Little River students test out deeper water

Senior students of Little River School in Canterbury have recently put their water skills to practice in the deep water.

Little River has a great school pool and aquatic education programme but Principal Christian Couper realised that while the student’s confidence was great in the water here there was a need for the students to have exposure in deeper water.

Being based in the Banks Peninsula many students have the opportunity to go fishing, boating and swimming in nearby waters so to be able to give them a chance to learn skills in deeper water the school’s senior students took a trip to the Akaroa Pool.

Aligning to the new Water Safety initiative “Water Skills for Life” Swimming New Zealand Education Operations Manager Tracey Hickman joined the group on their trip and assisted Christian in introducing these skills to the students and assessed their competency in deeper water.

One of the first skills Tracey took the group through was water safety and awareness. Although the students were very excited to get in the water the session started with a risk assessment of their surroundings. Potential hazards were identified and ways they could be minimised to enable safer enjoyment for the community.

Other activities included submersion getting under the water with no goggles, personal buoyancy and safety of self and others and orientation in the water (horizontal rotation and vertical rotation).

The final activity of the day was to attempt swimming five minutes non-stop confidently and competently.  While many students were confident in their swimming ability by around the 3-minute mark breaststroke and sculling on their back was the chosen method by all.

For more information and supporting videos of competency on the Water Skills for Life click here. For teacher PD and poolside support please contact your nearest Swimming New Zealand Education Advisor click here.