More than 30,000 Kiwi kids across Aotearoa New Zealand will learn vital beach safety skills this year under Surf Life Saving New Zealand's Beach Education programme.

SLSNZ Chief Executive, Paul Dalton, says the majority of beach drownings are preventable and initiatives like SLSNZ's Beach Education programme are key to 'future-proofing” the next generation of beachgoers.

'At SLSNZ, we believe beach education is a vital preventative measure when it comes to reducing the drowning toll. The Beach Ed programme provides practical water skills in a real beach setting and it's taught by qualified Surf Lifeguards.”

Emma Kemp, Beach Education Coordinator for SLSNZ's Central Region, says that 4600 students are booked for term 1 this year in the lower North Island alone.

Other regions have experienced similar levels of interest in the programme, which operates nationally.

'It's great to see so many schools getting involved,” she says.

'At this rate, we need some of the kids to attend to hurry up and grow up so they can become Surf Lifeguards and help instruct.”

Given that New Zealand is an island nation, Kemp says it's important for all kiwi kids to know how to make the most of the ocean environment without putting themselves in harm's way.

'If our children can have the knowledge and confidence to make the call as to whether it's safe or not to go swimming, then they can better protect themselves, their parents, and any children they may have in the future. Each year-group of pupils that gains these skills is another generation that can help make this knowledge common-place.”

SLSNZ's outgoing South Island Beach Education Coordinator, Caitlin Ruddle, has seen this ripple-effect in action.

'I have seen Beach Ed students on the beach teaching their siblings about rip currents and have heard them teaching their whānau about the 3Rs (rip survival plan). The butterfly effect of Beach Ed is pretty cool.”

Kemp says students present to Beach Ed with a wide range of ability and confidence when it comes to engaging with the sea.

One of her favourite moments as an instructor involved a 'nervous young girl” who had never stepped foot in the ocean before.

'While all her peers were confident and easily manoeuvring through the waves, she was scared and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to talk her into even dipping her toes in. But a couple of the other kids from her school group stopped playing and came and asked her to join them. Holding hands, they all slowly walked into the water together.

'They waded past all the adults, high-fiving as they went, and the rest of the class all stopped their activities to cheer this girl on.

'That young girl came out of the water with the biggest grin I had ever seen.”

For Kemp, this is just one example of children showing compassion and care for each-other and their surroundings as part of the Beach Ed programme.

'The ocean is an asset that we should cherish – if everyone could read the ocean as naturally as they read road signs, we would be fast on our way to our goal of zero drownings on New Zealand beaches.”

Amanda King, a Team Leader at Oropi School in the Bay of Plenty, agrees.

Her school brings a new group of students for Beach Ed every year and says the programme is now a 'crucial” part of the school's health and PE Programme.

'Through Beach Ed, our children learn vital skills to keep themselves safe at our beaches. The children find the day highly engaging, with an excellent mix of practical time in the water and excellent theory sessions. These days are always a highlight!”

The SLSNZ Beach Ed programme is made possible through funding from TSB and Water Safety New Zealand and includes clubhouse, beach and water activities. Students use critical thinking in order to learn life-saving knowledge including how to identify and escape from rip currents and how to practice safe, fun ocean activities.

TSB CEO, Donna Cooper, says the national programme is an initiative the bank is thrilled to support.

'Surf Life Saving New Zealand saves hundreds of lives in the water every year, but with this water safety education programme they're also saving lives before they even hit the waves. As a New Zealand owned bank, TSB cares about Kiwis and communities right across the country, so we're proud to support this critical work ensuring the safety of our next generation.”

Beach Ed is a full-day interactive course taught at select beaches across the country. Students are enrolled through their school and all instructors are fully-qualified Surf Lifeguards.

Bookings are now open for Term 4, 2021 and Term 1, 2022. For more information or to get your school involved, visit the Beach Education page on the SLSNZ website.