News 12 at 6 o'clock, July 2, 2008

AIKEN, S.C.--Five year old Tyson Walker and his sister Tajae are making a splash. "It's fun to jump off the diving board," Tyson says.

They're both young, but they both understand just how important it is to know how to swim. "Because you might drown," says Tajae.

They are also bucking a trend. A new study shows an estimated fifty-eight percent of African American children don't know how to swim. That means, African American kids are also more likely to drown. In fact, three times the average rate more likely.

Drowning is exactly what the recreation center is trying to prevent. They want everyone to know the basics. That way you can breathe easier, if you ever found yourself in a dangerous situation.

"It's never too late to learn. There's nothing to be afraid of and we're really calm and gentle and we really help you feel at ease in the water so you can help yourself if you need to," says water safety instructor Monique Waller.

One of the Rec Center's big problems is if parents don't like the water...neither do their kids. "As a parent ,if you can't swim and you're afraid of the water, your children are going to pick up on that and they'll be afraid of the water as well," Waller says.

Across the county, at the Aiken City Recreation Center, day camps spend their afternoons swimming the summer away. The kids enjoy it, but the counselors make sure they're safe. The kids must have mom an dad's permission before diving in. "If they check that their child does know how to swim, we still run them through a swim test at the pool and if they pass they can swim in the deep end. If they don't pass, they still have to go to the shallow end," says Director of the City of Aiken Summer Camp Jessica Campbell.

Either way, at least they're learning and like Tyson and Tajae, that knowledge could save their life.

The Aiken County Rec Center will be hosting lessons until August 1st. The cost for a two-week personal lesson is fifty-dollars. To sign up, you can call 803- 663-6142.