Burqini lifeguards

The water is calling. I can't wait to go swimming.


I'm excited to see that Sister Aheda's Ahiida swimsuits are getting lots of press. The most recent article is found in the January 9th ediction of Christian Science Monitor, and is about Aussie hijabi lifeguards.

The only beef I have with the article is this:

The group's trainer, Tony Coffey, says the burqini makes swimming more difficult compared with being dressed in a bikini or swimsuit. "It's the biggest hurdle the girls face. But we can't do anything about it, it's part of the deal. They just need more intensive training."

If someone is going to be a lifeguard, they better be a strong enough swimmer to be able to swim with some extra clothes. When I took lifeguarding training a decade ago, we had to swim for an entire hour, no stopping, wearing jeans and sweatshirts to prove our strength before they even let us into the class. And from what i understand, these swimsuits don't drag a person down, especially if they're a good swimmer. I'll let ya'll know when I test mine out (huzzah!).

Kudos to the hijabi sisters getting out there and getting things done. If you enjoy swimming yourself, please consider patronizing some of our entrapanurial sisters out there, like Sister Aheda or the Sister at SplashGear.