On Saturday, just passed midnight, at about 1am, the ladies were heading for home after an evening out. Unfortunately, they got lost and ended up at Lake Ray Hubbard. The incident happened when the driver was talking to her dad over the phone. Their car ended up driving down a boat ramp and into the lake. One of them even mentioned that she thought she was going to die.

http://www.tuoitrenews.vn/cmlink/tuoitrenews/society/two-vietnamese-women-escape-drowning-in-texas-1.59950

Thankfully, Kevin Rowan was doing his patrol and managed to spot the car’s brake lights above the water. Immediately, he swum out to the vehicle and break the rear window in order to get them out. He recalled them screaming for help and telling him that they can’t swim. Luckily, Kevin managed to get them out from the car, held onto them and swim back safely to shore. If it wasn’t for him, even if they managed to get out of the car, they might not even be able to make it back safely to shore.

The main reason is because they are unable to swim. Can you imagine if Kevin wasn’t there at that point of time? It would have been another case of a tragic drowning. However, if they were able to swim and managed to get out of the car, they might still be able to swim back safely to shore. This explains how useful and crucial it is to have swimming skills. Somehow, Kevin was able to gather enough strength to get both of them back to shore safely in one trip. If he had to make two trips, one of them might not even be still alive.

This also shows that lifesaving skills can be helpful and potentially help to save others. The truth is that it isn’t an easy task to save someone from drowning and getting him/her back to shore safely, let alone save two people. Without the proper knowledge and technique, you might end up endangering their lives instead. Imagine what could have happened if Kevin didn’t have the necessary skills? He could end up in trouble himself as well.

With this, Happy Fish Swim School would like everyone to understand the importance of swimming and lifesaving. Always be prepared by arming yourself with swimming knowledge and skills. You will never know when they can come in handy for yourself or towards others.

http://www.friars.co.nz/accommodation.php?region=BayOfPlenty

As we all know, drowning can occurred for various reasons and without any warning. Eight of the drownings in the Bay of Plenty occurred during water activities such as power boating, rowing, free diving, boogie boarding or swimming. As for the remaining four incidents, they happened due to either accidental immersions or motor vehicle accidents.

Compared to a record low in 2010, the increase in 2011 of such magnitude was extremely disappointing according to the WSNZ chief executive. Last year alone, there were 66 drownings due to water activities, 24 occupational drownings and 30 due to other causes such as suicides, homicide and vehicle crashes. Of all these drownings, 80 per cent of them were men. There were also 14 cases of drowning for children under the age of five as well.

There’s always a saying that goes, prevention is better than cure. To prevent drownings from occurring, always remember the safety basics. These includes wearing life jackets, checking the weather forecast, staying within your limits, not swimming alone and avoiding alcohol.

For this year, it hasn’t really started on a good note for New Zealand. Up till today, there are already 15 drowning cases. Out of these 15 cases, a number of the them were swept out to sea. They range from 15 to 44 years old. This goes to show that drowning can happen to anyone. Even if you’re a good swimmer, it doesn’t necessarily mean that you will be able to escape from drowning as it can occur when you least expect it to.

http://www.bayofplentytimes.co.nz/news/2011-worst-drowning-toll-in-eight-years/1253369/

If you want to learn more about advance swimming programs, check out what Happy Fish Swim School has to offer. However, do take note that you should already know the basics of swimming and complete the beginner course at least. The advance swimming programs can provide you with more knowledge and skills in swimming. You could potentially save your own life or someone else’s life with these set of knowledge and skills.

http://www.boston.com

For Brendan, he was born with a congenital condition in which the tibia and fibula of his left leg did not develop. This led to a knee disarticulation on the leg to preserve the growth plate and ensure that his left thigh would develop normally when he was only 5 years old. Now Brendan is 14 and he doesn’t consider his condition to be “handicap”. He stated that since he has been living with it for his whole life, he doesn’t feel that his condition is that big of a deal.

When Brendan was younger, he would always complained about not being able to do sports and run. Once he found the motivation and pushed himself, he eventually managed to set records for track events such as the 100-, 200-, and 400-yard races. When there was an upcoming triathlon event, Brendan knew he would have to get into the pool. He persevered and eventually managed to set records in meets for disabled athletes last year.

