WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) – School is out for summer, and plenty of kids will be hitting the pool soon, but swim instructors are urging parents to remember that safety should always come first.
According to the American Red Cross, drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1-4. The Red Cross reports that children younger than 1 year old are more likely to drown at home, and for children younger than 5, 87% of drowning fatalities happen in home pools or hot tubs.
Bobby Guntoro is the founder of Wilmington Swim Academy and the Head Coach for the University of North Carolina Wilmington (UNCW) Swim and Dive Team. He says if possible, parents or caregivers should enroll children in swim lessons at an early age.
“It is nerve-wrecking for kids to learn how to swim. The one thing I love to see is when parents see the kids on the first day, and then they see the progress that the kids make,” said Guntoro when speaking about beginning swim lessons.
Guntoro says that lessons and pool exposure should be consistent, if possible, and not just during the summer months.
He noted that when a child knows how to swim, parents can have more peace of mind. He says his passion for swimming stemmed from growing up by the water in Indonesia and continued when he arrived at UNCW.
“We are in a water community,” said Guntoro, “But water is also dangerous, when I founded Wilmington Swim Academy, we had to focus on water safety,” he added.
He encourages parents to try making sure their child is comfortable in the water. Parents can visit public pools and play in the water with their child to help build confidence.
“The water safety feature for every kid to be safe in the water is for them to be able to float on their back. When they are able to float on their back, they are safe because they can breathe,” said Guntoro.
He also says parents can work with children on swimming to the edge of the pool in case of an accident.
Information on Wilmington Swim Academy can be found here.
Austin Moore, a Swim Specialist with the Nir Family YMCA, says parents should ensure they are confident in the water and have the needed skills to keep their children safe. More information about swim lessons at the YMCA can be found here.
The Red Cross offers free online water safety courses; that information can be found here. Information on free swim lessons in Wilmington can be found here.
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