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Water safety expert worries lack of access to swimming lessons could lead to more drownings
As the pandemic has made many swimming lessons difficult to access, a woman who teaches newcomers to swim says she’s worried that too many people are in and around water this summer with little to no training.Rishona Hyman, who runs the Ready, Set, Swim program, said she is worried about the lack of access to…
As the pandemic has made many swimming lessons difficult to access, a woman who teaches newcomers to swim says she’s worried that too many people are in and around water this summer with little to no training.
As the pandemic has made many swimming lessons difficult to access, a woman who teaches newcomers to swim says she's worried that too many people are in and around water this summer with little to no training.
Rishona Hyman, who runs Aqua Essence Swim Academy here in Winnipeg, usually spends the spring teaching kids and their families about water safety and how to swim.
But the COVID-19 pandemic meant she's only been able to start teaching lessons recently, and still can't run her Ready, Set, Swim program, which offers free swimming lessons to newcomers and others who can't afford lessons.
Now she worries what that means for people's safety, especially for newcomers who may have no experience on the water.
“We can't expect that people that haven't been born here, are not part of our culture, know how to swim,” she said.
“We can't expect that, and we have to help them, we have to teach them how to be safe in and around water.”
Too often people assume that kids can swim or that they'll be fine with a few lessons, but that's often not the case, Hyman said.
“My worry that you asked about is that people that are going to the beaches and lakes aren't within arm's reach and they themselves are not strong swimmers,” she said.
Organizing lessons this summer has been challenging, even with COVID-19 restrictions easing, she said. Her business has been using private pools and hotels, but it's been hard to keep up with the demand, she said.
Recent drownings
In recent weeks, there have been several drownings in Manitoba and northwestern Ontario.
Nine-year-old Darius Bezecki died after ending up in the Red River earlier this month, while well-loved Kurdish community leader Nour Ali drowned after his boat capsized in June. The accident also killed his father, Hamsa Ali.
This Sunday, a 21-year-old man drowned after he jumped into a quarry near the Great Falls Dam, RCMP said.
Dr. Christopher Love, Water Smart® and safety management coordinator for Livesaving Society Manitoba, said they, too, are worried about the lack of access to swimming lessons this year, and whether it could lead to an increase in drownings.
For those parents who are still trying to get their kids into lessons, it's going to be tough, he said.
“Because of the physical distance and guidelines that are still in place for the province, that does put restrictions on what can happen,” he said.
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