A child prepares to dive in during Aqua-Tots

Here on the Gulf Coast, bodies of water are a part of everyday life. From beach days to swimming pools to fishing piers and boat docks, residents are constantly interacting with the water. That also means that children are around water—and that the inherent risk of being in the water grows greater the smaller the human involved. From May 11-17, Aqua-Tots Sarasota is hosting its annual “Swim With Your Clothes On” Water Safety Week in recognition of National Water Safety Month.

“Statistically speaking, when kids have an accident around water, they are fully clothed and not in swimming mode,” says Lindsay Leary, co-owner of Aqua-Tots Sarasota. “It’s an entirely different sensation to have wet clothes and shoes on that weigh you down when you’re swimming. We want them to experience that.”

For “Swim With Your Clothes On” week, Aqua-Tots Sarasota, which offers indoor swim lessons for children aged four months to 12 years, instructors modify the typical curriculum to give children this new experience. The concept is that if you’ve fallen into the water fully clothed before—and received instruction on how to safely extract yourself—if it happens in real life, the situation can be met with a sense of preparedness and not panic.

“We’ll do activities like “throw don’t go,” where if a friend has fallen in a pool or in water and needs help, how do they get to that friend without putting themselves in danger? Sometimes that means getting something long that the friend can grab onto,” says Leary. “There are other techniques such as how to alert an adult for help or get to their back to get air if they were to fall in or how to easily take off their shoes and tread water.”

Leary also emphasizes the ABC’s of water safety: adults, barriers and classes. For the kids, getting to swim with their clothes on, has been a real treat. “For the kids, it’s really fun,” says Leary. “Wearing your clothes in a pool feels like you’re breaking all the rules.”

“Swim With Your Clothes On” Water Safety Week, May 11-17, Aqua-Tots Sarasota, 3750 S. Tuttle Ave, Sarasota.

A child prepares to dive in during Aqua-Tots

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