Although Brendan isn’t as fast as some of the other competitors without any disability, he doesn’t gets pessimistic. Instead, he works on making improvements and envisions himself surpassing them one day or another. With an attitude like that even with a disability, Brendan has earned the respect of his fellow swim mates, coach and even the spectators. “My long-term goal is to go to the Paralympics, and to do an IronMan Triathlon,’’ he said. “With enough practice, anything’s possible.’’

This short article explains to us that anything is possible if you believe in yourself. If Brendan who has a disability is able to make it all the way to the swim team, then anyone with or without a disability has the potential of learning to swim! If you wish to learn more about swimming, check out Happy Fish Swim School and take a look at the various lessons that they conduct.

It was an unfortunate and tragic Friday for 64 year old, Earl Scofield, who drowned at a Blossom Athletic Center swimming pool. According to reports, his wife, Annetta Scofield claims that Earl was a strong swimmer and they would swim together two to three times a week.

The incident occurred on Friday when Annetta noticed her husband at the bottom of the pool. She called for help and three lifeguards came to her aid. They pulled Earl out and conducted CPR, but it was already too late. Earl did not manage to survive. There were many comments from the public questioning the lifeguards. There were three of them, but none realised the drowning? Were they sleeping on their job?

The truth is that we can’t judge such things. Drowning can occurred in just seconds. As mentioned in previous posts, drowning is a silent killer. Contrary to popular belief, you won’t see a drowning individual yelling for help or waving their hands frantically. Furthermore, there are many swimmers who stay underwater to improve on their breathing techniques. Although there were three of them in total, they are usually divided into different sections around the area. Hence, we can’t really fault the lifeguards for not doing their job.

This article highlights how quickly and silently drowning can occur. One should never underestimate how easily drowning can take place, even in a public swimming complex. In fact, it doesn’t even give you much time to think or react. Therefore, always be aware of your own limits and do not push yourself so far to the extend of drowning. If you’re unable to stay underwater for long periods, don’t push yourself. Give yourself time to practice and train, and you’ll be able to reach your goal in a matter of time. It’s definitely not worth risking your life.

If you’re looking for swimming lessons, do take a look at what Happy Fish Swim School has to offer. We have various types of lessons suitable for all ages and levels. You can even customise your own lessons if you choose to take up private classes. With so many kinds of lessons available, we’re pretty sure that you’ll find one suitable for your own needs!

http://www.heraldsun.com.au

We are all aware of what sharks are capable of. They crave for meat and aren’t afraid to go up against us, humans. It doesn’t even matter if the waters are shallow, like in Second Beach in the rural Eastern Cape. In fact, it is one of the deadliest spots for shark attacks despite it being just waist-deep.

On Sunday, an unfortunate and tragic event occurred. Lungisani Msungubana, a 25 year old from the Transkei region was attacked by a whaler shark. The sad thing was that he was minding his own business and bathing among a crowd of swimmers when the attack took place. It was an extremely bloody and messy scene according to witnesses. He suffered multiple bites from the shark on his torso, arms and legs. The doctor on the beach tried his best to treat him before paramedics took him to the clinic for further treatment. Unfortunately, Lungisani Msungubana didn’t manage to pull through and was pronounced dead.

This beautiful and scenic beach located in the town of Port St Johns is considered to be one of the deadliest spots for shark attacks. In the past 6 years, the beach had encountered 6 such incidents, 3 of which occurred in 2009 alone.

As breathtaking as it can possibly be, always avoid putting yourself in harm’s way. We would like to highlight this and bring it up for awareness, so that Singaporeans can avoid such incidents from occurring to them. Since you’re now aware of how dangerous this beach can be, perhaps you can consider visiting other beaches around the world instead? I’m sure you will be able to find better beaches elsewhere right? *hints* Maldives *hints* Remember, always do careful research of your destination before heading for a swim as you’ll never know what’s in store for you. It’s way better to be safe rather than sorry.

If you do intend to swim in the open waters, it would be ideal to arm yourself with the necessary knowledge and skills. This can be attain from Happy Fish Swim School’s Open Water SwimSafer Course. This is basically an advance course that is being conducted in East Coast Park. It teaches you proper swimming techniques and survival skills in the open waters. Hence, if you wish to better prepare yourself, we suggest that you register for this course!

