Safe to swim

VICSWIM is helping children increase their confidence at the beach.
With the aim of keeping children safe in the ocean, the program teaches children how to be calm in a dangerous situation and how to read the current.
The program has been running at Anderson Inlet, Inverloch, since the start of January. The program will end at the end of this week.
In that time, children who had little confidence at the beach at the beginning of the program have developed the ability to swim out to buoys and sand bars with direction from their instructors.
“We live in a coastal community, and it is important that children develop these skills to ensure they are safe at the beach,” VICSWIM instructor Phoebe Finlay said.
“As teenagers, they may want to hang out at the beach with their friends, and this program aims to make sure they feel completely safe. There have been too many drownings in the area, so these skills need to be taught.”
The Inlet has a strong current, giving VICSWIM instructors the opportunity to talk to children about the conditions and how currents are similar to rips.
“We teach them not to panic, and not to swim against the current and tire themselves out. We have a lot of fun as well, and the children love it,” Phoebe said.
“There’s been a lot of good development this year. Some of the children were quite timid to start off with because they are used to swimming in pools. Even in the first week they were doing things on Friday that they never would have attempted on Monday, like swimming out into deep water.”
The program also had children running through scenarios, like what would happen if they ran into trouble on a boat.
In preparedness, the children practice putting on life jackets – which they wear for the entirety of the program – and how to stay warm when entering the cold ocean.
Phoebe said parents had been surprised and happy about the benefits of VICSWIM. Parents were offered the opportunity to join in the program, especially to support the younger swimmers.
“It’s all about survival and developing confidence. These skills will mean they can just go out and have fun at the beach, but know how to deal with any incidents that may happen,” she said.
VICSWIM still run programs in pools in local locations like Korumburra, Mirboo North and Phillip Island.
The program will return next year, with registrations opening around October.

New skills: from left, swimmers Adrian Abreu, Riley Collins, Ebony Collins and Amalia Loughran learned how to stay safe at the beach after participating in the VICSWIM holiday program with instructor Phoebe Finlay.

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Posted by Sarah Vella on Jan 16 2018. Filed under Sport. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry