A specialised open water swim program, designed at BALC, has captured the attention of a leading international water safety organisation.
BALC has this week welcomed representatives from Water Safety New Zealand, who are in town to document our Simulated Open Water Program.
The Simulated Open Water Program, designed to provide school students the opportunity to experience open water situations within a safe and controlled environment, aims to reduce the incidence of drowning and aquatic related injuries.
Esther Hone, Water Skills for Life Intervention Lead at Water Safety New Zealand said a lack of programming that focuses on open water safety was what lead their organisation to collaborate with BALC.
“Research shows us that a combination of both water safety and swimming skills gives children a greater chance of survival if things go wrong.”
“We had heard about BALC’s program and were keen to come over and get some ideas to be able to take back to New Zealand and empower our teachers. We need to move away from thinking that water safety is just about life jackets and boats.”
Filming of the program, which took place this week with students from Haddon Primary School, will be compiled into a training program and delivered to swim schools across New Zealand.
Drowning is the leading cause of recreational death and the third highest cause of accidental death in New Zealand. There were 90 drowning deaths in 2023, a 11% increase on the 10-year average. Open water accounted for 76% of all drowning locations last year.
Aquatic and Leisure Services Manager, Gerald Dixon said it was exciting see a local program recognised internationally.
“Our Aquatic Programs team were the first to develop an open water program over 20 years ago. While it’s now industry standard across Australia, it’s exciting to see the ideas developed here in Ballarat being recognised on an international stage.”
“Even the most competent swimmers can drown, so it’s critical that we continue giving children the skills and knowledge they need to prepare them for any situation”.
