Warning to Aussie parents after family's terrifying ocean encounter
Swim teacher Tiffany revealed the one trick that helped save her siblings' lives. And now she's teaching others about its importance.
An Aussie mum has expressed the importance of a little-known skill which she says helped save her life and that of her siblings when they were younger, as a majority of Australians gear up for more time spent in the water this summer.
Tiffany, a swim teacher and mum of two from South Australia, fears that without knowing how to "float for survival", a scary ocean experience could have been deadly for the trio who were enjoying a dip in the ocean at Moonta Beach many years ago. At the time, Tiffany was a teenager with her younger brother and sister aged just 9 and 10.
"There was a lovely pontoon that sat in the middle of in their swimming area. We had been a swimming family for years," she told Yahoo News. "Both my siblings had been having swimming lessons since six months of age and were capable swimmers. So we decided to swim out to the pontoon."
But during the swim, her younger brother "turned his head to breathe to the side and took in some water”, and with that “panic set in”.
“He was on my back very, very quickly trying to get high because of the water," she recalled.
"As that was happening, my sister turned and saw a bit of commotion, and then she started to panic too. So then I had two people panicking. Very quickly, my brother's feet were on my shoulders from behind – that stuff does happen when people are panicking and in trouble."
How learning to float can help save lives
Tiffany used what she'd learned in swimming lessons and advised her sister to float on her back while she got her brother to safety, before going back for her. In the end, the skill not only saved her own life, but also that of her siblings.
"As I released him in the shallow where he could touch, I turned around and found my sister had floated under the jetty and had koala-held the jetty leg, crying as loud as she could," she recalled.
"That float instinct certainly helped me help both my sister and brother. And it’s the same education we give to our parents and kids at the swim school now.
"If they need a rest when they’re in trouble, we say to lay on their back and ‘float to survive’," she continued, explaining that "on their back they can breathe, call out and they can talk".
Legendary Sydney lifeguard Bruce "Hoppo" Hopkins agreed, "floating allows people to conserve energy and stay calm during a water emergency, which is often the difference between life and death".
Australian drowning deaths in numbers:
The National Drowning Report 2024, published by Royal Life Saving in August, found there were 323 drowning deaths in the 12 months prior. This is 16 per cent higher than the ten-year average of 278.
Of these, there were 15 children under the age of five and a large portion of adults.
84 drowning deaths, or 26 per cent, occurred at beaches.
11 per cent, or 35 deaths, occurred in swimming pools. Half of these were backyard pools.
December and March recorded the highest numbers of drowning deaths.
Drowning rates increase ten-fold from age 10 to age 20, likely due to increases in risk taking, and a lack of swimming, water safety and lifesaving skills across youth and young adult populations.
Additionally, according to SWIMSAFER, an authority on teaching swimming and water safety:
About two in five (44 per cent) of parents are unsure if their child has the water safety skills to handle an emergency.
Almost half (45 per cent) of parents rate their children’s floating ability as poor or average, despite floating being essential for survival in a water emergency.
Advice for Aussie parents to help remain swimsafe
Tiffany said it’s important for kids to practise floating “every time” they’re in the water, whether this be the beach, the backyard pool or a public swimming space. Understanding the buoyancy of the water can take some getting used to she said, so it’s about educating and informing.
Now, with two small children of her own, Tiffany practises the method at home. She said using "reassuring and positive language" in a moment of panic can help children remain calm until an adult arrives to save them.
Offering advice to Aussie parents, the mum-of-two said, "get into swimming lessons" early to help build confidence in kids, and adults too. "And make sure that we're supervising around all water environments," she said.
If swimming lessons aren’t an option, then "ensure you swim in safe waters" only, she advised. "Follow the rules and swim in areas with a lifeguard where it’s patrolled".
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