Together We Can

“When I was younger we had basic swimming lessons with school, and then my mum took us to swimming lessons until around the age of 11 or 12. Once we stopped, we just never swam again really. There was a time where I went to Thailand with my friend and she nearly drowned. It was at that point, looking at her, that I realised ‘I can’t really help you because I’m not a confident swimmer myself.’ So I think for me it’s about being confident and potentially one day being able to help somebody. I like the fun of just being in water as it’s enjoyable. People always talk about swimming being a sport but I find it quite therapeutic. However, because I’m not a confident swimmer, I have a fear of drowning which gives me a sense of panic. I’ve had times where I’ve been in the pool and panicked because I couldn’t find the edge and felt like I couldn’t breathe. From these sessions I have built confidence, developing a relationship with the water and being able to go into the water with peace of mind.”

“When I first started my sessions, I wouldn’t even step into the water. But with encouragement from the BSA, I was able to overcome that fear.I came in for the first session and i was like, ‘actually this is going really well.’ So I came back again and with that boost I came back feeling more confident. Now I can step into the water without even thinking of any fears or phobias, I feel more relaxed and refreshed. The fact that I’ve learnt about water safety has allowed me to become more aware of my surroundings and I wouldn’t put myself or anyone around me in danger. I’m still a working progress but it’s been a journey and I’m really enjoying the progress I’m making every day.”

“I have a real fear of water and I’ve never, ever been able to learn to swim. I couldn’t swim throughout school. And then I did a couple of sets of adult swimming lessons. But I left without being able to swim. And I even tried one to one lessons, but again, I left those and I just didn’t feel confident enough to even allow myself to learn to float. I think my fear of swimming developed from having a near drowning experience during school swimming lessons. I had to be rescued by the swimming instructors when I was like 9 or 10. And I think that fear just stayed with me. And after that point on, I just stopped trying.

I really want to try again, but mainly because I’ve got three young kids, and when we go on holiday, we’ll go swimming. My husband has to take responsibility for all of them which isn’t fair on him and it’s also quite dangerous if i don’t step up. I want to be able to maybe not have the technique completely down but to have the confidence that I could look after my children in the water so if they are in trouble, I feel that I can kind of, just have one of them. Just hold one of them and maybe not feel so petrified.”

“I started these swim sessions because I just wanted to learn how to swim. I’ve had a bit of a fear of water for a while, and I kind of wanted to just face it. I haven’t been in the swimming pool in years. It was good to get in the pool and try new things. 

In terms of a mental aspect, learning to swim makes me feel good. It kind of affirms to me that I can do it, that it’s possible. I just need to keep working at it. I wanted to get into the habit of overcoming things that I haven’t really. I wanted to get comfortable just pushing into new territory, and not feeling like I have to stay in the same place. Learning how to swim has probably been one of the biggest things for me.”

“Before starting this course my relationship with swimming was really bad. I never really dipped into the water since I was probably less than 10. Swimming means a lot to me. If I get to learn, I get to swim with my daughter and I get to teach her how to swim. I won’t feel scared to go on holiday to places where I feel like I won’t be able to keep her safe. 

The biggest change for me that I’ve noticed over the course of these weeks is that I’ve learned how to be more confident in the water. I’ve learned that I’m actually more capable in the water than I thought. I feel like my mental health has improved a lot when it comes to my day to day as well. My confidence in the water has helped me be more confident outside of the water. My message to other black men who don’t know how to swim is to please get into the water. You need to do it. We need to break the stigmas, break the cycles, we need to be better for the generations after us and before us. It’s not just something that we need to do for necessity, as being viable is something that we need to do for health, fitness and enjoyment.”