Today we’d like to introduce you to Bobby Hazen.
Hi Bobby, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Bobby Hazen is the Executive Director of Stop Drowning Now. Bobby has been in the swimming school, water safety and drowning prevention industry for over 26 years.
Bobby is married for 27 years to his beautiful wife Lisa, and they have one child in college.
As Founder of End Drowning Now, Formally the District Manager and Coordinator of the “Drowning Prevention through Education Department” at Long Island’s prominent Saf-T-Swim swim schools and VP of East coast operations for Streamline Brands.
Bobby is a member of the United States Swim School Association (USSSA), was on the Infant Toddler Committee and Board of Directors. Bobby is also very active in helping to mold water safety, drowning prevention, and swim lesson legislation as a founding member of the New York Water Safety Coalition and now Nationally with Stop Drowning Now.
After teaching swim lessons and running several of the Saf-T-Swim facilities, Bobby realized how much he enjoyed teaching babies and children how to save themselves and learning the lifesaving skill of swimming.
Every year Bobby heard of fatal drowning or non-fatal drowning events, and it became a passion of his to find an effective drowning prevention water safety educational program. He wanted one central place to aid in educating parents, caregivers, and children with understanding the risks and learning safer behavior in, on, or near any open water.
In 2008 he founded the Long Island Drowning Prevention Task Force (LIDPTF) which eventually became End Drowning Now and has been accepted as a chapter of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance (NDPA).
In 2009 the LIDPTF teamed up with the Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation, Long Island Pool and Spa’s Kids Swim initiative and Saf-T-Swim to institute and help organize a fun interactive early education Safer 3-character school assembly program.
Each year, along with help from its partners End Drowning Now were able to educate and reach school children about the Safer 3=Safer Water, Safer Kids, and Safer Response.
In 2013 Bobby teamed up with Rich Specht who lost his 2-year-old child Rees to a drowning in the back yard pond. They decided to work together to revamp the school assemblies using mascots and to honor Rees and created “ReesSpecht the Water” a fun, interactive school assembly.
Bobby programs have reached more than 150,000 children, received several awards and have been featured on several media platforms including, News 12, Fox, ABC, NBC, PIXX 11, and Newsday.
Bobby’s was named Director of Stop Drowning Now in April 2025, he decided to merge End Drowning Now resources with Stop Drowning Now to deliver an amazing educational platform and tool kit.
In May 2024 Bobby spoke along at Governor Hochul at her NY Swims imitative press event
Bobby’s goal is to educate as many people as possible, save children’s lives and to Stop Drowning Now!
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
Educating the masses is difficult, having people listen, understanding what changes need to happen to make a difference.
People don’t understand what the problem actually is. All parents think they are the perfect parent until they are not. No one thinks it will happen to them. Raising Funds, raising awareness, changing legislation is definitely not easy!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I teach children how to save themselves!
I change kids’ lives forever.
Executive Director of Stop Drowning Now. A National 501(c)3 organization specializing in educating parents, caregivers, children, communities, and governments how to be safer in, on, or near any open water.
I’m a people person that creates relationships.
To this day I also still teaching swimming lessons.
I am persistent, and rarely take no for an answer
I am proud of the amazing lifesaving programs that I have helped create, the relationships and friendships I’ve made, the numerous amounts of lives that I have saved.
What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Yes, big drowning & water safety legislative changes
Swimming and water safety education will be part every child’s upbringing and schooling, it will become part of our culture.
Learning to swim will be recommended by pediatricians and as young as 6 months
Every child will be water safer aware or know how to swim
Adults that know how to swim will climb to over 60% up from its current 46%
Pricing:
- Swim lessons save lives
- Life is priceless
- Never to young or old to learn
- Water safety is necessary
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.stopdrowningnow.org/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stopdrowningnowusa
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StopDrowningNow
