New Plymouth students set for a water safe summer

Students from New Plymouth’s Highlands Intermediate School are set for summer with plenty of water safety skills and knowledge.

Swimming New Zealand Education Advisor Cecilie Elliot spent three days at the school visiting each of the year eight classrooms covering water safety skills in a variety of aquatic environments.

Discussing how to keep themselves safe at the beach Cecilie used real life situations of people who have found themselves in difficulty at the beach, what to do and how to survive, plus the importance of never swimming alone. They also talked about understanding different types of waves, rips and what to do if caught in a rip.

Moving to river safety students acted out scenarios where they were swept away with fellow students using sticks as a rigid aid to help rescue them. Students also learned how important it was to look after themselves first and foremost by calling for help or ringing 111.

Another important lesson for students was on wearing life jackets. Cecilie taught students how to fit them properly, how to go into the HELP position, form a huddle and how to survive if something went wrong when on a boat.

To reinforce what that had learned at the end of the lesson students broke off into groups where they were given a scenario and had to brainstorm their survival strategy and what they would do.

Two weeks later Cecilie returned to the school where students were able to really put into practise what they had learned by getting in the pool and using life jackets, getting in to the HELP position and moving together in a huddle. They also practised sculling on their front head first, then their back feet first, as well as survival backstroke and treading water.

The year 7 students were also able to practice these water survival activities in the pool, using the lifejackets and mock rescues.

Cecilie’s messages on the importance of keeping safe in the water and how to do it were particularly timely with the upcoming holiday period.  She emphasised that too many people have drowned over the past year, and that they needed to develop swimming and survival skills to ensure that they can enjoy the water safely, no matter what the aquatic environment.