swim schools and local pools across Australia and New Zealand. Millions of swimming lessons missed threaten to have tragic consequences for many and may create a generation of non-swimmers.
You may associate learning to swim with a competitive sport (something you see in the Olympics) however, knowing how to swim is a basic life skill that could save your life.
Royal Life Saving Australia National Drowning Report 2021 reported 294 people drowned in Australian waterways from 1 July 2020 to 30 July 2021. Read the report here.
Learning to swim is a skill for life
Swimming and water safety skills are not only needed when in and around swimming pools but for both adults and children who may find themselves encountering rivers, dams and the beach anytime throughout the year. It is essential to have the skills and confidence in and around all forms of water.
There are a number of steps you can take to ensure you and your family are well prepared when it comes to water safety this summer.
Start swimming lessons as early as possible – they could save your life!
According to Royal Life Saving Australia, children who learn how to swim from a young age are less likely to experience drownings.
From the age of 6 months, children can start developing skills including floating on their backs and returning back to the edge. As you progress through lessons these skills advance to survival strokes and even how to help others.
If you or your child don’t know how to swim, it is never too late to learn!
Ensure your home is secure
Young children are often drawn to water, even small bodies of water around the home that may not be seen as a risk such as bathtubs, sinks and even buckets of water. Therefore, it is important to be extra mindful around the home, as there are no extra eyes to ensure your child/ren are safe around water.
Young children can drown in as little as one inch of water so ensure you:
- Keep all tubs, buckets, containers and kids pools empty when not in use.
- Store them upside down and away from children’s reach.
- Keep the lids to the toilets and doors to the bathrooms and laundry closed.
- Hide the bathtub plug from your children.
- Ensure the fence around your pool at home is closed.
- Ensure there is no way your child can climb over the pool fence, especially when an adult is not present.
Expand your skillset
Enrolling in a CPR and First Aid Course is always a great way to be safe and learn a new skill.
Knowing how to administer CPR to people of all ages can be the difference between a life being saved or a life lost. Search your local area for in-person or online classes.
Life is better when we swim
Belgravia Leisure has partnered with Royal Life Saving Australia and We Swim, inspiring parents across Australia to take action to ensure their children enjoy all the benefits of swimming. Learn more about the We Swim campaign and how we’re working with the aquatic industry and Government to support and elevate the benefits of swimming here.
- Enrol in swimming lessons here.
- Read the 2021 Royal Life Saving Australia National Drowning Report here.
Looking to grow and make a meaningful impact in your community?
- Find a career with Belgravia Leisure here.
