From pool to river

Nestled between two fast flowing rivers, with miles of coastline dotted by massive pohutakawa trees is Opotiki, a small town in the Eastern Bay of Plenty.

The town also has a fantastic wharf for everybody in the community to use on the river. The kids spend hours jumping into the river via the ropes, slide or off the wharf and swim out to the pontoon.

Like all play in the water it does have risks.

On a recent teacher, aquatic development session at Opotiki Primary School with Erin from Swimming New Zealand common risks were identified and how to approach these common risks.

The discussion included checking the water depth and looking for people and objects before jumping, other users of the river and what to do if caught out in deep water.

Utilising the Kiwi Swim Safe programme and new Water Skills for Life initiative the teachers and Erin focused on getting in and out safely, submersion, personal buoyancy, orientation in the water with safety of self and others overriding all these skills.

These skills were discussed in the classroom, in the school pool and at the river.

After assisting the teachers for a day at the river and the pool Erin said “it was great to see and hear that the students knew the basics of water safety skills, it was awesome to challenge them all throughout the day and continue their aquatic learning”.