THOMASVILLE- Thursday afternoon, the Thomasville Police Department dive team spent time with children at the Weston YMCA’s Rose City Day Camp, teaching them water safety.

Tom Everett, CEO of YMCA Thomasville, said that they were grateful for the team coming out to show the children how to stay safe and responsible at pools, beaches and lakes.

“We are grateful for the dive squad coming out to spend time with our summer campers,” Everett said. “Water safety is a topic that we all have to take seriously, particularly this time of year when pools, beaches and lakes are in full swing”

Everett added that the children learned safety tips in regard to riptides and how the diving squad conducts search and rescue operations.

“The kids learned safety tips about things like riptides and also got to see first-hand how the squad practices safety and communication when conducting search and rescue operations,” he said. “Anything we can do as a community to keep our kids safe around water is a positive step.”

Corporal Crystal Parker, Community Relations Officer for TPD, said that Assistant Dive Commander Grady Shiver had shared that they had a great relationship with the YMCA.

“He said they have a great relationship with the YMCA and often use the facility for dive training exercises, so they were happy to visit the camp and speak with the kids,” Parker said.

The visit lasted approximately 2 hours, according to Parker, and she said that Shiver had shared some important tips to staying safe in the water.

“Shiver said it is important to understand your limitations in the water, and recommended that if you don’t know how to swim, you need to stay in very shallow areas and make sure there are adults around who do know how to swim,” Parker said.

According to Parker, the dive team did a demonstration of how they search for things in the water, for items as small as a dime or as big as a car, and got some children in the water and around their equipment that they use to breathe underwater.

Shiver said that it was a good experience and that the children were excited to be there, and it was rewarding that they were so eager to learn.

“It was a good experience,” he said. “The kids were enthusiastic and attentive to what we were teaching them. It is rewarding to know that the safety tips we talked about will help them to have a safer experience as they enjoy activities in and around the water this summer.”