On June 25, the Prevent Drowning Foundation of San Diego joined swimmers around the world for the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson, bringing the global water safety event to the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pool in San Diego.
Together with our water safety partners, the City of San Diego and IPSSA, the day brought together children, families, lifeguards, community leaders and water safety advocates around one important message: swimming is a life-saving skill.
Participants took part in a swim lesson while learning important skills to help them be safer and more confident in and around the water.
Introducing Our Water Watcher Tags
The event also marked the launch of PDFSD’s new Water Watcher Tags, created to help families better understand the importance of active supervision around water.
The message is simple:
Everyone Has a Role. KNOW Yours.
Keeping children safe around water requires more than simply having adults nearby. Parents and caregivers, designated Water Watchers and lifeguards each have an important—and different—role.
For young or inexperienced swimmers, the safest place for a parent or caregiver is in the water with their child, providing close, attentive supervision. A designated Water Watcher adds another layer of protection by providing active, distraction-free supervision of the water and rotating responsibility with another adult as needed.
Lifeguards provide an important layer of protection at pools and beaches, but they are responsible for watching many people at once. Parents and caregivers remain responsible for closely supervising their children, even when a lifeguard is present.
The new Water Watcher Tags provide families with a visible reminder of who is responsible for actively watching the water at that moment—and reinforce the importance of knowing your role whenever children are in or around water.
Sharing Water Safety Across San Diego
Following their launch, Water Watcher Tags are being shared with families throughout San Diego. Tags are available at City of San Diego pools, through participating IPSSA pool service providers, and online for families to download and print.
Families can download their own Water Watcher Tag and find additional water safety resources at SDSwimSafer.org.
The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson was a fitting place to introduce this new resource—bringing together two important parts of drowning prevention: learning to swim and active supervision.
Thank you to our water safety partners, the City of San Diego and IPSSA, and to everyone who joined us for this special day and continues to help share important water safety information throughout our community.
Everyone Has a Role. KNOW Yours.
