Did you know we are putting together a number of teams to swim the English Channel as a relay for SwimTayka?

See what other Channel Relay swimmers have to say about it!

Crossing by night. the moon underlines the dark breathing and swelling masses. We swam with luminescent sparkles. A night was magnifying perceptions while at the same time losing the sense of space and time.

For anyone who lives in a country like the UK or US, becoming a swimming teacher is pretty straightforward. If you have the time and a relatively small amount of money you can find a whole number of courses to become qualified. In places such as Zanzibar however it’s a completely different scenario. It is hard enough to learn how to swim there, let alone be in a position to teach.

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!

Along with Save the Bay, SwimTayka are providing a valuable working partnership to educate the children of the Bahamas in swimming and environmental, he is what Rashema Ingraham, Executive Director of Waterkeepers Bahamas has to say:

Victoria Dolceamore, of Margate, attempted to swim the English Channel last week as part of a relay team, but they did not make it to France because one of the swimmers had a stroke as a result of a seizure while swimming.

Our English Channel Relay team making the attempt on Friday 3rd August, unfortunately had to be aborted.

One of SwimTayka supporters, Becky Horsburgh  travels from London to Bangladesh to teach the children to swim, here is an article that Becky has written that featured in Curiosity Magazine

THE children of Bimini can now enjoy the stunning marine environment that surrounds them with increased safety and confidence thanks to a groundbreaking partnership led by Save The Bays.

The environmental advocacy group partnered with SwimTayka and Waterkeepers Bahamas to offer free swim and lifeguard training to young Biminites, who responded enthusiastically and in considerable numbers to the opportunity to increase their self-assurance in and around the water.

We confirmed a June project in Bimini, the Bahamas with Save the Bays, to be led by our new SwimTayka-USA board member Nathalie Vallieres Martin. Hooray Nathalie and Rasheema!

Why not join us and make a difference, contact us directly if you are interested.  info@swimtayka.org

We completed our first Oregon USA mini-project with the Human Access Project and SUN schools, providing an after-school workshop on water safety and water stewardship.