Ambassador Nick Thompson Hosts Booth at 36th Annual Spirit Run

On March 17, 2019, SWBP Ambassador Nick Thompson hosted a booth to raise awareness of SWB at the 36th Annual Spirit Run in Orange County, CA.

People from all over Orange County including hardcore runners, entire families, toddlers and even dogs participate in this long running community event that began as a way to promote exercise and healthy habits within the Newport Mesa Unified School District. Nick and his family felt that the Spirit Run was a perfect fit for a Shallow Water Blackout Prevention Booth.

The booth was a great success! Nick says,

“We spoke to all sorts of people: from moms and dads, little kids, teens, athletes of all ages and abilities, retired servicemen and even lifeguards. Mrs. Curreri also joined us and was able to share how she became involved with Shallow Water Blackout. She even wore her son Joseph Curreri’s Staff Sergeant shirt. I’d like to encourage other ambassadors to seek out community events in order to share the SWBP message. For me, speaking to a diverse group of people was way less intimidating than speaking to a captive group of lifeguards or swimmers. Also, my hope is that by reaching out to a broader group of people that Shallow Water Blackout Prevention will become more widely talked about in many different forums.”

Nick and his family also raised $500 in donations for SWBP, and we couldn’t be more proud of one of our first ambassadors getting out into his community! As part of his Ambassadorship, Corona del Mar High School SWBP Club and Senior Project, this money was raised in conjunction with the first Shallow Water Blackout Prevention Booth.

Incredible job Nick, lives will be saved!

Executive Director's Note:  Karen Curreri’s son, former USC swimmer Joe Curreri, a Staff Sergeant and Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, Wash. died on October 26, 2007, in an accidental drowning incident after experiencing a shallow water blackout at Siet Lake while deployed to the Southern Philippines region near Panamao, Jolo Island, Republic of the Philippines.  Karen became involved with our organization afterwards and subsequently asked us if Nick, one of the students she counsels through her College Admissions counseling Business, could become an Ambassador. Since then Nick has been actively raising awareness about the causes and prevention of shallow water blackouts.

SWBP Selected as a Corporate Partner with Swim Teachers Association of the UK

Shallow Water Blackout Prevention has been selected as a Corporate Partner with Swim Teachers Association of the UK for their Annual International Learn to Swim Week May 13 - 19, 2019.

STA’s International Learn to Swim Week is back with the aim to promote water safety and learning to swim, no matter age, location, or ability.

With over 150 Swim Star Swim Schools, 20 Swim Academies and 30,000 STA swimming teachers internationally, we want everyone to get involved to teach the enjoyable and important skill of learning to swim.

Help STA preserve human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving, and survival techniques by participating in our biggest learn to swim campaign yet. With your help we can encourage people of all ages and abilities to get in the pool and open the door to a wealth of water skills.

For more information visit www.sta.co.uk/events/international-learn-to-swim-week/

Meet Our Newest Ambassador, Alexandra "Alex" Beran

I am Alexandra Beran, a sophomore at the University of Richmond and a diver on the varsity Swim and Dive Team. I am also participating in the Army ROTC Program. I lost a friend to shallow water blackout this past summer and I am a lifeguard and aware of shallow water blackouts, but I still didn't realize how grave the consequences of prolonged breath-holding can be even with breath-control training for the military and swim teams. I want to raise awareness and educate others to prevent these senseless deaths. Many people question how an adult who knows how to swim can drown. Consequently, I want to help those who lost loved ones from having to explain over and over how drowning after a shallow water blackout occurs by educating as many people as I can. Most people do not understand that the victim lost consciousness and then the body forced a breath, which caused the drowning. Anybody who goes into the water should be aware of shallow water blackouts and what causes one and how to prevent one for their own safety, the safety of others, and understanding of those who lost loved ones.   

Welcome to the SWBP family, Alex! Thank you for all your hard work.  We are thankful to have you on board. 

SWBP Presents Workshop to the United Kingdom’s Swim Teachers Association

We would like to thank the Swim Teachers Association (STA) of the United Kingdom for inviting us to make a presentation about shallow water blackout during their Annual Conference on October 6. Our Executive Director, Dean E. Haller, conducted an hour-long workshop via GoToMeeting. We would also like to thank Ravinder Sandhu, STA’s Events and Media Manager, for her assistance in making the presentation possible and a special thank you to Ali Beckman, our United Kingdom Ambassador pictured above, for introducing and facilitating the workshop.

Today with more than 10,000 members, STA is an independent swimming teaching and lifesaving organization, and delivers the highest quality training across four key business areas – Swimming Teaching, Lifesaving, First Aid and Leisure Management.

