Mother and father urged to think about a second dose of swimming classes earlier than highschool | Royal Life Saving Society

Published 30 October 2025

New analysis exhibits that the danger of drowning rises sharply for youngsters, surging 1300% or 13 occasions (13x), between the ages of 10 and 20 years.

Royal Life Saving Australia is urging dad and mom to enrol their 8, 9 and 10-year-olds in swimming and water security classes, warning that too many kids miss out on the very important expertise that hold them secure, as youngsters and younger adults, when drowning danger will increase thirteen-fold.

Worryingly, new knowledge exhibits that drowning in 15–20-year-olds has elevated by 34% within the 5 years since 2021 (COVID-19 pandemic), in comparison with the 5 years prior.

Royal Life Saving estimates that over 10 million swimming classes have been missed because of the pandemic. Five years on, a lot of these kids are youngsters, who can’t swim however are more likely to be uncovered to drowning in rivers and seashores, the place sturdy swimming expertise are necessary.

Royal Life Saving Chief Executive Officer Dr Justin Scarr mentioned “The decline in swimming skills in children is a key factor driving elevated drowning in teenagers and young adults, where unsupervised swimming at rivers and beaches, risk taking with friends, and falls from rocks or jetty’s, mean poor swimming skills can have life threatening consequences.

Research shows 60% of kids start lessons before age 3, but most have dropped out before age 7.

More than half of 10-year-olds and 40% of 15-year-olds can’t swim 50 metres, and most of those may never swim, placing them at life-long elevated risk of drowning.

Royal Life Saving is reminding parents that learning to swim as a young child is a great start – but it’s often not enough to keep them safe as teenagers or last a lifetime.

“If your children quit lessons before 7, a second dose of swimming at age 10 or before could be a lifesaving decision. Whether to build confident swimmers, encourage them into water sports or recreational activities, and to prevent drowning later in life, swimming is for life, and no child should miss out,” Dr Scarr mentioned.

To assist dad and mom assess their kids at age of 10, earlier than drowning danger elevates, Royal Life Saving is offering the next guidelines:

• Can your 10-year-old swim 50 metres and float for 2 minutes?
• If they fell from a ship or slipped off rocks, may they float and/or swim 50-100m to security?
• If peer strain meant they jumped from a jetty or rocks, may they swim to security?
• If they have been caught in a river present, would they know what to do to assist them survive?

If the reply is not any, or they aren’t certain, then Royal Life Saving is encouraging dad and mom to:

• Contact your nearest swim faculty and contemplate enrolling in classes or trip program
• Spend extra time on the native swimming pool over summer time to spice up their expertise

Other choices for youngsters are to think about becoming a member of a swimming or lifesaving membership, doing a bronze medallion or making an attempt any of the swimming-based sports activities like water polo or studying to surf.

View the Research Snapshot – State of drowning amongst younger folks aged 10 -20 years and the function of swimming expertise

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About Royal Life Saving Australia www.royallifesaving.com.auRoyal Life Saving Australia is devoted to bringing folks collectively to remove drowning and empower communities to be secure round water. The organisation is dedicated to making sure no little one or grownup misses out on having the ability to swim and survive and championing entry to secure locations to swim, for all folks, no matter postcode or background.

National Swimming and Water Safety Framework

The National Swimming and Water Safety Framework offers a nationally recognised, structured and constant strategy to swimming and water security schooling, setting minimal benchmarks for youngsters at ages 6, 12 and 17. While these are the essential expertise kids want, exceeding them can increase their confidence, competency and total security within the water.

Swim and Survive Program

Royal Life Saving Australia’s Swim and Survive program has been a cornerstone of water security schooling for over 40 years. Aligned with the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework, it equips kids with important swimming, survival and lifesaving expertise. There are greater than 400 Swim and Survive program suppliers all through Australia. For extra details about this system, go to Swim and Survive. To discover the closest supplier in your state or territory, use the net Swim and Survive Locator Map.