Water Safety First

04/11/2026

This week I had multiple students unable to enter the water for their lesson, (for various reasons), so we did dry lessons instead!

Did you know 911 is the primary number to call if you need to access emergency services in Canada 🇨🇦? I’m sure you did, but did you know that not all regions in Canada use this number? Nunavut, and some other rural areas require a 10 digit number to be called! If you’re travelling to another country, you should educate yourself about their local emergency numbers (in London, 🇬🇧UK the number to call is 999)!

Do your kids know your cell phone numbers? If not, start teaching them now, in the event of an emergency and you get separated. My girls knew their home address and my cell number by the age of 3. 😎

Do your kids know how to respond to someone who has fallen into deep water and is drowning? They should know!
1. Call for help! Use your voice!
2. Find something that floats and throw it to them
3. Never enter the water to rescue them, because they might pull you under and then you’d both be in danger.

03/28/2026

Future Water Safety First Coach Belle! Today she was called into the pool to be my assistant to help a new swimmer feel comfortable in the water. The new swimmer had been swimming countless times, and is comfortable in the water, but was a little nervous to swim in a new environment, with me.

When Belle was asked if she would be willing to “just play” in the water with us, she quickly got suited up! She has had plenty of experience teaching the Paw Patrol floaties, and swimming in this pool. 😎

Thank you Assistant Coach Belle, for helping my new client feel at ease, and making our lesson FUN! Sometimes adding another kid can make all the difference! I’m happy to be able to provide three “support children” when needed. They are all extremely excited when they get to help out! 🤗
If you have a nervous or anxious child and think group lessons may be too overwhelming, ask a friend to join your private lesson with me. Not only is it more economical, but also creates a different learning environment for them. Plus, you (the parent or caregiver) get to have an adult date and actually get to talk without being interrupted for 35 minutes! Winning!

Accepting registration requests with Coach Belle for 2035 😜😎

03/25/2026

I don’t usually share client feedback or ask for reviews, because honestly, I don’t need to! People talk and word of mouth spreads fast- for both positive and negative experiences. I’m very fortunate to have plenty of positive out there!

I honestly love what I do for work, and love the life I’ve created for me and my family. True success in life is not climbing the corporate ladder, or having the fanciest clothes or mode of transport, or working countless amounts of overtime- it’s love. Finding love in all areas of your life, because if you love yourself and what you do, you can bring passion, joy, and creativity to all areas of your life, which benefits everyone.

Thank you to everyone who has supported Water Safety First and given me feedback to grow and improve. Special thank you to this Mom for taking the time out of her day to send me this heartfelt message. You’ve inspired me to send a thank you message to a special someone, and I hope anyone reading this can also take time to reflect on someone you know, who’s making a real difference, and let them know.

03/11/2026

What are these kids doing? They are doing one out of three things that I make all of my students do before entering the water!
1. Check the bottom of the pool for anything dangerous! Walk around the entire pool (if it’s a new pool to you) and look down at the bottom. Do you see anything sharp? Shells? Barnacles? Sharks? Glass? Can you see the bottom of the main drain? Where is the shallow end? Where does it look safe to get in and get out?

2. Check the temperature with your hand. I once taught for a family in South Surrey, and their swim spa unexpectedly failed them, and overheated. The girl jumped in and burned her skin. ☹️ This is the reason I make people stop and check.

3. Ask the person who brought you to the pool if you can get in. If they don’t answer, yell louder until you get their eyes and attention. Practise this habit at home, prior to getting in the tub. Make your baby/toddler ask permission before getting in.

02/18/2026

This is butterfly- the hardest stroke to swim (in my opinion). It was removed from the Canadian Red Cross Learn to Swim program years ago because so many people couldn’t swim it properly, and it was hard to find instructors who could swim it, let alone teach it!

The Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program also chose to omit this stroke and focus more on survival swimming strokes- if you’re stranded in the middle of the ocean or lake, butterfly would be the last stroke you’d resort to swim to safety! 🤪

Every once and awhile I do get requested to teach butterfly, and although it’s not part of the program, I can give some pointers on how to look more graceful. 😎🤗 That’s the beauty of private lessons- we can work with your individual learning goals/needs and are open to thinking outside the box.

02/18/2026

02/17/2026

Set your alarms for this Friday at 7:55pm in preparation for Spring Registration opening at 8pm! Lessons will be available to register for from March 30 to June 25!

