GOswim at Barossa Aquatic Fitness (The Rex) has partnered with Bondi Rescue lifeguard Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins as part of the country’s largest learn to swim water safety campaign of the year.
The ‘Float to Survive with GOswim’ initiative aims to spread the message on how to stay afloat in emergency aquatic situations ahead of summer, starting with 60,000 GOswim students across Australia.
The campaign comes in response to alarming figures from the 2024 National Drowning Report, which shows drownings have increased by 16 per cent over the past year compared to the 10-year average, reinforcing the need for stronger water safety education across all age groups.
Australian lifeguard and TV personality Bruce ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins is delivering this message across the country via a month-long national campaign, visiting aquatic venues in NSW, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia to help spread the ‘Float to Survive with GOswim’ message.
Additionally, for the month of November, 250,000 GOswim lessons in almost 80 locations around Australia, including Barossa Aquatic Fitness, will start with five minutes of float training, with a focus on Hoppo’s three-step Float to Survive strategy:
1. Reach your head back to keep your mouth above water,
2. Keep your mouth soft / don’t clench,
3. Gently rotate your arms and legs in a circle motion.
"I'm working with GOSwim because I do this stuff with Float to Survive and realised after 32 years of being a professional lifeguard, watching the behaviour of people in the water, that floating's their best chance of survival,” Bruce Hopkins commented.
"So in any waterway, whether you're in a pool, river, lake, the ocean, as long as you do that one thing and you can keep your head and mouth above water, you're not going to drown.
"You get into that position, you lean your head back a bit, just keep your mouth soft so you don't clench, as soon as you clench your mouth in panic, all of your muscles tighten up as well.
"And then go into whatever position's suitable. Some people like to starfish, and some like leaving their legs down, moving them slightly, moving their arms in a sculling position to get the feel of the water and to be able to keep their head above water.
"Everyones got a different technique with it, but at the end of the day, as long as your mouth and head's above water, that's what we want to see.
"GOswim's great, it's a program that's now doing the float to survive in the first five minutes of a lesson and then going through the rest of their lesson to swim.
"So it's great that it's combining really well and it's giving one, a survival skill and then also it gives them a swimming skill as well.
GOswim is a learn to swim program offered by Belgravia Leisure and Swimming Australia, available at 80 venues across Australia, providing over 2.8 million lessons to over 60,000 GOswim members annually.
With over 730 GOswim students at Barossa Aquatic Fitness, The Rex is excited that the Barossa community can be part of the campaign.
Royal Life Saving CEO Justin Scarr highlighted the importance of spreading water safety messages such as learning how to float to everyone, no matter their age or background ahead of summer.
“The 2024 National Drowning Report revealed that 92 adults aged 65 or older drowned, the largest number ever, making up 28 per cent of the total drownings for the year. Additionally, 25 per cent of people were born overseas, including refugees, migrants and international students, underscoring the need for water safety skills to be taught to everyone, not just children.
“Simple yet essential skills like floating can mean the difference between life and death when someone is caught in a rip, struggling in a river, or simply out of their depth in a pool” Justin added.
With summer just around the corner, the campaign is a timely reminder of the importance of water safety, and GOswim and Hoppo are leading the charge to ensure Australians are better prepared for aquatic emergencies.