How in the world, in a country composed of over 700 islands, can fewer than 20 per cent of the children know how to swim? It’s not as though I’m talking about inhospitable, cold waters but rather the warm, amazingly clear and blue waters of the Bahamas.

Drowning deaths in the Bahamas are the second leading cause of accidental death, with only traffic accidents causing more. The rate of drowning per 100,000 inhabitants is six times greater than in the United States, and an astounding 17 times higher than in the United Kingdom.

The SwimTayka Project is done for this year in Itacaré, Brazil. ETIV-do-Brasil organised a final massive celebration in Ribeira Beach, where more than 80 children had the opportunity to practice the skills they gained during the course. They got to swim in open water with the supervision of our fantastic SwimTayka teachers and volunteers. Everyone had a great time and we are so thankful to SwimTayka for helping them bring this incredible opportunity to the children of Itacaré!

TWENTY young Biminites gained increased confidence in the water and new in-sight into its vital importance during the third annual Swim and Eco Camp hosted by Save The Bays (STB), Waterkeeper Bahamas and international group SwimTayka.

This week we rounded off the SwimTayka programme with a trip to Praia Ribeira! The programme has been both an awful lot of fun, as well as a giant learning curve, for bot children and teachers. There were some 80 kids that signed up, and this number only grew and grew throughout the 2 months, and all participants are now strong and capable swimmers.

I grew up by the water and learned to swim as a young child. As soon as I was old enough to become certified, I became a Lifeguard and Swimming Instructor so that I could pass on my love of the water to as many people as possible. I have always believed that everyone should know how to swim and that death by drowning is preventable! I began a career in aquatics and remain active in it today.

How in the world, in a country comprised of over 700 islands, can fewer than 20 percent of the children know how to swim? It’s not as though I’m talking inhospitable, cold waters but rather the warm, amazingly clear and blue waters of the Bahamas.

The SwimTayka programme launched this month, and it aims to teach children in Brazil here to swim, and also educate them on the water in the environment.

Always sad to see our program come to an end but we are so proud of the team that came together in Bimini to deliver another phenomenal swim and water stewardship camp. Special guest showed up today to meet our little swimmers #BobbyKennedyJr

From October 30 to November 2, 30 teachers from primary and secondary schools in the Quang Dien district of Thua Thien Hue province and 10 trainees from the District Women’s Union participated in a train-the-trainers workshop on drowning prevention and water stewardship.

SwimTayka partnered with ETIV do Brasil this year to offer free swimming lessons and environmental conservation classes to children and youth living in Itacaré, Bahia, Brazil. This was such an incredible experience for the children here, primarily because ETIV is located in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in Itacaré and most of the children here have never had the opportunity to take swimming lessons, and some of the children were even afraid of the water when the programme first started!