Hawaiian Falls Waterparks hosted swim lessons at each of its locations Thursday as part of a worldwide attempt for a record. The "World's Largest Swim Lesson" was first launched in 2010 to build awareness about the importance of drowning prevention.
"We all want to cool off. Unfortunately, it does have a high danger factor to it, but at the same time, it can be prevented and at same time, be fun and safe," said Hawaiian Falls Area Director Jason Martin.
In Texas, 26 children have drowned this year. The CDC says drowning is the leading cause of death of kids age one to four.
Hawaiian Falls locations held simultaneous swim lessons at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, an hour before the parks opened.
"The World Waterpark Association does a really good job of communication, making sure we're on top of it, making sure we're communicating with our parks, our instructors to make sure things run smooth," Martin said.
Martin said the World Waterpark Association gives Hawaiian Falls a lesson plan, but parks have freedom to adjust based on cultural differences in each country.
"In other parts of the world, they might teach something a little bit differently than we teach it, but it's pretty standardized," Martin said. "It's a 30-minute lesson, and not only do we go over swimming, we go over education as well."
Martin said Hawaiian Falls locations were coordinating lesson plans and communicating Thursday morning to ensure they would all have the same lesson.
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