Brenner, Moran, Stallman, Gilchrist and McVan, (2006) recommended that "swimming ability be promoted as a necessary component of water competence, but with the understanding that swimming ability alone is [often] not sufficient to prevent drowning" (p. 116). Tradition and expert opinion are no longer enough. Science can now help us select essential competencies. What does research evidence show us about the protective value of specific individual personal competencies? Since the term "water competence'' was coined by Langendorfer and Bruya (1995) and adapted for drowning prevention by Moran (2013), it has gained in use and acceptance. As a construct, it is indeed more inclusive than "swimming skill'' alone for addressing drowning prevention. Our proposed taxonomy of water competencies re-emphasizes the need for a broad spectrum of physical aquatic competencies as well as the integration of cognitive and affective competencies. The purpose of this review article is to a) identify all the key elements of water competence, b) support each recommended type of water competence with examples of research evidence, and c) suggest areas requiring further research.

The aims of this study were to compare drag in swimming children and adults, quantify technique using the technique drag index (TDI), and use the Froude number (Fr) to study whether children or adults reach hull speed at maximal velocity (v max ). Active and passive drag was measured by the perturbation method and a velocity decay method, respectively, including 9 children aged 11.7 ± 0.8 and 13 adults aged 21.4 ± 3.7. The children had significantly lower active (k AD ) and passive drag factor (k PD ) compared with the adults. TDI (k AD /k PD ) could not detect any differences in swimming technique between the two groups, owing to the adults swimming maximally at a higher Fr, increasing the wave drag component, and masking the effect of better technique. The children were found not to reach hull speed at v max , and their Fr were 0.37 ± 0.01 vs. the adults 0.42 ± 0.01, indicating adults' larger wave-making component of resistance at v max compared with children. Fr is proposed as an evaluation tool for competitive swimmers.

This paper proposes that the teaching of beginner swimming should be organized according to the causes of drowning. We surveyed drowning reports, interviewed drowning survivors, and observed simulated drowning victims to determine common characteristics associated with drowning. We also reviewed 25 swimming instructional programs offered by well-recognized national programs from 18 separate countries and identified 8 common beginning swimming skills. These skills could be closely connected with the causes of drowning. We proposed a definition for being able to swim that should be given common international acceptance so that learning to swim can actually provide skills needed for preventing drowning.

Little is known about the relationship between real and perceived water competence among youth in the context of drowning prevention or of their perceptions of their risk of drowning. This study reports the findings of an international project entitled Can You Swim? Collegiate physical education students (n = 373) were assessed in a two-part study using an initial questionnaire survey to provide self-estimates of water competency and risk perception, followed by six practical tests in the water. Correlation coefficients between perceived and real swimming (r s = 0.369) and floating (r s = 0.583) skills were significant but only moderate in strength. No significant gender differences in real or perceived water competency were found. Significantly more males than females estimated lower risk of drowning associated with a series of aquatic scenarios (p = 0.016). The implications of these findings on drowning prevention and the need for further investigation are discussed.While the role of swimming proficiency in drowning prevention may appear axiomatic, its protective capacity is not well understood. Brenner, Saluja, and Smith (2003) have argued that increased swimming competency is almost certain to be protective in a drowning situation and, if so, then differences in swimming competency may help explain why some are at greater risk of drowning than others. The relationship between swimming competency, swimming lessons, and the risk of drowning for young children has been the subject of some inquiry (Brenner, Moran, Stallman, Gilchrist, & McVan, 2006), but little is known about this relationship with respect to young adults, one of the most at-risk groups of drowning in most developed countries.A systematic, large-scale review of childhood and youth drowning noted that even though studies have shown that swimming lessons improved the ability to dive,

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