With May designated as Water Safety Awareness Month, local experts are emphasizing the critical importance of swim education. According to Lindsey Clavier, Lessons Director at Crawfish Aquatics, learning to swim could mean the difference between life and death.
“Swimming is definitely a life-saving skill,” Clavier said. “You always want to take lessons before you need lessons, and you always want your kids to know how to swim because if they find themselves in a scary situation or an accident happens, it’s gonna be because you were not there.”
Clavier stressed that drowning can occur more easily and quietly than many people realize. She noted that a common misconception is that drowning involves dramatic splashing or shouting.
“Drowning is a silent thing,” she explained. “People always think it’s going to be like in the movies where it’s splashing, a lot of flailing around, but a lot of the time it’s as quick as somebody just slipping under the water and you don’t see them come back up.”
In addition to swimming lessons, Clavier underscored the importance of using proper flotation devices for non-swimmers and maintaining close supervision of children in the water.
“There are people that are like, ‘Oh so-and-so is outside with the kids, they’re watching them,’ and so-and-so is outside on their phone,” she said. “You really wanna try to designate a water watcher—somebody that their only purpose is to stand there and watch the pool.”
Crawfish Aquatics offers swim lessons for a wide range of ages, starting as early as six months old. Clavier emphasized that no one is ever completely “water safe,” but basic water safety knowledge can significantly reduce risks.
“No one is ever 100% water safe,” she said. “But if you have basic knowledge of how to save yourself or how to save someone from the deck—where you don’t have to get in to save people—you can reach, you can throw. It’s better for everyone.”
For more information about swim safety classes and enrollment, visit Crawfish Aquatics’ website here.
