OEF’s Learn-to-Swim Summer Program Is Back

OEF’s Lifesaving Learn-to-Swim Summer Program Is Back For The 5th Consecutive Year

The summer season is upon us, and with it will come rising temperatures, record-challenging heat waves, and the usual uptick in load-shedding exercises by the local power company. To escape the heat, people will flock to our beaches, inland blue holes, and waterways for relief and to enjoy a range of water-based summertime activities. Being an island community surrounded by water, and susceptible to seasonal Hurricane ocean surges, it is still hard to fathom that the majority of our population, including adults and children, do not know how to swim. Most people are not sure of what to do in the event of a water emergency or if faced with a situation that could result in drowning.

Children and adults aged 5 to 65 receive life-saving swimming lessons and water safety training during this FREE annual community program.

For this reason, OEF is gearing up to launch its 5th Annual Learn-to-Swim summer program. This free community program will continue the vital mission of providing life-saving water safety skills to children and adults. Starting on June 23rd and running for six weeks, the program will once again be hosted at the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) campus in Rock Sound. The Retreat Hotel’s 25-meter saltwater pool will be used to teach residents aged five to sixty-five survival swimming techniques and, most importantly, how to remain safe around open sources of water. This program has become a cornerstone of community safety and wellness, offering participants the opportunity to gain essential skills that foster confidence in the water and contribute to fewer accidental drownings.

While drowning is a leading cause of death worldwide, particularly in low- and middle-income communities, prevention is possible. According to a Global Report on Drowning published by the World Health Organization, “evidence shows that a range of interventions are effective at preventing drowning. Among others, these include the strategic use of barriers to control access to water, the provision of safe places such as daycare centers for pre-school children, and teaching school-age children basic swimming skills.

Since its inception in 2021, the Learn-to-Swim program has been a resounding success, helping hundreds of children and adults develop basic swimming skills. As the program enters its fifth year, it has become clear that this initiative is about more than learning to swim—it is also about empowering our community to fully participate in and enjoy their natural resources and the numerous activities, recreational pastimes and employment opportunities that relate to our beaches, oceans and blue economy.

Making a splash! Volunteers ensure that sessions run smoothly and that the experience each year is fun, memorable, and rewarding for all.

Special thanks are extended to our local and international coaches, volunteers, donors, and partners who have collaborated to ensure the program’s success over the years.

This ongoing initiative exemplifies the role of local programs in fostering sustainable, impactful change that directly benefits the community, ensuring that Eleuthera’s residents are better equipped to face the future, both in the water and beyond.

A Message From The President and CEO | April 2026

Dear Friends, Fourteen years ago, One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) began with a simple but powerful idea: that communities thrive when people, environment, culture, and opportunity grow and flourish together. Today, that vision continues to take root...

OEF’s Learn-to-Swim Summer Program Is Back

OEF’s Lifesaving Learn-to-Swim Summer Program Is Back For The 5th Consecutive Year

Children and adults aged 5 to 65 receive life-saving swimming lessons and water safety training during this FREE annual community program.

Making a splash! Volunteers ensure that sessions run smoothly and that the experience each year is fun, memorable, and rewarding for all.

Related Stories