Cannonballs off diving boards and games of Marco Polo — a dip in the water is the root of many fond memories. But whether it is a swimming pool or a local lake, getting wet also has a darker side.

Slipping under the surface for good is a danger anytime someone hits the water; drowning is one of the most common causes of death around the world. According to the International Life Saving Federation, a global association of aquatics organizations, 1.2 million people around the world die by drowning every year, which equals more than two people per minute. Of those deaths, more than 50 percent are children.

Those numbers serve as a constant reminder of the importance of water safety. And there is one major step almost everyone can take to prevent becoming another statistic — swimming lessons.

The main mission of swim lessons is to prevent accidents, Broomfield Recreation Services aquatics director Dawn Rachjabun said. Lessons are the most important element of any aquatics department. It is the reason why we have a swimming pool in the first place.

Recreations services runs swimming lessons year-round, but participation numbers peak in the summer. The overall scope of the lessons are amazing, with Rachjabun estimating around 12,500 students took lessons in 2010.

Swimming lessons aim to achieve a number of goals, depending on skill level.

Low-level classes teach basic skills that build a solid water safety and swimming foundation by working on blowing bubbles, holding breath, kicking, working arm strokes, floating and going under water. As students progress, they pick up more complex skills, such as specific strokes and rhythmic breathing. But lessons focus on more than the mechanics of swimming.

Early on especially, there is an emphasis on helping students become comfortable in the water. And in Ashley Roddy`s six years as a Recreation Services swim instructor, there is no single element that makes a bigger difference in swim lessons than when a person is stress-free in the pool.

Once that happens everything opens up, Roddy said. Their confidence level shoots up and things just start clicking for them.

People can learn to swim at any age, but it almost is never too early to start.

Recreation Services offers introductory classes for children as young as 6 months, many of which incorporate parents as part of the lesson. Moving up through the levels of swimming mastery is a matter of people understanding their own advancement.

How somebody progresses through the lessons is very individualistic, Rachjabun said.

Safety is the main, but not only, payoff of swimming lessons. Knowing the do`s and don`ts around water and how to swim opens a world of recreation and fitness.

There is so many things tied to swimming, from scuba to triathlons, Rachjabun said. It is truly a lifelong skill.