Florida Tops Nation in Child Drownings as Swim Schools Push Year-Round Safety

In Florida, water accidents claim more young lives than any other state. Swimming instruction cuts this risk by 88%, according to local water safety experts in Tampa Bay.

"We obviously promote water safety 365 days a year, but in the month of May, during National Water Safety Month, it really gives us an opportunity to amplify that message," said Julia Stewart to ABC Action News.

Water claims 11 lives daily across the U.S., that's 4,000 yearly. Most tragic? Almost 9 out of 10 toddler deaths occur in home pools.

Each week, thousands of kids splash and learn at Tampa Bay swim centers. Instructors stress starting water training when babies first show mobility.

"This should be the first activity that parents do with their kids, because it can save their lives," said Lindsay Purslove to WINK News.

Local swim schools now teach real-world water skills. Students practice in everyday clothes and master life jacket use through hands-on training.

"To experience what it would be like in a real-life water emergency situation, so they practice wearing life jackets and treading water, they practice what it feels like to fall in the pool fully clothed and how to navigate that," Stewart said.

Parents watch their kids gain water confidence fast. "He's more confident with being in the water with someone, and he is learning different skills, like he's now starting to learn how to hold his breath under the water and put his head underneath," said Cassie Augustine about her son's progress.

Water safety pros warn against common mistakes. Those bright orange arm floaties? They won't stop drowning. Pick Red Cross-approved life vests instead.

After car crashes, drowning ranks as the second-deadliest accident for kids 5-14 years old. Lakes and oceans pose the biggest threat to older children.