World’s largest swimming lesson held at Rapids Water Park to promote swim safety

Story by Rachel Williams for WPBF

Rapids Water Park in Riviera Beach hosted the world’s largest swimming lesson, highlighting the importance of swim safety as families prepare for summer activities.

The event is especially timely, as five fatal child drownings have occurred across Palm Beach County and the Treasure Coast in the past two months, with the most recent incident happening Monday.

The goal of the event is to prevent child drownings and teach kids how to swim as soon as they are able to get in the water. Since its launch in 2010, more than 448,000 people have participated in the world’s largest swimming lesson.

This year, the Live Like Jake Foundation partnered with Rapids Water Park to host one of these lessons. Elliot Russell, director of marketing at Rapids Water Park, explained the significance of holding the event during this time of year.

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