On one bright, inauspicious day in June, one of our newest lifeguards happened to pose a question to Andrew, who was an Assistant Instructor at the time: “Say Andrew, do you know anyone who could teach a class in flood rescue in Jamaica? An old friend who works for South Com asked me about it and I don’t know who else to ask.” Justin, who was only passing by, overheard this and threw himself upon the situation. “Give me his name, his number, and the name of the company he works for. Andrew, we can do this!” After much negotiating, “Sorry, July 3rd is too early for us,. How about July 5th?” And so they were off, happy to help Jamaica train it’s first ever National Urban Search and Rescue Team.

Fast forward one year and Justin and Andrew are working in indigent clinics in Cusco, Peru, as part of a program to learn medical spanish. While there, they discovered and contacted the president of the Peruvian Lifesaving Association (ASP), Sr. Luis Hermoza. They agreed to add a few extra days in Lima to the end of their trip to teach CPR, First-aid, and Lifesaving technique. While still in Cusco, they talked about their good fortune and wondered, “Wouldn’t it be grand if we could just travel the world sharing our knowledge and love of aquatic rescue with people everywhere?” Well, they decided that, yes, it would, and Salvavidas International was born.

And so it goes. With a focus in public health and education, we are dedicating ourselves to pitch in where ever possible to help the lifesaving community thrive. We find that the solutions are simple, the resources are abundant, and the road is long and (so far) prosperous.