Dash praised for water safety programme

Dash Swim School’s innovative “Swim to Survive” programme is winning praise nationally and will be showcased at a special industry event next month. The Porirua City Council swim school, based at Cannons Creek Pool, incorporates survival skills with its learn to swim programme and has developed fun ways to teach children how to survive the very real dangers they might encounter in the water. “Our aim is to rst teach your child to survive, then we will teach them how to swim ... other schools just teach them to swim,” says Dash Swim School Coordinator Philip Waggott.

The programme is believed to be a New Zealand rst and will be showcased to key in uential people, such as city leaders and those in the education, water safety and child safety industries, at a special event on October 22. The team at Dash Swim School use highpressure hoses to simulate strong currents in the water and big buckets to show what it’s like to sit in a sinking boat. The children are also offered a selection of items to grab, so they can see for themselves what will help keep them a oat – and what won’t. “We want the kids to understand what it feels like to actually be caught in a rip, or how to behave if they fall into a river, or what to do if they can’t see the bottom. But we do it in a safe environment.” If you would like more information on

how we teach your child to survive then please call us on (04) 237 1518 or email info@dashswimschool.co.nz