HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, fla — Florida remains ranked fourth in the nation for the number of drowning incidents. It is a concerning number for parents across the Bay Area. As spring break begins and the weather warms up, we looked into ways to keep your kids safe around the water.
The YMCA is offering free swim lessons during the week of March 11th. Children will learn basic water safety skills, which the aquatics director there says can save a life.
Christina Noell Bravi is the aquatics director at the YMCA.
“We do basic water safety skill. They learn how to roll over onto their back. They learn how to get out of the water on their own, to be able to help themselves,” said Christina Noell Bravi, aquatics director at the YMCA.
Certified swim instructors will work with the children. Noell Bravi said the most important skill the kids will learn is how to roll onto their back while in the water.
“Because when you're floating on your back you're able to breathe and somebody can get to you,” Noelle Bravi said.
She said knowing that skill can be a matter of life or death. She also said it is crucial parents keep a close eye on children while they are near water.
The free classes start March 11th, and you can register here.
