Water sports can certainly be fun and exciting. But, we must take precautions while engaging in water activities, as they can be life-threatening or dangerous.

Every year, many accidents happen in pools, lakes, and oceans, and many people lose their lives due to a lack of water safety, emphasizing why learning water safety skills is important.

ISR (Infant Swimming Resource) is the smart choice for water safety. It’s a research-based, professional training program designed to save lives. It lasts for a few minutes, with the instructor giving a one-to-one lesson so that each child is personally trained. This personal approach helps in building a skill gradually without fear.

ISR goes beyond traditional swimming

Traditional swimming lessons teach a child how to move in pools by focusing on strokes, kicks, laps, etc. These are important skills, but they don’t necessarily guarantee the safety of an individual. With ISR swimming lessons, the primary goal is simple: staying alive until help arrives.

ISR swimming teaches the infants the following:

• How to roll on their backs
• Float safety in deep water
• Proper breathing while staying calm
• Self-rescue without assistance

These are not just techniques; they are lifelines. And, mastering these techniques helps a child to live and survive in the water alone. These techniques provide an extra layer of protection while swimming.

Designed for every age

Traditional swimming programs often begin at the age of 3 or 4. But, ISR begins at the age of 6 months. The most remarkable aspect of ISR is its effectiveness with infants and toddlers. The lessons are customized according to the child. A child’s age, size, physical ability, emotional readiness, and health history are kept in mind when designing an ISR swimming lesson.

Why is ISR important for young kids and infants?

According to the WHO, between 236,000 and 300,000 people die every year because of drowning. The highest death rates because of drowning are among young children who are between the ages of 0-4 years. There is also a great risk of accidental drowning around pools and bathtubs, among young kids and infants. ISR lessons teach them instinctive survival responses, helping give families peace of mind.

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Build confidence

Many times safety training can be viewed as stressful and boring, whereas ISR empowers the learner. Instead of feeling fear or being afraid, they learn skills to stay calm and safe in the water.

Each small successful step of ISR swimming training strengthens the self-belief of a child. When a child learns how to breathe and float on their own, they feel more confident and secure. It reduces fear and panic, which are common reasons for drowning.

Children learn what to do in the water, and they start feeling more in control, thus building confidence in themselves. ISR training lessons lay a strong foundation to move further into swimming lessons.

Confidence gained through ISR training is physical as well as emotional. Children learn focus, patience, and resilience. They provide a powerful sense of security to a child.

Lifelong benefits: Is ISR swimming worth the effort?

ISR swimming is absolutely worth it, as it gives lifelong benefits such as:

• Builds strong safety awareness amongst kids
• Teaches how to stay alive in the water
• Builds confidence and reduces fear of water
• Provides foundation for traditional swimming lessons
• Teaches quick response to drowning or water accidents
• Consistent practice improves focus, which can help kids with studies, exams, and future careers
• Improves emotions like empathy, helping a child throughout their life
• It improves balance and body control, and improves motor skills
• Helps lower parents stress level
• Helps with physical development, as it strengthens muscles
• Provides good cardiovascular exercise
• Improves coordination and the reaction time of the body in water
• Teaches children to feel relaxed in pools, lakes, beaches, and oceans

Emerging as the favorite choice around the world

Parents are more aware than ever of how important a child’s safety is. According to the Centers For Disease Control, drowning is the leading cause of accidental deaths among children between the ages of one and four years old, highlighting the importance of water safety education.

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Why is ISR getting the world’s attention?

Parents are looking for an early plan of action for preventing water accidents. ISR focuses on drowning prevention and the safety of a child, and is getting global attention. It provides a structured and research-based approach, along with individually designed swimming lessons for a child. This one-on-one approach allows a child to progress at their own pace and build confidence.

People often think that swimming is only about fun or sport, but ISR swimming is also about the skill of survival and also saving lives. These skills can be used in pools, lakes, rivers, and oceans where an unexpected water accident takes place. Self-rescue provides a critical skill that can last a lifetime. ISR lessons are a lifelong investment in a child’s well-being and future enjoyment of water activities and water sports.

ISR is not just about learning to swim; it is about saving lives.

Surfing is a global phenomenon and one of the most popular watersports. People, both young and old, are riding waves everywhere from Sydney to California. For many, it’s a weekend hobby, and for others, it’s an Olympic sport and a professional career. But, long before its current popularity, it was part of a rich and ancient culture.

So, let’s take a look at surfing’s roots, learn where it all began, and discover who may have been the first to ride a wave!

Surfing’s Origins in Polynesia 

Surfing’s origin story starts in the middle of the Pacific some 1,000 years ago. In places like Hawaii, Samoa, and Tahiti, catching waves was less of a fun pastime and more of a sacred tradition. 

Chiefs and warriors carved massive wooden boards from local species of trees, like koa, wili, and ulu. They’d often compete in front of entire villages in a show of skill, strength, and social status. There were strict customs; boards were crafted ceremoniously, and certain beaches were even reserved for royalty.  

Fast forward to today, and you don’t need royal blood to get on a surfboard. However, you do need some guidance, whether it’s from a friend who already knows how to hang ten or from professionals, like at this surf school in San Diego. 

Who Was the First Known Surfer?

While no one really knows who rode the first wave, surfing has a history rooted in exploration.

Nobody really knows who first stood up on a wave; it was far too long ago to have any accurate records. However, some stories go back centuries. When Captain James Cook arrived in Hawaii in 1778, he and his crew were amazed at the sight of locals riding waves with such speed and control. One of Cook’s officers, Lt. James King, described surfers gliding “with astonishing velocity” on wooden planks. This is the first known written account of the sport we now call surfing. 

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How Surfing Spread to the Western World 

As Westerners colonized Polynesia, traditional surfing was called frivolous, or even sinful, by missionaries. This led to a decline in the sport. By the early 1910s, it began making a comeback thanks to one man, Duke Kahanamoku. He was a Hawaiian swimmer and Olympic gold medalist, and is responsible for the global popularization of surfing. Celebrated as the father of modern surfing, he brought the sport to California and Australia. He gave public demonstrations, built boards, and inspired the first generation of surfers outside the Pacific islands. 

Surfing has come a long way since the early 1900’s, with surfing making its debut in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

However, he wasn’t the first person to surf in the US. Decades earlier, in 1885, three Hawaiian princes held the title as the first people to surf in the continental United States. David Kawānanakoa, Edward Keliʻiahonui, and Jonah Kūhiō Kalanianaʻole surfed the mouth of the San Lorenzo River in Santa Cruz on boards they crafted from local redwood.

Surfing Today 

Surfing looks very different today than it did even 50 or 100 years ago. Boards are lighter and more hydrodynamic, wetsuits are thinner, warmer, and more movable.

From Bali to Brazil and Cape Town to Cornwall, millions of people paddle out each year. It’s even an Olympic sport, making its debut in the Tokyo Olympics in 2020, with plenty of other regional surfing competitions televised around the world. 

Be A Part Of A Oceanic Tradition

Surfing was born from nature, tradition, and skill. So, the next time you paddle out, think about how you’re part of something much bigger than a sport. Riding waves is a significant historical practice that stretches back over 1,000 years and was even captured in ancient cave paintings.

Whether you’re right at home on the waves or just getting started, when you’re out on the water, now you can surf with a newfound respect for how it all began!