The swim program aiming to help women intimidated by Australia s oceans conquer their fears sbs.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from sbs.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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An ocean safety program aiming to help women become more confident in the water has returned after COVID-19 forced it to pause for a year.
The Swim Sisters program brings together women, many of whom are from Islamic backgrounds, who often have very little experience swimming in the ocean.
Yusra Metwally founded Swim Sisters in Sydney with the help of the Bondi Surf Club three years ago.
“Every summer, we see really horrible statistics about people drowning - a lot of them from western Sydney and from migrant communities,” she told SBS News.
Swim Sisters founder Yusra Metwally.
Rural populations over-represented in drowning statistics, tailored strategies needed in the bush
MonMonday 22
Mason Waine, from Aramac, practices in a CPR workshop at the Barcaldine Drowning Prevention Program.
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Learn-to-swim courses are too city-centric and should be more tailored to reduce the drowning risk in rural Queensland, a swim club says.
Key points:
Statistics from Royal Life Saving Australia show that the drowning death rate is 6.5 times greater in very remote areas
Remote residents are 65 times more likely to drown in inland waters compared to major city residents
Metro-based swimming education does not translate well to rural areas and events designed by locals, for locals are critical for the success of drowning prevention
Frightening image is reminder to parents about avoiding blue swimwear for kids
The child was photographed wearing pale blue shorts swimming near the bottom of the swimming pool but because of the colour he proved difficult to see by anyone observing
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