Water Safety

October 5, 2023 by Emma Jones

SwimFin can be a valuable tool in a swimming class or pool time.

I think its fair to say teaching can be frustrating at the best of times when working with a wide and varied mix of children who can have certain traits.

SwimFin can be a valuable tool in a swimming class or pool time, especially when dealing with a diverse range of children, including those who are strong-willed or have disabilities such as autism or ADHD.

Here’s how it can help to create a positive and effective learning environment.

Individualized Support

For strong-willed children, SwimFin provides a sense of independence. They can navigate the water at their own pace while still receiving buoyancy and stability support if needed.

They may respond positively to SwimFins engaging design, which can divert their attention from any resistance to learning.

Children with disabilities may benefit from the colours available for example, providing additional support according to their sensory needs and comfort.

Positive Reinforcement

SwimFins presence can be associated with positive experiences for all children.

This can motivate strong-willed children to engage and cooperate with enthusiasm via distraction, and can create a sense of comfort for children with disabilities.

Safety and Comfort

Children with disabilities often require additional support to feel safe, having a reassuring feeling in the water may reduce anxiety.

Strong-willed children may feel more secure knowing they have a reliable and trusted swimming aid and might become more comfortable with the idea of learning in a safe

environment.

Visual and Tactile Learning

SwimFins distinct design offers a visual, tactile and psychological element to learning.

Inclusion and Participation

SwimFin promotes inclusivity by ensuring all children with different learning styles and needs can actively participate in swimming lessons regardless.

Fun and Engagement

SwimFins playful appearance can spike the interest of children, making them more engaging, making swimming lessons more appealing and enjoyable. It can also add an element of fun for

strong-willed children, reducing resistance and the unwillingness to listen and learn.

Empowerment and Achievement

Gradually mastering swimming skills with SwimFins support can empower children. They experience a sense of accomplishment, boosting their confidence and willingness to learn.

By incorporating the SwimFin swimming aid into the swimming class, instructors can create an inclusive and supportive environment where strong-willed and children with disabilities can thrive. Tailoring the use of SwimFin to each child’s needs fosters a positive learning experience that caters to their unique characteristics and enhances their overall swimming skills and water confidence.

August 16, 2023 by Emma Jones

Confirmed – Professor/Coach Robert Strauss

Confirmed –
Renowned, respected aquatic professional, Olympian, author, presenter and International SwimFin Ambassador will be joining us at our booth at the United States Swim School Association conference in October.

March 20, 2018 by Karin Joyce

Planning a Great and Safe Family Holiday

Sun, swimming pools and going to the beach: planning a great and safe family holiday.

A few rays of sunshine have started breaking through the awful winter weather and the adverts have started on TV, so it must be time to start thinking about the summer holiday!

We all have high hopes for our summer holidays whether they are to be spent in the UK or abroad, but every year we read and watch accounts of ‘holidays gone bad’, when something seemingly easy to avoid ruins families’ holidays, sometimes with more serious consequences.

Sadly 50 British citizens drowned on holiday during 2016, with many more having experiences which ruined their holiday or even left them with lifechanging injuries. One of the reasons for this is that, pools and beaches at holiday resorts are often not managed in the same way as your local facilities, including lifeguard services not being provided or lifeguards not being trained to UK standards.

So how can we make sure that we have a dream family holiday and still enjoy all the fun of the pool and beach?

The best advice is to start afresh when you arrive at your holiday venue, making no assumptions about what safety provision may be in place. Take a look around for whatever guidance is provided and set some simple family rules (for children and adults), to make sure that whenever your family is around water everyone knows what to do.

Top 3 Tips

Be your family’s lifeguard

Before you even leave home, try and choose a holiday company that provides lifeguard facilities at their venues. Whether there are lifeguards at your resort or not, you can keep a closer eye on your family than anyone else. Make sure no-one in your family swims alone, and watch everybody like their lives depend on it (because they do).

Keep children safe

As well as keeping children under constant supervision, make sure that they wear their swimming/safety aid all the time, when they are around the water. To stop them wriggling out of it at every opportunity, choose an aid which doesn’t restrict their movement and that they are happy/comfortable wearing in the water and on land (such as a SwimFin).

Swim now, drink later

Don’t mix alcohol and swimming. Alcohol is a factor in 20% of drownings in the UK.

Holiday Pool Safety

This may sound a bit obvious (and dull), but it’s a good idea to follow the pool rules and opening times, and here’s two reasons why:

Firstly, holiday pools often have very shallow areas making jumping and diving in a quick way to end up in the local hospital.

Secondly, whilst an empty moonlit pool may also look perfect for a midnight swim, some holiday pools are chemically treated overnight when they are closed, meaning your new suntan could be peeling off sooner than you thought or even worse.

If you’ve splashed out on a private holiday apartment with a pool or hot tub (lucky you), make sure that pool fences and gates keeping children out are closed after every use, or that apartment doors are kept closed if there is no fence in place (it only takes one mistake to result in a child drowning).

