Toddler allegedly nearly drowns during swimming lesson at Geylang swim school
A father in Singapore had to jump into a pool at a swim school in Geylang to save his three-and-a-half-year-old son from drowning on Sunday afternoon (6 Sept).
The boy, who was standing on a submerged platform along with another child, allegedly slipped into the water while the instructor was coaching a student.
Toddler slipps off platform submerged in water
Speaking to MS News, the father, who wished to be known as Mr Wang, said the incident happened at around 3.21pm.
It was reportedly his son’s fourth lesson at Little Splashes Aquatics located in SingPost Centre.
Image provided by Mr Wang
According to Mr Wang, the instructor was attending to another student, leaving his son and another child on a small, submerged moveable white platform without flotation devices.
“They were instructed to stand on a small, submerged platform that was completely out of the instructor’s direct line of sight,” he claimed.
His son later slipped off the platform and fell into deeper water.
Father dives into pool to rescue son
Mr Wang’s wife, who was watching from the designated viewing area with him, spotted their son in distress and alerted her husband.
The father shared he had to run from the public corridor to the swim school’s office, access the pool area and jump into the water to rescue his son.
He told MS News that the whole process took some time, during which his son remained submerged.
Source: Google Maps
Mr Wang alleged that the instructor only realised what had happened after he entered the pool. “Sorry, I didn’t see,” she purportedly said.
He also claimed that the instructor continued teaching and did not alert other staff.
Mr Wang said his wife then requested to view the CCTV footage. According to him, the outlet manager initially declined to share it due to company policy, but later showed the incident on his mobile phone.
The outlet manager also allegedly asked Mr Wang and his wife: “Didn’t the coach brief your son about safety during his first lesson?”
Police report made for the incident
The police officers then arrived at the premises and viewed the CCTV footage in the swim school’s office. Mr Wang said they told his wife that they also found the situation dangerous for toddlers.
The father claimed his family had previously asked whether one instructor could safely supervise up to five toddlers.
However, the outlet manager had assured them that children over 36 months could safely stand on the submerged platform.
Footage provided by Mr Wang
Additionally, Mr Wang told MS News that the instructor had previously asked him to watch from the public viewing area instead of standing beside the pool.
Following the incident, Mr Wang said his son has experienced nightmares, screaming, “So scared, so scared.”
The boy would also repeatedly ask: “Why didn’t the teacher save me? I will die.”
The father hopes sharing the incident will prompt the implementation of stronger safety measures for toddler swimming lessons.
Instructor suspended pending investigation results
According to Shin Min Daily News, Little Splashes Aquatics confirmed it was investigating the incident and reviewing CCTV footage.
The swim school said the class had an instructor-to-student ratio of 1:3. It added that the pool was about 1m deep, and the students waited on an underwater platform 0.5m above the pool floor.
Source: Google Maps
According to the school’s preliminary findings, the instructor was teaching another student when the boy stepped off the platform into deeper water. His parent then entered the pool to retrieve him.
However, the instructor has been suspended from teaching duties while an internal investigation and safety review are ongoing.
Little Splashes Aquatics said it has contacted the child’s parents and will remain in touch.
Additionally, the school said it is reassessing supervision protocols, including instructor positioning, sightlines and platform usage.
Further action would be taken if any breaches of safety procedures are found, it added.
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Featured image provided by Mr Wang.
