Water Safety - Cultivating Stronger Swimmers

Australians have always been drawn  to our beautiful coastline. Did you know that 87% of our entire population live within 50 km  of the coast.   Even in winter, Australians love to travel to warmer destinations and  enjoy the water and sunshine. 

To stay safe around water, the Australian Water Safety Council urges all Australians to:

• Supervise children at all times in, on and around water
• Learn Swimming
• Wear a lifejacket when boating, rock fishing or paddling
• Swim at a patrolled beach between the red and yellow flags
• Avoid alcohol and drugs around water

Whenever enjoying your water activities it is important particularly at the beach and inland waterways such as rivers and creeks to stop and survey the conditions before entering. Particularly if you are not familiar with the location. Follow the advice of signage and lifeguards by swimming between the red and yellow flags. Educate yourself on how to spot a rip and how to get yourself to safety if you find yourself caught in one. The Sydney Morning Herald has released an interactive guide on how to spot a rip. We urge our families to view this article and even share with your children. It includes visuals of some of Sydney’s most popular beaches, including beaches our families frequent, clearly showing rips along the shore. 
 
Along with surveying and supervising the scene in aquatic environments, have you considered the importance of continued swimming lessons? Perhaps one of the most misguided thoughts in regards to swimming, and certainly one we hear from parents far too often is that “I just want my child to know how to save themselves.” This is problematic for several reasons, particularly because parents view swimming lessons as a way to make their children ‘drown proof.’ There is no such thing as a child being ‘drown proof,’ nor water safe. Swimming in any environment ALWAYS carries a risk and an element of danger, and these are heightened outside of the controlled environment of a swimming lesson.
 

Some parents see that their child has hit a ‘plateau’ – a naturally occurring stage when learning any skill, not just those in swimming – and stop swimming. Others see their children reach a benchmark such as being able to swim independently, or master freestyle and cease lessons. Another common misconception amongst parents is that squads are for those who want to pursue a competitive career in swimming. We often hear “I don’t want my child to go to the Olympics, I just want them to learn how to swim!” as though swimming in a squad is only for ‘serious’ swimmers and not simply an extension of what is learnt in the learn-to-swim program. Whilst there is a focus nationwide on learn-to-swim, that should not signal the end of an aquatic education.
 
Skills are quickly lost in times of danger and panic and even strong swimmers can find themselves struggling in difficult and life threatening situations. Shane Daw, Surf Life Saving Australia's Coastal Safety Manager, points out that "there's a big disconnect where we need people to stop overestimating their ability. Things can go wrong and they can go wrong very quickly."

To give your child the best aquatic education, children are encouraged to continue developing their skills, fitness and technique well beyond the learn-to-swim program. Squads provide students with the chance to consolidate their skills to take into adulthood. Learning to swim is similar to learning a language – to become proficient and fluent in a language requires an initial learning period followed by a consolidation period. If a student ceases to speak in that language (even if they were once proficient at it) their ability to converse easily decreases over time. To truly be fluent in a language requires regular practice over a long period of time, just like swimming.   

Author: John Sortwell (Centre Manager)
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To check out the interactive guide to spotting a rip,                                                                see: https://www.smh.com.au/interactive/2018/how-to-spot-a-rip/