The initiative came about after several stories emerged involving children drowning a metre or two from safety. They would not have needed to swim 50 metres to survive; they would only have needed to know how to move as little as five metres through the water to get to safety.
Our squads, made up of full time professional instructors and volunteers who want to share their joy of swimming with children, visit public swimming pools to teach the basics of survival swimming:
During one of our pilot programme sessions, it took just one two-hour lesson, for four instructors to assess and upskill 55 children.
These lessons are offered free of charge and are organised with the kind permission of facilities’ officers and by appointment.
If you are a strong swimmer, you can become a Survival Swimming instructor and teach life-saving skills.
The NSRI has three core Drowning Prevention programmes – Water Safety Education, Pink Rescue Buoys and Survival Swimming – and offers a range of free resources and educational materials.
“What drives me is knowing the Survival Swimming skills we teach, not only can save a life one day but will also change the lives of generations to come.’’
The benefits of learning how to swim are endless and the benefits extend beyond the pool environment. This important lifesaving skill creates a sense of self-security, especially for children. Situated on the South Coast of KwaZulu Natal Duduzile Secondary School recently received a Survival Swimming Centre (SSC) from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI). This is according to Andrew Ingram, NSRI’s Drowning Prevention Manager who is excited that the NSRI Survival Swimming Instructors started teaching the first children, and teachers, the basic principles of surviving a sudden immersion in water. “These lessons are how to control your breathing, how to orientate yourself in the water, how to float, and how to move at least 5 meters in the water,” states Ingram.
John Dory’s together with the NSRI are proud to announce their collaboration on a Survival Swimming programme for primary school students at Addington Primary School.
Primary school English and Social Science teacher Sanelisiwe Madukwana tells us the story of her heart-breaking loss and how learning survival swimming has helped her and her family heal.
On 19 October this year, the International Maritime Rescue Federation, a body dedicated to uniting and recognising search and rescue organisations around the globe, chose the NSRI’s Survival Swimming Centre to receive first place in the Innovation & Technology category of its annual awards.
All children deserve to be taught basic water safety skills: this is the goal of the NSRI’s free pop-up Survival Swimming lessons, happening at certain pools near you.
The National Sea Rescue Institute’s (NSRI) Survival Swimming lessons have returned to the Sea Point Pavilion Municipal Swimming Pool after an extended winter break.
