River survival skills at Fun Cats
16 children and adults enjoyed some fun on the Swan River at South Perth last week while learning skills that could one day save their life or assist them in saving someone else! Royal Life Saving
Society WA’s latest Swim and Survive on the Swan program was held at Fun Cats Watersports from Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th January 2017, with participants ranging from children to adults, including a dad who attended with his two daughters.
Inland waterways continue to be a leading location for drowning deaths in Australia, with 1000 people losing their lives in Australia’s river since 2002, accounting for a quarter of all drowning deaths. Children are often taught survival skills in enclosed pool environments, which gives them a great basis for acting in an emergency, however learning these skills first hand in inland waterways provides them with that extra necessary knowledge and confidence they need to respond when enjoying less controlled, more dynamic water environments.
The use of Fun Cats Watersports as a venue for the program was very beneficial, with staff providing additional advice on water safety, weather conditions and river conditions, while participants were also able to use the boards and kayaks from Fun Cats to practice rescues on the final day of the program.
Participants were also lucky enough to have Linley Brown and Joselyn Juraszek from the Department of Parks and Wildlife’s Dolphin Watch attend the second day of the program, sharing some invaluable knowledge about the Indopacific Bottlenose dolphins that frequent the Swan River. Participants learnt how to distinguish dolphins from sharks, how to ensure the ongoing health of the animals in the Swan River and had the opportunity to use binoculars to search the Swan for dolphins themselves!
This extra input from Fun Cats and Dolphin Watch made the program all the more fun and informative for participants, and we appreciate these organisations’ partnership in helping us to teach these vital survival skills on Perth’s iconic Swan River.
Swim and Survive on the Swan has been such a popular program this summer that all our remaining courses are currently full, but we’d love to partner with more clubs and organisations who are keen to assist us in ensuring young West Australians have an opportunity to learn these vital swimming and water safety skills to enable them to safely enjoy aquatic pursuits in our inland waterways.
To find out more about how you can partner with us in the program please complete the form at the link below.
