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/