Bondi Rescue star hoppo’s in to offer migrants float survival trick

Hoppo will be hopping in the pool at Birrong and teaching residents how to float and stay safe in the water.
BRUCE ‘Hoppo’ Hopkins, star of the TV show Bondi Rescue, is usually found in the surf at Bondi Beach, but this September you will find him in the pool at Birrong Leisure and Aquatic Centre helping save lives.
Hoppo will be hopping in the pool, in partnership with City of Canterbury Bankstown, to run a series of sessions teaching CBCity residents how to float and stay safe in the water.
Passionate about water safety, he emphasises that floating can be the key to survival in the water. He has set up his own company, Surf Educators International, to promote the skill.
“If you don’t know how to float and how simple it can be, you tend to battle against the water,” Hoppo said.
“Floating gives you time to think, rather than panicking and becoming exhausted. If you can relax and float, then you can wait calmly to be rescued.”
Canterbury Bankstown Mayor Khal Asfour is delighted to bring the program to our community.
“This program is particularly important to Canterbury Bankstown, where so many new members of the community arrive with no experience of living around water,” he said.
“In Australia, water is everywhere and every summer we see the horrific headlines about lives lost. I don’t want to see any more of those headlines, so I urge our non-swimmers to take advantage of this opportunity and learn how to float.”
The program is open to adults and children (aged six and up), with sessions at 9am, 10.15am or 11.30am. Cost is $20 pa person and places are limited. Bookings: 9707 5500.