VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - Two Hampton roads natives are starting a company to arm your kids with the knowledge they need to stay safe in the ocean.
Swim Safe Inc., founded by Meredith Young and Jeff Armstrong, is bringing ocean safety concepts into the pool to teach kids how to stay safe.
"Just because you're a strong swimmer in the water, doesn’t mean you're a strong swimmer in the ocean," says Meredyth Young. "The concepts of teaching someone how to get out of a rip current in a safe manner versus verbally telling someone. I'm going to physically show them."
Because we live by so much water, she says everyone should learn the differences between swimming in and ocean and swimming in a pool.
She brings the lessons into the pool, where she can actually show children how to react when facing any dangers that could come up while playing in the ocean.
"You can talk to a child until your blue in the face, but if you visually interact with them and show them, 'Your landmarks are this, you need a home point you need a swim safe point. You need to know how to identify a rip current' and then you need to know how to signal for help and then what to do after that and get yourself out of it," says Young.
Right now, the Swim Safe lessons are held at oceanfront hotels where they can reach not only locals, but vacationers who may not live near an ocean, how to handle the water.
"I want to make a swim safer nation, that is what I really want to do with this company," says Young. "I want to reach as many people as possible and that leads to if you swim safe for one day, you can swim safe for a lifetime."
