Water safety skills are essential for everyone, no matter their age or swimming ability. Being able to swim confidently in a pool does not prepare a person for every water scenario, especially in open water environments where conditions can change rapidly and unexpectedly. Learning water safety goes beyond just knowing how to swim; it teaches the skills and awareness needed to stay safe and react effectively in challenging or dangerous situations.
While competent swimmers may feel at ease in water, this can sometimes lead to underestimating the dangers. Water safety education emphasizes understanding the risks posed by natural waterways, such as strong currents, waves, and becoming stranded in the water and prepares swimmers to respond appropriately.
Water Safety Week will take place from Monday 25 November 2024 to Sunday 1 December 2024 at Aquarena. Each class will focus on the water safety criteria for their level, including rescues, survival strokes, discussions about supervision and beach safety, swimming without goggles, swimming in clothes.
The Victorian Water Safety Guide has everything you need to know to keep yourself and your loved ones safe around water—from beaches to pools, rivers, and beyond. Learn, act, and be prepared for any water activity.
Each year, a detailed report on drowning incidents in Victoria reveals the tragic reality of lives lost across all skill levels and age groups, often during recreational activities where the risk may not have been fully recognised. These reports highlight that learning how to respond to a difficult situation could have made a critical difference.
Water Safety Week is an investment in life-saving skills. The knowledge and techniques taught during this time could one day prevent a tragedy—protecting not only those learning but potentially helping them save others as well.
CLICK HERE for more information about the Victorian Drowning Report