This is indeed a tragic accident and lost to the families of the two men. The incident occurred when three men were swimming off Indonesia’s Sumatra island on Saturday. They were met with high waves and were dragged out to sea. One of them managed to swim back to shore to rally help from the locals. Unfortunately, they couldn’t make it in time to find the other two men. Their bodies were only discovered the next day. The three men were followers of the moderate Tabligh movement, whose missionaries travel around the globe to preach Islam. According to the police, they have been there for 40 days.

This goes to show that one should never underestimate the waves in open waters. Even if you are confident in your own abilities to swim out in the open waters, always remember that there is a stronger force that you won’t be able to control. Hence, it is always recommended never to venture too far out. Ideally, try to remain near the shore, where you can actually stand up and still have your chest above the water. If you feel yourself drifting further away, at least you will still be able to stand up and walk back to shore. However, if you’re too far out, you might not even be able to shout for help.

Many people love the outdoors and nature as it is, but one should never risk his or her life. The water may seem still and calm on the surface, but you’ll never know what lies beneath. Furthermore, drowning is a silent killer and can take place in just a few seconds. Therefore, you should NEVER take your chances.

If you wish to equip yourself with knowledge and skills of the open waters, check what Happy Fish Swim School has to offer. We have a special advance program that follows the SwimSafer syllabus to learn more about the open waters. This program takes place at East Coast Park and not any public swimming complex.

This actually happened in the Gulf of Mexico. As you can see from the video, there is no land that can be seen. Even the fisherman had to kayak to where he was. This shows how far the poor dog had been swimming. Thankfully, the dog found his saviour if not it would have probably drowned.

The truth is that dogs don’t usually frequent the open waters. Furthermore, they would never have swum so far out! This dog swum approximately half a mile according to the video. That is equivalent to about 800 metres, which is 16 laps of your Olympic pool. Let’s not forget that it took place in the open waters where waves and current play a huge factor. Let’s also not forget that the poor guy is a dog. So what actually happened?

There are many sources with regards to the story, but ultimately it all boils down to one issue, which is drink driving. What actually happened was that a 53 year old Sarasota woman was walking her dog when she met with a tragic hit and run accident. The lady was killed and found on the side of the road. The dog was injured too, but it survived the accident. It took off and ran till there was no land remaining. That was how it ended up swimming. Even after the fisherman rescued it, the dog was still shivering with fear rather than cold.

Since the video was uploaded on youtube, the dog has returned to its owners and the drunk driver has been found. The driver now faces charges including DUI manslaughter, DUI property damage and personal injury. Click to read more about the Sarasota DUI crash and the fisherman rescuing the dog.

As Chinese New Year is approaching in less than 2 weeks, Happy Fish Swim School would like to remind all readers not to drink and drive. Always remember that there are other lives at stake too. Also, like we mentioned above, the open waters differ vastly from that of the public swimming complexes. Therefore, why not arm yourself with open water swim skills? You should always take extra precautions as you’ll never know when it may come in handy.

“I’m scared to death to stop unless I don’t get started again,” she says with a laugh. “No, really I love life and I love people and that’s what keeps me going.”

This proves that no matter how old you are, as long as you have the drive to succeed, you can still do it no matter what. It doesn’t matter what others say like, “oh it’s too dangerous for your age”. If you believe in yourself, you’ll be able to achieve whatever you set out to do. Therefore, if you truly want to learn to swim, go for it! Don’t be afraid of failure because noone is perfect. When you fall, just get back on your feet and try again, don’t give up!

http://www.capebretonpost.com

MacDonald (second from the left) also stated “To me, my age is just a number. My grandkids are already talking about my reaching 100, but as far as I’m concerned, I take it a day at a time.” For the full article, you can click HERE to check it out.

Remember, you only get to live once, so why not live life to the fullest? Swimming not only keeps you in good shape, it also retains your youth. Would you have guessed that she was 95 years old? If you’re able to maintain a healthy and balanced lifestyle, you’ll realise a change in yourself. This change is not just in your fitness level, but in your attitude too. Swimming does help to give you a more positive outlook in life and makes you more driven. With these characteristics, you’ll be able to achieve greater things!

