LIFE MAGAZINE

First, You Crawl

So they don’t quite have the Esther Williams choreography down yet. But they do have survival skills that may prevent them from being counted among the 600 infants who drown each year in the U.S. At the Seal Beach, Calif., Watersafe Swim School, owner Ginny Flahive teaches babies (most start at three months) the potentially lifesaving “turn and back-float” technique. “Too often, toddlers are not taught to respect the water. They think that Mom will always catch them when they jump in. It’s a dangerous false security.” Her program (taught here by instructor Lisa Colbourn) stresses self-reliance. After that, water ballet is optional.

Erica Sander / Gamma Liaison