When you live in South Louisiana, summer weather typically comes early and stays late, and most of us live somewhere near either man-made or natural bodies of water. Combine the two, and water safety is a must!

According to the Red Cross, more than half of all Americans cannot perform these potentially life-saving tasks:

• tread water or float for a minute
• jump into deep water and come up for air
• spin around in the water and find a way out
• get out of a pool without a ladder
• swim one pool length without stopping

As a result, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), from 2005-2014, there were an average of 3,536 fatal unintentional, non-boating-related drownings annually in the United States, and about one in five were children 14 and younger.

The good news is, it’s never too late for adults to learn to swim, and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently updated its drowning-prevention guidelines to say that kids can now start swimming lessons at one year old.

Where to Learn….

NEW ORLEANS

Ochsner Kids Aquatics (Harahan)

http://www.ochsnerfitness.com/kidsports/kids-aquatics; (504) 733-1600

 

Mr. Fish (Metairie)

http://www.mrfish.biz/; (504) 430-4201

 

NORTHSHORE

Franco’s Health Club & Spa (Mandeville)

https://francosmandeville.com/; (985) 792-0200

 

Northshore Swim (Mandeville)

https://www.northshoreswim.com/’ (985) 626-9456

 

Pelican Athletic Club (Mandeville)

https://thepac.com/; (985) 626-3706

 

 

BOTH SHORES

Red Cross

https://www.redcross.org/take-a-class/swimming/learn-to-swim-providers

 

YMCA (New Orleans & St. Tammany Parish)

https://www.ymcaneworleans.org/