RIVERVIEW, Fla. — A Riverview swim instructor is teaching children life-saving skills and techniques to use in the pool or around other bodies of water.
Kari Bahour is a swim instructor with Watch Me Swim. She is also president and founder of the Water Smart Tots Foundation.
She teaches anywhere from 40 to 50 children every single day.
"Water safety is important for everybody. It does not discriminate. Drowning is swift and it's silent. It's really important families skill their children with self-rescue lessons," said Bahour.
Elliot Humphrey took his four-year-old daughter to swim lessons on Friday. She has successfully learned to swim.
"So proud and just so amazed. This is only six weeks long yet they take them from zero swimming skills to being able to float on their own, swim to a designated point and have that survival in the case of falling in the water," said Humphrey.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported drowning deaths have increased after decades of decline.
A new CDC Vital Signs study was released on Friday, May 17. More than 4,500 people died due to drowning each year from 2020-2022 which is 500 more deaths per year compared to 2019.
The report explores how increased access to basic swimming and water safety skills training can save lives.
The CDC stated groups already at a higher risk saw the greatest increases in drowning deaths: children 1-4 years old and adults 65 years and older of all races and ethnicities, as well as Black people of all ages.
The CDC stated drowning remains the number one cause of death for children 1-4 years old in the United States. Almost 50 million adults (15.4%) in the United States do not know how to swim and over half (54.7%) have never taken a swimming lesson.
The CDC noted swimming lessons may be too expensive or not available in some communities, some may fear water, or others may feel uncomfortable wearing traditional swimwear.
Disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic, including limited access to supervised swimming settings, might have affected drowning rates and risk, according to the CDC.
"I also think since the pandemic, we've had a lot of families move to Florida and are probably just not aware of those dangers and how quick and silent drowning can happen to anybody," said Bahour.
Dr. Sara Kirby, Medical Director at AdventHealth Tampa Pediatric Emergency Department, has treated patients as a result of drowning.
"Number one is to always have an adult present at the pool when children are playing near or by or in the pool. It only takes a few seconds for something to happen and for someone to start to struggle," she said.
At AdventHealth Tampa, staff has handed out nearly 400 lanyards to families across the community and at the emergency room. The lanyard comes with a whistle and is designed to designate an adult who will supervise children at a pool.
"It’s a physical reminder that you’re the adult in charge and supervising children in and around the pool and it can be handed physically to the next person if they’re taking a break," said Dr. Kirby.
To read the CDC study click here.
For more information from AdventHealth Tampa and how to protect children from drownings click here.
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