09/10/2026
DOES YOUR CHILD NEED TO BE A “GOOD SWIMMER” TO BE SAFE AROUND WATER?
We often think of swimming ability as:
“Can my child swim a length of the pool?”
But water safety is about much more than swimming a long distance.
A child may be able to swim confidently in a lesson but still need to develop skills such as:
💦 Staying calm in unexpected situations
💦 Floating
💦 Controlling their breathing
💦 Changing direction
💦 Getting to the side of the pool
💦 Knowing how to safely exit the water
The NSRI’s Survival Swimming programme, for example, focuses on skills such as breath control, orientation, floating and being able to propel oneself to safety. The programme was developed around the reality that a child may only need to move a few metres to reach safety.
South Africa still records a significant number of drowning deaths each year, with children under 14 accounting for around 29% of fatal drownings according to the NSRI.
So perhaps the better question isn’t:
“Can my child swim?”
but:
“What would my child do if they unexpectedly ended up in the water?”
💬 We’d love to hear from parents:
What water-safety skill do you think every child should learn first?
Swimming lessons are an important part of water safety, but children should always be actively supervised around water.
