There were superheroes on hand at Lambton pool this week, but behind the colourful costumes was a strong water safety message as sobering statistics reveal the realities of drowning.
The new National Drowning Report 2024 revealed that the Hunter New England region had a higher drowning rate than the Australian average over the past 10 years.
The region's 10-year average fatal drowning rate per 100,000 was 1.23, compared to a national average of 1.22.
Drowning deaths in Australian children aged 5-14 years in 2023/24 increased by 40 per cent when compared to the 10-year average, and the report highlighted the need to build lifesaving and swimming skills in this age group.
"Most drowning deaths in this age group resulted from an unintentional fall into water, reinforcing the need for swimming and water safety skills and knowledge to assist in unexpected situations," the report said.
Children aged 10 have the lowest drowning rate of any age, but rates increase tenfold in the following decade of life.
Newcastle public pool operator Bluefit runs learn-to-swim lessons for about 500 kids a week at Lambton pool and general manager Michelle Eason said early engagement was key.
"If we're able to teach them at a younger age, the drowning rate in the older age groups will begin to decrease," she said.
"If we can get the information to our families through the children, then that can also help the adults that are finding themselves in trouble during summer."
This week, the students have been learning how to rescue. They are also taught how to get out of trouble if they fall into the water unexpectedly.
"We're teaching kids how to rescue from out of the aquatic environment. It's about staying dry, screaming out for help," Bluefit general manager Michelle Eason said.
"We also have them swim in their clothes often. When you fall in a pool, you don't fall in with your swimmers and your goggles on, so it's about giving them the knowledge of what can happen and what it feels like.
"And if something were to happen they wouldn't be completely blindsided by the difference of swimming in clothes."
The most common location for drowning deaths in NSW in 2023/24 was beaches, which accounted for 27 per cent of total deaths.
"The most important message that we would like to deliver this week to all of the children is when you go on holiday or when you go to the beach, find those red and yellow flags and swim between them," Ms Eason said.
"We're finding that if we can implant that knowledge on the children when they get to the beach, they're really enforcing it with their parents to find those red and yellow flags."
The report showed 25 per cent of the drowning deaths were people born overseas and highlighted the first months and years in Australia as "critical" for building awareness, knowledge and skills to boost drowning prevention.
Adults 65 years or older are drowning at rates 2-3 times those of children under five, while 82 per cent of all drowning deaths were males. The report urged Australians to head to their local pool to brush up on their swimming skills ahead of summer.
