Dry Training (Theory)

1. Water Safety Principles:
   Discuss with your class the various issues around water safety. Explain how to stay safe on the beach and why training and fitness are a good precaution.

2. Sun Safety Principles:
   Consider with your class the various ways to protect from sunburn, like lotions or clothing, sun protection factor (SPF) and how wet clothes lose some protection because they can become more transparent.

3. Cold Water and Hypothermia:
   Talk about the effects of cold water, why clothing should be kept on and what the effect of layering is. Explain the dangers of wind chill and hypothermia, with tips how to avoid it.

4. Signals:
   Explain the various signals used on the water, especially any distress signals.

1. Lifevests and other Equipment:
   Take a good look at the different personal floatation devices (PFD). Show the difference between buoyancy aids and lifevests. Let everyone try them on.

2. Use a Lifevest or Bouyancy Aid:
   Give your class a chance to try out the different floatation devices in the water. Swim two lengths with each device. Avoid chafing on bare skin with soft clothes.

3. Practice Lifevest Handling:
   This exercise simulates a rescue situation where lifevests are thrown out to people in the water. Throw enough lifevests for everyone into the middle of the pool. Then get your team to jump in, swim out and put on the lifevests in the water. This can be quite a challenge, especially if you are fully clothed.

4. Practice in Open Water:
   Training in a pool is easy. Open water presents unique challenges, make sure you have the respective safety measures in place. Practice all the above in a lake or the sea. Make sure you stay warm and avoid wind chill.

Sometimes it may be necessary to swim in clothes. You may be on a sinking boat, or you are cut off by a rising flood or tide. In most cases you simply want to cross a stretch of open water that is in your way or you just fancy a swim outdoors. Whatever may happen, you should practise and prepare for it.
1. Reduce initial waterflow.
   Before you enter the water tighten neck openings and cuffs. This traps air for buoyancy and slows the water soaking your clothes underneath. Eventually the water will find its way in, but you can delay that. How long the water takes to fully saturate your clothing depends on your movement in the water and how watertight your oversuit is at neck, cuffs, waist and leg. On short crossings that can make a difference.

2. Enter the water carefully.
   You can slow the water coming in if you move carefully. Keep your clothes tight as long as you have buoyancy for airpockets. You may notice that you float up higher than usual. Eventually the water will seep in anyway.

3. Let water flow out.
   Once your clothing is fully saturated, loosen it a bit to allow the water to flow out so it doesn't collect anywhere. The action of swimming tends to cause water to collect within your outer clothing, in sealed cuffs, sealed ankles or boots. This somewhat restricts movement and slows you down.

4. Keep warm clothes dry
   Cold water will rapidly cause fatigue. Hypothermia will be a major factor to consider prior entering the water.

   It may be worth removing relatively dry warm under suits before your swim and placing them inside a waterproof bag for the duration of your swim.

   If a fibre pile or fleece suit gets saturated it provides little or no thermal insulation. Take it off and wring it out to expel as much water as possible before you put it back on. This reduces the risk of subsequent hypothermia.