The Wave Starts Here

Drowning remains one of the most urgent — and overlooked — public-health crises in the United States. According to the CDC, Black children are 1.8 times more likely to drown than white children, Native American and Alaska Native children face the highest drowning rates of any group, and Asian children ages 5–14 experience drowning rates nearly twice as high. At the same time, Latino families disproportionately lack access to affordable swim lessons and water-safety education. These disparities aren’t accidents — they are the result of generations of exclusion, barriers to access, and underinvestment in aquatics.

The Wave Starts Here is Diversity In Aquatics’ 10-day campaign to change the narrative — and the numbers. Your support fuels lifesaving programs that create representation, restore trust in the water, and build pathways into aquatics for historically excluded communities. Every video shared, every donation made, and every ripple of awareness helps ensure that every child, family, and community can be safe, confident, and connected around the water.

Your gift supports:

• Water-Safety Festivals & Community Education

  Hands-on learning, drowning-prevention training, and essential resources for families nationwide.

• Research That Drives Change

  Investments in IJARE and community-based studies that identify disparities and promote evidence-based solutions.

• Training & Certifications

  Scholarships and support for new instructors, lifeguards, parent/caregiver safety programs, and community ambassadors.

• Films & Art That Shift Culture

  Screenings of When Everyone Swims, Wade in the Water, Water Is Our Medicine, and the award-winning POOL exhibition — a powerful, national storytelling initiative supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

• HBCU Celebration Weekend & Leadership Development

  Expanding access, visibility, and opportunity across HBCU campuses through intergenerational programming, meet-ups, swim events, and coaching pipelines.

This work is only possible because people like you believe in a future where equity, safety, and joy in aquatics belong to everyone.

Ways to Give

$25 – Supporter

Fuel lifesaving education, research, and community programming.

$100 – Wave Starter

Receive one t-shirt of your choice from the DIA Shop — and help bring water-safety resources to more families.

$500 – Community Champion

Get a DIA t-shirt + recognition in our newsletter and on social media.

By giving today, you help close the drowning-disparity gap, uplift underrepresented communities, and create the next generation of swimmers, instructors, lifeguards, and aquatic leaders.

Every ripple makes a difference.

Every story sparks a wave.

The Wave Starts Here.