OC Kids Set For 'World's Largest Swimming Lesson'
SANTA ANA (CBS) — An Orange County swim school will join the effort to make history at what is being billed as the world's largest swimming lesson.
More than 100 children will be splashing in the water at Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin on Tuesday, along with an estimated 30,000 other swimmers across six continents and 20 countries, including Mexico, Dubai, and South Korea.
Johnny Johnson, owner of Blue Buoy Swim School, told KNX 1070 that it's important to get children in the water at a young age — even if they can't sit up yet.
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"We have children starting as young as 4 months," said Johnson. "It's not so much that they learn to swim as an infant, but you begin learning the foundation skills that build progressively that can lead to a safer child in the water."
Johnson said the process of learning to swim is very similar to how young toddlers first learn to walk.
"They really begin learning to walk as soon as they're born...they begin understanding the forces acting on their body and it's a progression, leading up to the ability to move independently," said Johnson.
The swim class will be taught by Olympic gold medalists Rowdy Gaines and Janet Evans in an effort to raise global awareness of drowning, which is the second-leading cause of death for children.
For more info on participating, visit the event's official website.
