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BOUNTIFUL — More than 900 kids are learning how to swim at the South Davis Recreation Center, which hosts the largest water instruction program in the state.
On Thursday, 136 of them got a free lesson from 28 certified water safety instructors as part of the World's Largest Swimming Lesson, a worldwide effort to increase awareness of the importance of water safety and to prevent drowning.
"We think it is one of those life lessons that all kids should learn," said Lizie Allen, aquatic program manager at the recreation center. "Swim lessons save lives."
Drowning — a quick and silent killer — is the nation's leading cause of unintended, injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4, and the third-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among other ages throughout the rest of the world, including in Utah, according to the Utah Department of Health's Violence and Injury Protection Program and the Utah Safety Council.
More than two-thirds of all drowning deaths occur between May and August, and most often in open bodies of water, including lakes, rivers, pools and streams. Already this year, at least six people, age 1 to 71, have drowned in pools and lakes throughout Utah.
The health department warns that it only takes an inch of water for a young child to drown, which can and does happen when they are unsupervised around kiddie pools, bathtubs, sinks and even toilets.
Methods of prevention, officials say, include constant supervision, installing pool fences and alarm systems or draining water from small pools, swimming with a buddy and teaching children to rescue themselves.
Kids from all over Davis County attend lessons at the Bountiful public recreational facility, one of the largest of its kind, to take part in any one of 20 classes offered every half-hour during the long summer days.
The Clearfield Aquatic and Fitness Center also participated in the world-record-breaking attempt on Thursday to teach as many as possible at the same time around the world, as did swimmers at the SunCrest Community Center in Draper.
Both facilities, as well as many others across the state, offer public and private lessons.
Studies have confirmed that swimming lessons cut a person's risk of drowning by 88 percent, according to the American Red Cross, which also offers swim safety instruction through a smartphone and tablet app, for parental use when other options aren't available.
"It's important that every child has the opportunity to learn to swim," said Clearfield's program supervisor, McKell Christensen.
We think it is one of those life lessons that all kids should learn. Swim lessons save lives.
–Lizie Allen, aquatic program manager
Lesson plans, designated by the worldwide agency, include water safety tips, controlled breathing, floatation and stroke technique for the older kids.
"It's a little bit of everything," Allen said.
Rachael Hamilton takes her family swimming lots of times during the summer. They'll end up at the lake or neighborhood swimming holes and it is mom's top priority that everyone stays safe in the water.
"There have been lots of times when we're playing by the water and I worry about what could happen," Hamilton said. Her 3-year-old twin daughters and 4-year-old son are enrolled in lessons at the rec center and are learning "to be more confident in the water," she said.
"It makes it less stressful for me, too, if I have to be away from them or they're swimming at a friend's house," Hamilton said. "It's good to know that they know how to breathe in the water and are familiar with how to act around it."
"It's important to know how to swim," said Anna Conrado, who only recently enrolled her daughter, Madi, in lessons. They've been swimming a lot, but the 8-year-old has relied mostly on flotation devices to stay safe.
"I want her to learn self-rescue," Conrado said. "I have worried about it a lot. She loves the water and never wants to leave."
Swimming lessons also give kids like Madi an opportunity to meet people from the community and make new friends.
About 55 kids from Miss Billie's Kids Kampus summer camp program also attend lessons at the South Davis Recreation Center and were there for the world record-breaking lesson attempt on Thursday.
"It's a fun thing to do and helps them feel confident in their abilities," said the school's kindergarten teacher and assistant director, Jessica Cameron.
The lesson was offered at more than 600 locations throughout the United States and countries across the globe. Final data on participation and whether a new record was set, will be available in August, according to the World's Largest Swimming Lesson website, wlsl.org.
Bountiful swim instructor Payton Robinson loves to see kids progress to knowing how to swim properly and safely.
"It's fun to see them go from being scared to sticking their faces in and blowing bubbles in the water," she said. "It's important. There's a lot of pools everywhere and we want to make sure they're safe wherever they go."