Founded in 1932, STA is a registered charity whose objective is:

The preservation of human life by the teaching of swimming, lifesaving and survival techniques.

STA is internationally recognized and is uniquely positioned as the only awarding organization in the UK that can deliver multi-aquatic programs – Swimming Teaching, Lifesaving and Pool Plant qualifications – that are:

 Regulated by Ofqual (UK Government licensed regulator), and sit on the Register of Regulated Qualifications at levels 1-4

 Regulated by SQA Accreditation

All STA Qualifications are registered under Safety Training Awards, the awarding body for STA.

STA’s International Learn to Swim Program (ILSP) also supports STA’s swimming teaching qualifications. The incentive based learn to swim program, which promotes the importance of water safety, consists of 5 levels to provide people of all ages, from babies to adults, with a structured, progressive and transparent swimming and water scheme. It is supported with a range of colorful badges and certificates.

Importantly, STA is committed to representing the needs of the leisure industry and continues to advance its range of learning program, improve member services and innovate via its digital portfolio of leisure management and training services.

SWBP Receives Grant from the Princess of Monaco Foundation USA

We would like to thank the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation USA for their recent approval of our request for a grant through their Foundation.

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation USA is 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in New York State in 2016 to further the goals of the parent foundation which was established by Princess Charlene of Monaco, a former Olympic swimmer for South Africa, to promote water safety, sport and education programs particularly for children and young people.

Its mission is to promote the benefits of sporting activities; teach children and adults basic swimming, water safety, first-aid and drowning prevention skills, and foster national or international amateur sports competitions.

Since the parent foundation was set up in 2012, under the Princess’s presidency and the vice presidency of Monaco’s Sovereign, H.S.H. Prince Albert II, more than 100 water safety programs benefiting almost 100,000 people, mainly children, have been implemented in Monaco, South Africa, Australia, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, France, Ghana, Greece, India, Indonesia, Macedonia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Morocco, Nicaragua, Peru, Philippines, the Dominican Republic, Senegal, Sudan, Serbia, Tanzania, Thailand, the USA, and Zimbabwe. Its missions are to raise public awareness about the dangers of water, teach children preventive measures, and teach them to swim.

On behalf of our Board of Directors we extended our deepest appreciation for their recognition and support of our mission to educate and raise awareness about shallow water blackouts.

SWB Featured on Inside Edition

Meet Our Newest Ambassador: Layla Caballero

Layla, Daniel, and Layla's youngest son Ralph

I am from Puerto Rico and the youngest of four siblings.  I was fortunate to enjoy a very active and privileged life contrary to my other siblings who endured the challenges of leaving communist Cuba at young age. After more than 18 years in exile from Cuba, my parents were finally enjoying the American dream of possibilities and prosperity.  They helped me pursue an education abroad here in the United States, and now I enjoy a career in communications. Given my talents in the communications field, I feet it is my obligation to help others to learn about Shallow Water Blackout, specially among Latino families. 

Our family lost my nephew, Eduardo Jose, at the young age of 19. He drowned in my home's backyard pool as he was playing water games holding his breath and challenging my son Daniel who at the time was only 7. Ironically, Eduardo Jose was actually taking care of my son Daniel, when this terrible accident happened. 

Now 18 years later, after losing my sister Lourdes Alo ( Eduardo's mother) to lung disease, I decided to join the Shallow Water Blackout prevention organization to help generate awareness, and do this on behalf of my family. I live in Miami Lakes, FL and will be raising awareness in the surrounding communities and helping Shallow Water Blackout Prevention include content in Spanish. 

Daniel, who is a musician now, wrote this song about drowning in memory of Eduardo. The name of the song is "Lungs Filled with Water". 

http://houseofi.bandcamp.com/track/lungs-filled-with-water

Welcome to the SWBP family, Layla! Thank you for all your hard work.  We are thankful to have you on board.

Family and Friends Organize A Memorial to Honor Adam Braverman

Note: We received the following letter from Adam’s sister, Tamara, and would like to thank everyone involved in this event for their incredible generosity and support of our mission in Adam’s name.

We lost our son and brother, Adam, on April 15th 2017 just before his 30th birthday when he passed away unexpectedly without any conclusive cause of death. He had been swimming at the time and from everything his friends and our family have read about Shallow Water Blackout we are convinced this is the reason.

Adam was a fish; from age 3 years he swam Olympic size lengths underwater and loved underwater swimming more than regular swimming.  He was tiny and we used to worry that his lung capacity would be insufficient but he told us not to worry and continued his way; and swam underwater constantly.

