The Northland Swim For Life Team have started delivering the Northland Swim For Life Programme in schools who have opened their swimming pools this past term.  One such school is Kamo Primary who have had instructor Gail McGunnigle-Farr deliver dryland sessions (based around keeping yourself safe and understanding the environment and dangers), followed by physical delivery in the pool to learn the safety skills (backing up what was discussed in class).

“This has been timely as very recently two boys from the school got caught in currents at different beaches (one at Parua Bay and the other at Pataua).  When discussing this in class, both talked about how they rolled over and floated with the current and used their sculling to keep themselves afloat like they had been practicing. One was able to get himself to the side and free himself, and the other remained floating until his uncle came and helped him get ashore” says McGunnigle-Farr.

“It’s important to understand the environment and conditions around you before you enter the water, and equally important is to be able to know what to in an emergency situation as they can happen in a split second” says Louise Collings, WaterSafe Lead at Sport Northland.

Collings goes on to say “learning how to keep calm and float is just one of the skills the programme teaches.  It’s fantastic to receive feedback from students and instructors demonstrating that our key messages are being retained and helping to keep tamarki safer in, on and around water”.