However, if you do decide on taking up swimming lessons, ensure that you do it with a certified swimming instructor. It is definitely not wise to learn it from someone who isn’t a professional. You might end up learning the wrong techniques or picking up bad habits instead. If you’re looking to look radiant and remain young at heart, visit our adult swimming lessons section! We offer swimming lessons for all ages. Furthermore, if you do not feel comfortable learning in a group, you can always opt for the private lessons. Don’t procrastinate anymore, make a change in your life today!

For parents who are waiting for their child’s lesson to end, you might want to consider visiting Eastlink Mall. It’s a relatively small place with a couple of shops and a food court.

Tampines Swimming Complex is one of the more popular swimming complexes in the east area of Singapore. As there are 4 pools available, it is assumed that the complex is capable of holding more swimmers. The peak period, like any other swimming complex, is during the weekends, where it can be packed with lessons. Hence, if you are only free on the weekends, we suggest that you head over at night after dinner time. However, if you can make it on the weekdays, then it would be the ideal situation. For Tuesdays, remember to take note that the complex only starts operation from 2.30pm.

Address: 505 Tampines Ave 5 (529652)

Operating Hours: 8.00am – 9.30pm (Mon, Wed – Sun), 2.30pm – 9.30pm (Tue)

Opening Date: 16 Dec 1989

Facilities Type: 1 Competition Pool, 1 Teaching pool, 1 Learner Pool, 1 Wading pool

Seating Capacity: 400

Entrance Fee:

What’s Nearby:
Tampines MRT Station (0.58 km)
Darul Ghufran Mosque (B75129) Bus Stop (0.12km)
Tampines Plaza (0.38 km)
Eastlink Mall (0.51 km)

How to register swimming lessons? First, choose your type of swimming lessons
Baby Swimming Lessons (6 - 23 months)		Toddler Swimming Lessons (2 - 4 years)
Kid Swimming Lessons (5 years - 13 years)		Adults Swimming Lessons (14 years above)
Female/Ladies Swimming Lessons (Ladies only)		Holiday Swim Lessons (For School Kids Only)
Premier Swimming Lessons (*Highly Recommended Programme For All Ages*)
	For Family & Organization Family Swimming Lessons Organization Swim Clinic		Advance Programme Open Water SwimSafer Competitive Swimming LifeSaving Course

http://femaleimagination.wordpress.com/

So apart from getting absolutely free swimming lessons, what else do these residents benefit from?

Firstly, the lessons will be delivered by fully qualified experienced Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), Level 2 swimming teachers and will follow the ASA Adult Learn to Swim framework. It is always recommended to learn from certified instructors and follow a syllabus. In Singapore, swimming instructors have to be certified by the Singapore Sports Council and either Swimming Teacher’s Association or Austswim. The SwimSafer syllabus is the one that is recommended by the Singapore Sports Council to be used.

Secondly, they get to enjoy eight weeks worth of lessons, which is equivalent to 8 lessons. What’s there to complain? They not just get a single lesson free, they get eight! However, the truth is that eight lessons can’t really cover the entire syllabus. It will probably allow one to build water confidence and learn very basic techniques such as breathing, floating and kicking. If one is looking to pick up various strokes, they should consider learning for a longer period. In Singapore, it is suggested to sign up for lessons on a term basis of usually 3 months.

Thirdly, they will be split into groups of no more than 12 in a class. This enables the attention of the instructor to be divided accordingly between the students, so that each of them will have an equal opportunity to learn. In Singapore, the group size for adults is usually between 8 to 12 students.

http://www.eagerbeaverswimschool.com/

So why offer free swimming lessons?

Executive Member for Sport, Leisure and Culture, Cllr Nigel Howells explained the two significant reasons. Firstly, “Swimming is a low impact sport which can improve health and wellbeing and is accessible to everyone.” Secondly, “This will give those who have not had the opportunity to learn in the past, those who have a fear of water or are embarrassed about learning to swim the prospect of participating and enjoying a new skill which they will benefit from for the rest of their lives.”

At Happy Fish, we do agree with Mr Howells on the essential need to pick up swimming. In whichever way that you see it, you’ll still benefit from it. Although we are unable to offer free swimming lessons at the moment, it is still obvious that the benefits will outweigh the cost. Therefore, if you’re looking for swimming lessons, make sure to drop by our Swimming Lessons website! Swimming offers you countless benefits and we definitely hope to see you embrace it together with us.