A Warrnambool swim school owner has backed a draft Victorian Water Safety Strategy that warns drownings and water-related injuries in Victoria will increase in the next four years following COVID-19 pool closures.
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Jayson Lamb said the pandemic's effect on the lifesaving skill could not be underestimated, raising his concerns with Swimming Australia a couple of months ago.
He said it was particularly concerning if skills weren't up to scratch months out from the summer season, when residents and tourists would be visiting beaches and pools.
Lamb said Swimming Australia, Lifesaving Australia and other governing bodies lobbied state and federal governments to make swimming lessons an essential service that could continue during lockdowns, but it was unsuccessful.
Lamb said his swim schools taught 300 lessons a week and participants' skills had declined, due to the stop-start nature of lockdowns and extended breaks between lessons. He urged parents to register for lessons with any of the region's swim schools to build familiarity.
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In 2018-19, Victoria reported the highest drowning toll in 20 years, with 56 reported fatal drowning incidents, an increase of 17 deaths compared to the 10-year average. In 2020-21 there was "a significant drowning toll" with 61 reported fatal drowning incidents.
"Last summer's stats showed an increase in drownings among 20 to 40-year-old males," Lamb said.
"People may say 'that's not kids' but it shows the importance of learning the skill early in your life.
"Like anything you need to have that continuity and you don't want people dropping off because they're sick of that stop-start, stop-start.
"Once they're back, it takes them a good couple of weeks to get back to where they were," Lamb said.
The strategy, which is due for release in December, found across the state more than five million lessons were missed across the state, as lockdowns created a six-to-12-month period where swimming lessons weren't taught as pools were closed.
Warrnambool Surf Lifesaving Club's director of lifesaving Matt Hardiman said it had been a challenging time. "With lockdowns people haven't been able to go to swimming lessons, so kids' abilities have dropped off and beach awareness programs haven't been able to run," Hardiman said.
"There's been a couple of age groups that have been missed, that are now getting the confidence to go in the water but don't have the knowledge or the skillset to understand beach safety."
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