The USA Swimming Foundation and The Michael Phelps Foundation are partnering with Coach Bob Bowman (coach of Olympic medalist Michael Phelps) in the production of an educational video and PSA on Shallow Water Blackout. The budget in place will enable them to make a professional short video and a 30 second PSA that will be suitable for television. Octagon, an international Sports and Entertainment firm will coordinate production and USA Swimming will also produce posters about SWB that will be distributed to every club in the country. Filming is scheduled to begin in mid June, and will include a medical expert and graphics which will give concise points about understanding and preventing SWB.
The most important aspect of this video is that they plan to include it in the Red Cross Safety Training for Coaches course which must be taken by EVERY coach in America to be certified as a USA Swimming Coach. There will now be a way to guarantee that every coach on deck has seen this information in a format that will maximize learning and emphasize prevention.
Coach Bowman has also been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the National Drowning Prevention Alliance Educational Conference in Dallas next March. This is an opportunity to discuss SWB with a wider range of aquatic professionals including learn to swim, lifeguarding and recreation. You can view his recent talk on SWB here.