Man Saves Lives By Teaching Swimming

by Kevin Burton

   Not eating before a swim, that’s an old wives tale. That will cause you no problems. But water safety is a big deal, worthy of everyone’s attention.

   Both stories we present today are on the subject of swimming and water safety and were written by Andy Corbley of the Good News Network.

   The first story is of a man who heard about far too many drownings, and took action to save others:

   “Following the tragic drownings of 15 schoolchildren in his home town, an Indian man has started a swimming club that has seen more than 10,000 learn how to handle themselves in the water,” Corbley wrote.

  “It’s called the Valasseril River Swimming Club, and it now boasts thousands of members among the communities living along the Periyar River in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala.”

   “The club was created by Saji Valasseril, a humble furniture shop owner who, according to the Better India, was overwhelmed with grief following the overturning of a boat carrying a school class and its teacher in 2009. He started by teaching his children to swim, then his friend, then his friend’s children, then some from the neighborhood.”

   “Soon the news spread that free swimming classes were available and the trickle of interest turned into a torrent.”

   “Valasseril has narrowed down the introductory course, which focuses entirely on swimming for safety rather than for sport, to just 16 lessons that begins by removing the fear of the water and the river’s current.

   “Most drowning cases reported here are of people boating close to the banks and not in the middle of the river,” Valasseril said. “You only need 16 days to learn how to remove your fear of water and save yourself from drowning.”

   “All kinds of people come together, young and old, men and women, from diverse professions, backgrounds and belief systems. We don’t see any of those differences. No one is looked down or looked up, there’s only teaching.”

   “In the water of the Periyar, swimming lanes are formed by strings of floaties or tires which are separated based on difficulty level. Deeper lanes with a stronger current are playfully called the “doctorate lanes” while those under which the student can place their feet on the riverbed are called “Kindergarten.”

   “All children have to be accompanied by a guardian who will be able to reach them from the riverbank in case something should happen. This, Better India reports, has led to many of the guardians becoming club members themselves. Older folks, disabled, and the neurologically disordered have all learned to swim at the Valasseril club, which even attracts athletes.”

   “Recently, one of its teenage students set a record in the Asian Book of Records for the longest open-sea swim by a minor. Another is preparing to swim the English Channel.

   “Those who ‘graduate’ often pull on a branded aquatic shirt as a volunteer teacher or lifeguard, reflecting how at 5:30 a.m. before the heat of the day sets in, and with the chorus emanating from the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary nearby, there’s no place most would rather be.”

   Our second story is of a person who can’t swim at all for medical reasons, but used technology to save a drowning girl.

   “From Pensacola comes the story of an improvised rescue that saved the life of a teenage girl who was caught in a riptide,” Corbley wrote.

   “Pensacola shark fisherman Andrew Smith had just clocked out of work last Thursday when a friend convinced him to come back out. When he arrived on the beach, a woman came running up to him and asked if he could swim.

   Smith replied that he could not.

   However, good fortune was smiling down that sunny day, as the incident happened on 21 C section of Pensacola Beach—just beyond the restricted airspace of Fort Pickens—meaning that Smith had brought along a drone.

   “Afflicted by a seizure disorder, Smith uses the drone to set bait for the sharks, which other fishermen do on kayaks. Because of his seizures, Smith can neither kayak nor swim, but he thought he may be able to drop a life-preserver if he could get the drone close enough to the girl.”

   “I ran up and grabbed one of those [life-preservers] and ran back down to the drone,” Smith said. “I flew it out, and it was a terrible miss. I released it too early, it was really windy.”

   “Realizing what was on his mind, a bystander brought him another flotation device and encouraged Smith to try again while a Mr. Robert Nay began filming it with his smartphone.”

   “On the second attempt, Smith nailed it. Gauging the wind more accurately, he lowered the device until he saw her grab it, then released it.”

   “The fisherman described the pressure as intense, and at one point he felt like he was going to cry.”

   “I was shaking pretty badly. It was nerve-wracking, I almost cried,” Smith the local CSB affiliate. “If it wasn’t for that second drop, she wouldn’t have made it. The EMS, the cops, and the lifeguards said she wouldn’t have made it.”

   “The girl’s father called the man a “guardian angel” and witnesses described it as a “true act of humanity.”