Serious fun

Lesson 9 – 40 minutes

If you are not confident coaching the skills in this lesson bring in a surf sports athlete or coach to help deliver the lesson.
Discuss the surf conditions and safety considerations before entering the water.

When you might use a body board to assist a distressed swimmer (i.e. when you’re already out in the water on a body board and you see someone in trouble).
The importance of a careful approach to a distressed swimmer:
They will want to grab onto anything and could pull you under, they might be panicking and not in control of their actions.
What to do if the distressed swimmer grabs hold of you (head under the water, a distressed swimmer won’t want to go underneath the water with you because they are trying to stay above the water).

Ask a participant to pretend to be a distressed swimmer while you are the body boarder.
Pretend to body board over to the distressed swimmer.
When in voice range reassure the swimmer and let them know what you are going to do.
When a safe distance away slide off your board and pass the board to the swimmer so they can take a hold of it.
When they have hold of the body board signal for ‘assistance required’.

Pair up the participants and give each pair a body board.
Have each pair practice helping a distressed swimmer, same as the earlier demonstration.
Ensure everyone has a turn being the distressed swimmer and the rescuer.

Repeat Activity 1 in the water in an area close to shore and marked out by Water Safety Personnel.

ASSUMED SKILLS
This lesson assumes participants have acquired previous skills from earlier awards: