Whether you are a holidaymaker or a local enjoying a fun day out at the beach or the pool, you’d like to know you can do so comfortably without the fear of a loved one drowning.

Nippers have been turning children into water safety guardians for years, and when 9-year-old Salt Rock resident Blake Nicholson saw a boy at the bottom of Brettenwood Coastal Estate’s pool he knew what to do.

It was a typical day for Blake, who can often be found at the beach, enjoying the ocean.

If not at the beach, you can find him in a pool – or as mom Debbie puts it: “If it’s water and it’s available, he’s in it.”

On November 22, Blake was enjoying the slide at Brettenwood Coastal Estate with a few friends when he realised another child was in trouble.

Although the other boy was much larger than Blake, he did not hesitate to leap into the deep end.

Unable to lift the child out of the water, Blake raised the boy above the water level by holding up his straightened arms, while holding his breath and walking underwater to the shallow end.

When he reached the steps and lifted the boy out of the pool, he shouted for help.

Recounting the story, Debbie said, “We had a gentleman with us who started CPR immediately and paramedics arrived with oxygen.

The boy was taken to hospital where fluid was drained from his lungs and he was allowed to recover overnight,” she said.

If not for the training provided by the Salt Rock Nippers, Blake may not have been equipped to save the boy’s life.

A strong and confident swimmer who has enjoyed the training provided by Nippers since the age of 5, Blake has made his parents proud but would also like to stress the importance of water safety especially with the festive season on our doorstep.

Blake encourages more people to have their children join Nippers in order to become water-wise.

Nippers is a junior program that introduces all children aged 5 to 13 years to surf lifesaving.

Nippers will open again when the schools go back at the end of January next year.

To join contact Debbie Nicholson on Debs.nicholson@gmail.com.