Blair McGuffie, Aquatics Professional, LLC.

08/12/2026

Diana the Delivery Diva is bringing Island Times to your favorite news locations. Pick IT up or click IT up at www.MyIslandTimes.com

07/24/2026

With Florida’s child drowning rate as alarming as it is, Casey sat down with the Sun Sentinel to share her story, why water safety became her life’s mission after losing her daughter Edna Mae to drowning, and why she’s so passionate about making sure every child learns to swim.

Read the full story here: https://www.sun-sentinel.com/2026/07/22/the-no-1-killer-of-kids-inside-floridas-child-drowning-crisis/?share=wdsd0ierni2geptdm2st

07/03/2026

If you're celebrating this weekend, around the water, be sure take a few extra precautions to help keep everyone safe.💦
Here are a few simple reminders to help keep water safety top of mind this holiday weekend!

06/25/2026

06/15/2026

From Olympic medalists to legendary coaches, meet the eight greatest swimming figures in Pensacola area history. See link below ⬇️

📸 PNJ file photo

05/19/2026

A compliant child is not always learning what is intended.

A video was recently sent to me.
What I saw was a child floating on her back in the water, supported by an adult.
The child was in visible distress.
Terrified.
Begging the adult not to “flip” her over.

The adult proceeded anyway.
Before doing it, the child was told:
“Say: I am brave. I am strong. I can do hard things.”

Afterwards, once the child managed to roll back onto her back again, the adult asked: “It wasn’t as bad as last time, was it?”

From a relational and developmental perspective, this is deeply concerning.
Not because children should never be challenged. Children absolutely grow through challenge - when it happens within safety, trust, attunement, and connection.

But we also know something very important:
Children cannot learn optimally when they are overwhelmed by fear.
When fear becomes too strong, the nervous system shifts from openness and integration into protection and survival.

And in that state, something very important can happen:
Compliance can look like learning from the outside,
while internally the child may simply be trying to maintain connection and reduce threat.

That is a very different process.

From a developmental perspective, safety is always the adult’s responsibility, not the child’s. Not even after the child has learned to swim.

We understand this in most other areas of life.
We do not place children in the middle of traffic to teach them how to avoid being hit by a car. We walk with them. We protect them. Until they are developmentally capable of managing danger themselves.

Water safety matters deeply.

But how children experience adults while learning about safety matters too.
Because children do not only learn skills in these relationships.

They also learn:
What safety feels like.
Whether their boundaries and needs matter.
Whether fear will be met with protection or override.
And what happens to connection when they say “no.”

What did you learn to become good at - while disconnecting from yourself?

05/18/2026

Ahoy! Safe boating class tonight and Wednesday, 5:30 p.m. at the SRIA office, #1 Via de Luna. $45. 8 hours total.
More details:
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 081‑01‑07 will host its upcoming Boat America safety course on Pensacola Beach this May, offering residents a thorough introduction to safe and responsible boating. The two‑session program runs Monday, May 18, and Wednesday, May 20, from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Santa Rosa Island Authority Board Room.

The eight‑hour course covers boating basics, navigation rules, required safety equipment, trailering, emergencies, and Florida boating law. Instruction begins shortly before 6 p.m. on the first night, with registration and materials available at 5:30 p.m. The $45 fee includes all course materials and the Florida boating license. The class is taught by Auxiliary instructor Arthur Leary.

At a Glance
Course: Boat America – U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary

Dates: Monday, May 18 & Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Time: 5:30–9:30 p.m. (may extend to 10 p.m. on May 18)

Location: Santa Rosa Island Authority Board Room, 1 Via De Luna Dr., Pensacola Beach

Cost: $45 (includes materials and Florida boating license)

Instructor: Arthur Leary

Contact: [email protected] • (850) 860‑8876

Topics: Boating basics, navigation, safety equipment, emergencies, trailering, water sports, and Florida boating law

05/15/2026

Today, on International Water Safety Day, we recognize that water safety is never just one thing — it’s layers of protection working together. 💙🌊

-- SWIM LESSONS AND COMMUNITY EDUCATION helping people build confidence and lifesaving skills.

-- LIFEGUARD who trains tirelessly to be ready in an emergency.

-- The AQUATIC TECHNICIAN maintaining safe water chemistry and equipment behind the scenes.

All together, it’s STRONG LEADERSHIP, PREVENTION STRATEGIES, EMERGENCY PLANNING, PARENTS STAYING ENGAGED, and TEAMS committed to creating safer aquatic environments every single day.

Water safety takes all of us. Today, we celebrate the professionals, educators, advocates, and community members working together to make every splash safer.

05/06/2026

Seeing that statistic shouldn’t feel normal, but for many families, it does…

…because knowing water is dangerous and knowing how to actually prevent a drowning are two VERY different things.

- Constant supervision fatigue
- Children who wander quickly and unexpectedly
A strong attraction to water
- Safety plans that don’t account for sensory or behavioral needs
- Traditional “rules” that don’t always stick

And when something feels off around water, families often blame themselves for not doing enough…

But here’s the truth:
It’s not a lack of care, it’s a lack of the right safety strategies.

At Swim Angelfish, we see this every day.
Families doing everything they can…but without tools designed for how their child actually learns, moves, and responds.

That’s why we created our Adaptive Water Safety Toolkit. Because water safety isn’t one-size-fits-all.

And it shouldn’t rely on luck.

It should be layered, practiced, and built around the individual.

✔ Ritual and routine…
Creating predictable safety habits like “I see water and I ask” to reduce impulsive entry

✔ Monitor and intervene…
Understanding supervision, proximity, and when to step in before a situation escalates

✔ Rescue equipment…
Introducing tools like rescue tubes before an emergency so they’re familiar, not frightening

✔ Adaptive swim training / learning to swim…
Building real, functional water skills that account for sensory, motor, and behavioral needs

Because drowning prevention isn’t just about teaching swimming…

It’s about creating layers of protection that work together.

When families have the right tools, they gain:
✨ Clear, actionable safety steps
✨ More confidence in, near and around water
✨ Strategies that actually match their child’s needs
✨ Peace of mind that they’re incorporating another added layer of safety (because there can never be ENOUGH)

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

You just need the right strategies, in the right order.

Download the free Adaptive Water Safety Toolkit here: https://swimangelfish.com/water-safety-for-all-abilities/

❕ Behind everything we do is one mission: lowering drowning risk. That means evolving, collaborating, and expanding our impact…

We’re proud to partner with organizations like Stop Drowning Now to combine education, awareness, and adaptive strategies, so more families have access to life-saving information that actually works.

05/04/2026

LAYERS OF PROTECTION — Water safety isn’t just during swim time. Each layer should be used together when in or around water to help reduce the risk of drowning. You never know which layer will save a life. Find a USSSA Swim School near you: https://usswimschools.org/find-a-school/