The debate about water safety flares up every year the moment the sun appears. And rightly so. Every drowning incident is one too many, and yet here in the Netherlands we keep making the same mistakes. We keep putting our faith in flotation aids instead of in skills. We keep getting stuck in arguments about gadgets rather than structural solutions. And in the meantime, parents are being misinformed — with potentially fatal consequences.
The myth of flotation aids as ‘safety’
By now we're surrounded by a whole zoo of water aids: little turtles, shark fins, arm bands and other cheerful-looking gadgets. Products that give parents a sense of security, but that in reality contribute nothing to genuine swimming ability.
The irony is painful. A few years ago, a commercial swimming aid (the well-known ‘swim turtle’) was still being praised with open arms by a prominent water safety organisation. That very same organisation now speaks in firm terms about the “false sense of security” created by similar products.
What changed? The science? No. The safety of the product? Not that either. What changed was the commercial context — and with it, the opinion of the ‘experts’.
That's not just unreliable — it's downright dangerous.
The only real water safety: skill
Let me be crystal clear: No flotation aid, however well-intentioned, is a substitute for real swimming lessons. No arm bands. No turtles. No vests. Only learning proper technique, under the guidance of a professional swimming instructor, provides lasting safety in and around water.
Swimming ability isn't something you pick up in a single summer, and certainly not with buoyancy aids. You learn it through structured lessons, with attention to technique, self-reliance and confidence in the water. This takes time, commitment from parents and, above all: continuity.
The numbers – too late, too vague, too often ignored
What makes this annual debate even more frustrating is the way we handle drowning statistics here in the Netherlands. Every year, the official figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) aren't published until 25 July — right in the middle of the summer holidays. And every year, this late timing draws criticism. Because by the time those numbers surface, the damage has often already been done.
Why is that a problem?
Because it leaves policymakers, the media and parents with no chance to learn in advance from the previous year's mistakes. No targeted awareness campaigns. No anticipation of risks. No prevention.
As chairman of NSWZ, I genuinely wonder why this pattern keeps repeating itself, despite repeated requests and criticism from within the sector. Transparency about drowning figures shouldn't be an annual surprise — it's an essential part of any prevention policy.
A call to parents, schools and politicians
Parents: don't just hand your child an arm band — give them a skill that lasts a lifetime.
Schools: have the courage to take swimming instruction seriously as a basic skill, on par with maths or language, including theoretical lessons on water safety.
Politicians: don't wait for incidents or media attention — build water safety into education and municipal policy from the ground up.
And to the ‘experts’ whose opinions shift depending on which brand is on the market: be honest. Real safety begins with clarity and consistency. Don't let commercial interests set the tone in a debate about children's lives.