Don’t you find it crazy that tourists will travel half way around the world to come to St. Kitts and swim at our beaches, but yet more than half of Kittitians DON’T KNOW HOW TO SWIM?!?! Here in St. Kitts, we have a great opportunity on our doorstep, both for recreation on the weekend, and as a business opportunity in fishing, watersports, or commercial yachting. If you think about it, Kittitians have more sea than we do land! Swimming can open many doors but in St. Kitts and Nevis, swimming is a life skill that is very often overlooked.
So why should we learn to swim? Firstly, let’s consider the health benefits as explained by many online medical journals. The Arthritis Foundation strongly recommends and promotes swimming, due to the benefits of achieving a complete body workout with no ground impact. Swimming is an exercise that you can do throughout your lifetime, with no danger of injury to joints such as your knees. Swimming is foreveryone who is trying to get in shape or stay fit.
What’s more important than the health benefits is that swimming is FUN and the sea is a part of life in St Kitts!It’s a great way to spend time with your family and feel refreshed on those hot sticky days. Here in St. Kitts we have crystal clear warm water and an abundance of interesting sea life such as sea turtles and a magnificent array of fish, all within shallow swimming distance. For the more adventurous, there is stand-up-paddleboarding, sailing, kitesurfing and so much more!
Whilst we have some very strong swimmers among our fishermen and divers, why don’t more Kittitian’s swim? It appears that in St. Kitts our approach to the sea has a strong cultural link. Here in St. Kitts, many of us are afraid of the sea because there is not enough attention given to water safety and learning how to swim. It is only natural to be afraid of the unknown. Weshould value swimming and actively encourage it. Anyone who lives in a city should teach his or her child the importance of crossing the road. Anyone who lives on a small island surrounded by water should teach their child how to swim! We should be able to enjoy liming near a pool or at the beach without worrying what will happen if our child falls into a pool or the sea. Let them learn, so that they can JUMP IN and enjoy it!
On our neighboring island of Antigua, where swimming is much more established, swimming is a mandatory part of the school curriculum. Children are introduced to swimming at a young age in a controlled and safe environment. This allows individuals to feel comfortable and relaxed in the water and there is a positive association with the sea. Anguillans also have a much more established beach culture, with local sailing races featuring as one of the major attractions during the August bank holiday festivities.
So where can we learn to swim? Whilst we can all learn to swim in the sea, swimming pools or protected beaches can offer a much more controlled environment for inexperienced swimmers. There are no public swimming pools here in St. Kitts and Nevis with major swimming programs.
However, there are a few individuals and organizations offering swimming lessons from various small locations for different ages and abilities, such as the Maritime Affairs and Beach Addiction St. Kitts Nevis. Beach Addiction St. Kitts Nevis is committed to growing the watersports industry in St. Kitts and Nevis for the benefit of the island as a whole. Whilst swimming and water safety is only part of what we do, it is the first step in making the ocean accessible and safe to everyone. For more information on current swimming programs or other watersports, please contact Nicholas Dupre at 765 4246 or info@beachaddictionstkittsnevis.com
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