Olympic champion Tom Dean has partnered with the Royal Life Saving Society to deliver a crucial message. It comes after a number of tragedies with children losing their lives in open water across the country in the last week
Olympic swimming champion Tom Dean says the teenagers who drowned in the heatwave lost their lives due to a lack of water safety education.
At least 12 people have died in water-related incidents across the UK amid record May temperatures.
Tom, who won three golds at the 2020 and 2024 Games, said: “There has to be a push for drowning prevention education up and down the country. Children should not be losing their lives in this way.”
The 26-year-old, who is an ambassador for the Royal Life Saving Society, added: “These teenagers have been failed on an educational point and paid the ultimate price. I can’t begin to imagine what their friends and their families are going through.”
In recent days, young people have died in water-related incidents in Lincoln, Halifax, Rotherham, Warwickshire, Cheshire, Farnborough and Lancashire, along with a man in his 60s in Cornwall and a woman in her 70s in Wales.
Tom said the recent tragedies should serve as a “massive call to action” amid concerns that too many young people underestimate the dangers of open water. “It’s been a really tough week. It’s hit really close to home this many deaths in such a short space of time. Kids are being pulled from bodies of water up and down the country. It’s just heartbreaking.”” he said.
Tom, who appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2024, said the tragedies should serve as a call to action.
“Any body of water that’s deep enough to swim in is deep enough to drown in,” he said. “We saw highs of 35 degrees but that does not mean the water will be warm.
“It’s that cold water shock response that will get you. If you’re not used to it, in a sudden immersion you will gasp, panic, your heart rate and breathing rate will rise. You can find yourself in big trouble really quickly.”
The swimmer, who has won Olympic gold medals in Tokyo and Paris, said even elite athletes treat open water with caution. “I’m an Olympic swimmer and I have friends who are too – some of them would not go into an open body of water,” he said. “It’s completely different to thinking you can swim in a pool.
“Panicking in water is a horrible sensation even when you’re a strong swimmer. Cold water shock does not discriminate. All ages and all abilities can be impacted.”
Tom is now working with the RLSS to promote water safety education and believes every child should leave school not only able to swim but to understand the risks associated with open water.
“We teach road safety in schools and cycling proficiency. The same has to be done for water safety,” he said. “Swimming isn’t just a sport. What we do competitively on the Olympic stage is one thing, but it’s a crucial life skill as well.”
Recalling a drowning tragedy from his own childhood, Tom revealed a boy from a neighbouring school in his hometown died in an accident when he was around 11 years old.
“We had an assembly and our teacher told us this terrible, terrible news. That made me sit up and take notice of the potential danger,” he said.
“My dad used to say ‘Don’t swim alone.’ It made me listen to the advice more than ever and think this is really serious. I thought, we’re not all the same level of swimmer and I was conscious of not forcing anyone into the water when they didn’t want to be.
“But now years on when I open my news app and I read about more and more of these tragedies. You’re never going to stop people swimming in open bodies of water. Humans have done it for thousands of years. When it’s warm people want to be swimming and it’s a part of life for all ages but education needs to be better and you don’t need a pool to do it.”
In 2025, he launched the Tom Dean Swim School in his hometown of Maidenhead to help young children from all backgrounds build water confidence. He and his team are going into classrooms during Drowning Prevention Week, June 14-21, to teach key safety points.
“It’s not a failing of the schools. Budgets are squeezed so much and there’s other demands with grades and Ofsted, it’s tough. Added to that fewer pools are open around the country. Leisure centres are closing due to energy costs and price pressures people look for alternatives.
“I just cannot sit still. I won’t stop until we never see another drowning death in the UK,” added Tom.
Asked for his advice, he said: “Stick to the four basic safety points. Never swim alone, enter the water slowly, get out before you get cold. And if you do get into trouble – ‘float to live’ that’s an RLSS saying. It means lie on your back, spread your arms and legs and stay calm and above water. “If those four basic safety points can be taken on board this summer, it would make such a difference.”
RLSS UK is a charity with a vision to create communities free from drowning by sharing expertise as the leading provider of lifesaving and lifeguarding training and water safety education in the UK and Ireland
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