On a trip to China with friends, he raced against a friend underwater for some 20 minutes.  His friend then left to take a shower and Adam continued to swim underwater.  The pool was not large and the maximum depth was only 1.2 meters.  Unfortunately, he did not come out of the pool alive.

Adam’s joy of life, sport and friendship inspired his friends, family and the Worth Old Boys Rugby & Football Club of which he was Captain to organize a charity Memorial Day on the 9th of June this year to raise money for charities in Adam’s name including Shallow Water Blackout Prevention, in order to advance awareness and prevent more senseless death’s like Adam’sThe day comprised of rugby and football matches, children’s games, raffles / auctions with a BBQ and it was a perfect day to all come together to remember Adam. With approximately 150 attending on the day the minute’s applause in celebration of Adam’s life before the teams started play really was an amazing reminder of how much Adam was and continues to be loved. Due to the generosity of those who came and also those who could not but who bought raffle and auction tickets (for fantastic prizes such as holidays to France and Israel, Rugby tickets for England v New Zealand as well as signed sports memorabilia etc.) we managed to raise more than £19,000 ($24,668) – half of which will go to Shallow Water Blackout Prevention.  The other half will go to Wooden Spoon, a charity which benefits under-privileged children through Rugby.

Please see photos of the day: www.facebook.com/celebrateadam/

We will be holding this event annually in order to continue Adam’s legacy by coming together in the spirit of comradery through sport and to raise money in his name.

We also will be raising money throughout the year at different events such as the Lucerne Marathon in Switzerland and will keep you updated!

Thanks, and kind regards,

Tamara Braverman

Ambassador Nick Thompson is Raising Awareness at His New High School

Nick Thompson, our Ambassador in Newport Beach, CA and several of his recruits are spreading the word about Shallow Water Blackout at their high school,Corona del Mar. The school is a public school located in the Eastbluff neighborhood of Newport Beach, California, and belongs to the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. 

Nick became and Ambassador in 2017 and has been mentored by Karen Curreri who lost her son Joe Curreri. Joe was a former USC swimmer, a Staff Sergeant and Special Forces communications sergeant assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) at Fort Lewis, WA. He died on October 26, 2007 in an accidental drowning incident after a shallow water blackout at Siet Lake while deployed to the Southern Philippines region near Panamao, Jolo Island, Republic of the Philippines. Joe was 27.

Thanks to Nick and his team they will greatly enhance our efforts to educate and raise awareness about the causes and prevention of a shallow water blackout.  Most importantly they are helping us save lives.

The Association of Aquatic Professionals (AOAP) and Shallow Water Blackout Prevention (SWBP) Announce Partnership

AOAP and SWBP recently announced their partnership with the goal to support and advance each other’s mutual mission to increase water safety and prevent drownings.

Both organizations are domestic 501(c)3 Non-Profit Corporations and are run by an all-volunteer Board of Directors and a full-time Executive Director.

AOAP exclusively promotes and advocates policies, practices and procedures that contribute to safer and improved aquatic education, aquatic recreation activities, programs, and facilities; provides and supports quality aquatic education opportunities; coordinates and conducts research in the field of aquatic management and safety; promotes coordination and cooperation between established aquatic associations responsible for all aspects of aquatic programming, aquatic management, aquatic operation and maintenance and aquatic facility design. As well as providing and annual conference and educational workshops for communities on drowning prevention and education.  A portion of all proceeds will be used towards drowning prevention, i.e. for Learn to Swim Program Lessons and Grants for Life Jackets.

General Statement of Vision: The AOAP will be the leading organization representing aquatic professionals in advocacy, education, research, and professional collaboration.

SWBP focuses its efforts on preventing shallow water blackouts (AKA underwater blackout or faint), which result in drowning or sudden death. The organization advocates for the cessation of hypoxic training, no prolonged breath-holding, never swimming alone, never hyperventilating prior to swimming, never playing breath-holding games, and adequate and intermittent rest while training or swimming recreationally.  SWBP enlists the aid of volunteer “Ambassadors” and establishing volunteer Chapters, both nationally and internationally, to educate and raise awareness about the causes and prevention of shallow water blackouts within their respective communities. Additionally, the organization presents and exhibits at aquatic-related conferences, YMCA’s, PTO’s, secondary schools, service club organizations, summer camps and parks where swimming is available, and water safety workshops. With its outreach programs, a universally recognized website, and the distribution of free information SWBP is a leader in raising awareness in order to prevent shallow water blackouts.

General Statement of Vision: SWBP will be the driving force behind a universal understanding and acceptance of what causes and how to prevent shallow water blackouts and ultimately bring an end to such needless and preventable tragedies.