Coach Elianna will be offering sessions Monday through Thursday, afterschool hours starting April 20! She will have Wednesdays from 3-7pm April 1 and 8. Elianna teaches 30 minute lessons.

Coach Jessica will be offering sessions Monday to Friday, between 9-1:40pm. Jessica teaches 35 minute lessons.

Lessons will be inputted and viewable online as of Tuesday February 17 at 9pm, so you can plan accordingly.

We instruct the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program. Water Safety First is registered affiliate of the Lifesaving Society. We issue report cards and stickers and badges, just like the majority of local City facilities.

We always say, one lesson is better than no lesson. Come try us out and see the power of a private lesson in a quiet, boutique swim spa. 🤗

All ages and skill levels welcome- including 4 month old babies AND high level triathletes!

02/16/2026

Water Safety Tips for visiting a new pool!

✅Look at the bottom of the pool and locate the deep and shallow areas. Also look for anything potentially dangerous (sharp objects, broken pool equipment/jets, murky/cloudy water)
✅Check for signage and read it prior to entering
✅Check the temperature with your hand prior to entering
✅Know where the emergency equipment is (ie. buoyant ring, reaching poll, first aid kit, etc)
✅Assign a water watcher if visiting a pool without lifeguards (hotel pools, backyard pools, clubhouse pools, etc)
✅Have a plan if you need to evacuate quickly, or call emergency services and direct them to your location
✅Always make children ASK PERMISSION before they get in the water. Start this habit at a young age- it starts at home in the bathtub!
✅Feet first entries are safest, and in most cases, mandatory! Most hotel and backyard pools are not deep enough to safely dive.
✅If swimming in an outdoor pool, ensure you’re dressed for the weather- sun protection (long sleeve bathing suits, sunglasses or UV protective goggles, sunscreen).
✅Ensure you stay hydrated. It’s difficult to tell when you’re sweating while in a pool, so make sure to have a water bottle by the pool edge so you can rehydrate!
✅Have fun!

What else could we add to this list?

01/26/2026

Just in case you missed my updates on my webpage, or the JaneApp, or my email from last week or today!
Spring Break lessons will open tonight at 8pm. Currently “Ms. Spring Break 2026 Jessica Rahman” has lessons to “contact to book”. This will change at 8pm and you’ll be able to book in.

If you are owed a lesson, (from a cancellation made with more than 48 hrs notice), please reach out and I’ll slide you over on the back end. 😊

01/25/2026

Tonight at 8pm Spring Break Registration opens! March 16-27 will be available to book! NEW this Spring Break- Coach Jessica will be offering 30min sessions instead of 35 min sessions! Don’t worry though, the price reflects the 5 minute difference! I created a new staff name to reflect the Spring Break sessions, so please make sure to click, “Ms. Spring Break 2026 Jessica Rahman” when booking in for Spring Break!

Coach Elianna will be offering sessions during Spring Break on Wednesdays from 9-2pm.

Coach Jessica will be offering sessions on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Fridays for both weeks, during the day. A total of 74 lessons will be available to register for! Please reach out if you have any questions!

01/24/2026

Planning a sunny vacation this winter? When’s the last time you or your kids got in to pool? 🤔 If your answer is, “last summer”, then you need to fit in some pool practice time. I see a lot of clients in the winter months who want to brush up on their skills before heading out to Mexico, Hawaii, Palm Springs, etc.

Practising water safety skills, like being sun smart, being aware of potential dangers, practice sizing and wearing a PFD, learning how to enter and exit the water safely, are all important life skills that I can help you with!
If I had a $ for every time a parent said, “oh wow, I never thought of that!”, I’d be able to build my dream outdoor change room! 😜😂😎
If you could go anywhere in the world right now, where would you go and why?!

knowtherisks
📸 credit to my big sister when my oldest baby was 11 months and we visited Aunty Corri in Palm Springs

01/15/2026

Sunday January 18 at 8pm is when Coach Elianna’s February lesson registration will be opening! We will know what days she’ll be working as of Saturday, and will update here and on the websites with that information. They will be afterschool sessions.

Water Safety First is incredibly fortunate to have Coach Elianna on our team. We strive to provide the highest possible quality of instruction, professionalism and cleanliness, but that’s only possible if we are well balanced ourselves. For that reason, we decided it would be best to release Elianna’s schedule one month at a time for the Winter season, to ensure school, work and play are evenly distributed.

Thank you so much to everyone who has entrusted us with your swimming goals, and allowed us to be a part of your journey! We look forward to seeing you in the water!