O.C. Children Join World’s Largest Swim Lesson

An Educational Child Swim Lesson Experience

Children splash in the cool water at Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin as they join the world’s largest simultaneous swimming lesson and create a new Guinness World Record.

Swimmers wait to enter the pool in an attempt to set a world record for the largest simultaneous swimming lesson at The Blue Buoy Swim School in Tustin. Similar groups gathered in pools around the world at the same moment. EUGENE GARCIA, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

In Orange County, swimmers at Blue Buoy Swim School, 1702 Nisson Road, prepare for the half-hour lesson.

Instructors gave a swimming lesson to an estimated 10,000 people across the United States and in Zambia, Lebanon, Dubai and the United States Army Garrison in South Korea, including 22 pools in California.

When the 7 a.m. lesson began in California, it was 10 a.m. in Florida at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon water park; 4 p.m. in Zambia; 5 p.m. in Lebanon; 6 p.m. in Dubai and 11 p.m. in South Korea.

Children learned to float, splash and hold their breath under water during the morning lesson. The youngest children practiced floating on their backs.

If children fall into the water accidentally, they should know to get on their back and float, said Janet Evans, a five-time Olympic medalist and swimmer. Toddlers like to see where they are going, so it’s hard to get them to flip around and float, she said. Evans grew up in Placentia and now lives in Laguna Beach.

“It’s a global thing. We all need to understand drowning is preventable,” Evans said. “My 4-year-old can swim, but I never presume she’s safe in the pool. We can’t take our eyes off our kids in the pool.”

Evans’ two children, ages 3 ½ and 9 months, both are taking swimming lessons. Children who learn to swim between ages 1 and 4 have less chance of drowning, she said.

Submission of Swim Lesson to the Guinness Book of World Records

This is the first time for this record, said Blue Buoy spokeswoman Kristin Scheithauer. The World’s Largest Swimming Lesson organizers will collect the sign-in sheets and records by June 9 and submit them to the Guinness Book of World Records. Organizers expect to find out in a few weeks whether they made it into the record book.

Brando Alegre, of Tustin, said his two children, 6-year-old Gillian and 10-year-old Hunter, were so excited to be part of the world record attempt that they woke up at 5 a.m.

Christi Kirzner, of Irvine, began taking her two children to swimming lessons at Blue Buoy 9 ½ years ago.

“I think it’s very important living in Southern California that they’re water safe,” she said.

Three-year-old Colin shivers as his mother, Amy Hsu, wraps a towel around her son. Colin was practicing floating during the swimming lesson.

“It’s fantastic. It was fun. The kids were great,” said Swim for Life Foundation Executive Director Geoff Brandt, who taught his first swim lesson in 20 years during the World’s Largest Swimming Lesson attempt.

Sisters Meghan and Shannon Maloney watched over the class as volunteer lifeguards. The girls are on water polo and swim teams at Santa Margarita Catholic High School in Rancho Santa Margarita and formed the Swim for Life club at their school.

The swimming lesson is important, Meghan said, because children need to learn safety before they begin swimming in the summer.

“I’m excited so many people want to learn to swim because that really helps to prevent drowning,” Shannon said.

Information: wlsl.org, 714-832-8910 or bluebuoy.com