Babies are being thrown into pools unaided and left to recover in a controversial new technique\r
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Silvia Garcia and Miguel Jerez are filmed throwing babies as young as six months into a swimming pool to teach them key skills\r
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At six months old, babies have still been in the outside world for less time than they were in the womb.\r
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They might be showing signs of rolling over and enjoying solids . They should be able to see and hear the world as well as any adult and are probably getting a grip on communicating.\r
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But help themselves, unaided, in deep water?\r
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The image of a tiny six-month old baby fighting to right themselves in order to take a lung full of air after being dunked repeatedly underwater doesnt necessarily make for comfortable viewing.\r
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Yet as disturbing as the footage may initially seem, the objective behind it is crucial.\r
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The Swim Survival Technique\r
Popular in America, the Swim Survival Technique has been brought to the UK by International Swimming Academy instructors and lifeguards Silvia Garcia and Miguel Jerez.\r
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Many swimming classes teach children how to rely on floats or on their parents support - even how to jump in the water without knowing how to swim.\r
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Silvia Garcia explains, Drowning is the third highest cause of accidental death in young children.\r
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Further to this disturbing figure, recent statistics also found that a third of all UK children cannot swim.