Beach Safety

Playing and swimming in the sea is an essential holiday experience, but even the most tranquil of beaches can catch you out. There are too many things that you may find at different beaches around the world list here, so here’s a few tips on how to keep your family safe:

Swim in a lifeguarded area (often marked with red and yellow flags) and remember to continue being your family’s lifeguard at all times
Look for signs at the entrance to the beach warning of local hazards such as rip currents and information about the tides
Don’t use inflatables if the wind is blowing out to sea

Follow these simple tips and you’re sure to have a fantastic and fun holiday, with lots of fun in the water.

Thank you to Michael Dunn, head of the Royal Life Saving Society UK- RLSS UK, for sharing this valuable article with us. SwimFin is proud to partner with RLSS UK for the second year in a row.

August 10, 2017 by Karin Joyce

SwimFin is a must-have for the Beach

SwimFin is wonderful in the pool but is also a must-have for the beach! Why is SwimFin so perfect for the beach? Here are just a few reasons why:

SwimFin is easy to pack and even easier to put on as soon as you arrive at the beach!
Unlike arm bands or vests/floats, SwimFin doesn’t impede movement as it is securely attached to the back. Children’s arms and legs are free to move, run, jump, splash and twirl without restriction.
SwimFin keeps your child safe in and out of the water and allows for some brilliant beach role play. Land Shark anyone?
SwimFin will allow your child to be safe around rock pools and along the shore in the event that they fall in or the water/tide comes in quickly. We always need to remain vigilant around the water and be aware of tides and dangers but your child will be safe in the water if an emergency arises.
SwimFin comes in 9 brilliant and BRIGHT colours which keeps your child easily visible on busy beaches and in the water.

We’re so pleased to share with you a blog post from Haven, Britain’s favourite caravan holiday parks, that features SwimFin as one of the Top 5 Beach Gadgets You Need to Own. We definitely agree that if you’re heading to the beach in the U.K. or internationally, you need to pick up a SwimFin for your Little Sharks. Pop on over to our SwimFin shop to order your favourite colour today!

We’re off to the beach now! In our bags: sunscreen, bucket & spade, picnic blanket & wind break and, of course, a SwimFin! Stay safe SwimFin fans.

January 23, 2017 by Karin Joyce

SwimFin partners with Royal Life Saving Society- the Drowning Prevention Charity

The UK’s drowning prevention charity and leading provider of water safety and drowning prevention education, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), is proud to announce that they are working with SwimFin as an official Water Safety Partner.

SwimFin, designed by Kevin Moseley, a highly qualified UK swimming coach with over 25 years experience, is the only vertical swimming aid suitable for children aged 2 years and older which assists with both learn-to-swim and stroke improvement training.

RLSS UK has entered into a Water Safety Partnership with SwimFin due to its key design features which promote safety during swimming lessons and play, whilst also speeding up the learning process for children, helping them to become better swimmers more quickly.

Key safety design features include:
1) The Fin supports a vertical body position at rest and a horizontal body position when swimming, helping to develop a better natural swimming position
2) Due to its unique shape, the Fin reduces in buoyancy as the swimmer improves and swims closer to the surface
3) It is suitable for child and adult learners (up to 16 stone)
4) Two high quality Velcro straps securely hold the aid to the swimmers body, so it can’t slip away from the learner
5) The Fin reduces the time it takes a child or adult to learn to swim, helping them to become safer quicker
6) Compliant with international safety standards for toys and buoyancy aids (EN71 & EN13138)

RLSS UK Deputy Director of Education and Research, Mike Dunn said: “We are proud to announce a partnership with SwimFin. Teaching children to swim, either as a parent or a swimming teacher is very rewarding, but it can be difficult when children lack confidence or are scared of dropping their float in the water.

“It’s amazing to see how quickly children lose those concerns and start to have fun when using the SwimFin, and combined with the fact that the children can still control their own body position and use their arms and legs freely it’s no wonder that children learn more quickly using this device.

“The buoyancy rating and the high quality straps are great safety features, but of course no matter how good a buoyancy aid is, it is critical that children are kept under constant supervision when in or near the water. Teaching children to swim is an early and very important step to helping them to be safer around water”.

“We are also looking in to how SwimFin may help older, more confident swimmers to have a go at open water swimming, both as a training aid in the pool and as a visual, buoyancy, and confidence aid when open water swimming”.

RLSS UK and SwimFin’s ambition for this partnership is that it will help more children to learn how to swim and stay safe around the water, and support and encourage more people to try safe water based activities.

SwimFin CEO Kevin Moseley said: “We are delighted to partner with the RLSS UK to promote water safety, not just in the UK, but also around the world. Drowning is preventable. Teaching the dangers of water in the home, the pool or the beach in a fun way will help children pick up the crucial life saving skills that could help therm save lives. Having developed a swimming aid that appeals to children and promotes water safety at its core, I can rest assured SwimFin is already saving lives”.

Visit our website at rlss.org.uk

Visit our Facebook page – www.facebook.com/RLSSUK

Call – 0300 323 0096