Summer’s almost here!!! The weather is trending towards hot and sunny, the pools and beaches are beginning to open for the season, pandemic restrictions are FINALLY starting to lift and you are thinking it might just be safe to wash the snow pants. So, what do you need to be ready for summer? Swimsuits and goggles – check to make sure last year’s still fit and they aren’t falling apart...
I was doing the usual mom chit-chat at Scouts while my son worked towards his water safety badge and fielded the inevitable question from the Scout leader, ‘what do you do?’. My answer, “I’m a global activist working to end child drowning. One child drowns every minute.” And then came the typical response, “Wow, I didn’t know it was such an issue, but it is certainly needed, the lifeguards...
Summer is fast approaching. End of school concerts and events. The trees and flowers are blooming. Remember how you looked forward to that long summer break? No school! Twelve long weeks of sunshine and fun! And then I became a mother. Suddenly 12 long weeks of summer became more of a challenge. The first couple of weeks are always great, everyone needs a break from the over-scheduled...
Remember contests to see who could stare the longest without blinking or who could hold their breath the longest? Such contests are the stuff of most of our childhoods. Seemingly harmless displays of prowess. Life is never as simple as those carefree childhood contests. When a child is learning to swim, they need to be able to hold their breath for a reasonable amount of time. The ability to...
After learning I work in water safety, a man told me about how he saved a man from drowning in Hawaii. Several families were exploring tide pools on the lava rocks and a wave swept one man into the water, about 4 feet below the rocks. The waves were wild, pounding the victim against the sharp lava as he was tossed in the churning water. Anyone who had jumped in to help him would have ended up...
When you think of a life jacket, that sturdy vest that keeps you afloat, you probably think of large boats. While it is true that you should ALWAYS wear a life jacket when you are on a boat, a life jacket has far more uses for keeping you and your children safer around water. Today we are going to talk about when to wear a lifejacket, what constitutes a real life jacket, and how to convince the...
