Step 1: Get comfortable in the water.
Get in the water and walk around in the shallow end. Take this time to test your buoyancy. As you feel more comfortable, progress to deeper water, getting wet up to your chest or shoulders. Although many beginners are not afraid of the water, it is important to make sure that you are comfortable in both shallow and deep areas. Do not feel bad if it takes a while before you are comfortable with going this deep into the pool.
The warm summer air brushed my face as we went deeper into the brush. My feet were now hurting as blisters were surely forming on my heels. Dad was ahead, trying to read the map and help us to make it up to the top of the cliff. Mom was lagging behind a little, seeing as she was now pregnant with her third child. My sister and I were walking next to each other. I could tell that she was tired from how she was huffing and puffing. She had never liked outdoor activities that much, but Mom insisted that we go hiking one last time before we had to cart around a stroller for five years.
Step 2: Get your face wet.
Get in the shallow end of the pool. Hold onto the side. Put your face in the water and blow bubbles. Stand up and breathe normally. Do this until you are comfortable with having your face in the water.
We had been walking for what seemed like hours. I took my phone out of my back pocket to check the time. We had only been walking for twenty minutes since the last time I checked. I was sure that I was bleeding through my socks. My blisters had probably popped themselves by how bad my feet were hurting. Mom was also complaining about how her back, feet, and knees were hurting.
“My feet are gonna be raw by the end of this. My back is killing me and I’m pretty sure I’m gonna trigger some early on-set arthritis if we don’t stop for a break.”
Dad was trying to coax her into going for just a few more feet. Mom said no, her eyebrows drawing together to create the seemingly permanent creases in her forehead.
“It’s only a little while longer to the top. And there’ll be such an amazing view. C’mon it’s only a little bit more.”
“I said I need a break and you of all people should let me have one. I am carrying your baby after all.”
I saw Dad’s shoulders slump at this. He told us that there was a waterfall up ahead that we could sit on the bank of. He and Mom started walking in the direction of it. My sister, who had decided to sit on the ground during this exchange, got up and ran to catch up to them. I promptly followed her, a queasy feeling rising in my stomach.
Step 3: Learn to Float.
Hold the side of the pool. Take a deep breath and lift your feet up, leaning backwards. Try to float. This can take a few tries, Do this until you can float for 15 to 30 seconds. Then practice without holding onto the side. When comfortable, flip over onto your stomach. Hold the side of the pool. Take a deep breath and put your face into the water while kicking your legs out behind you. Try to float. Do this until you can float for 15 to 30 seconds. Then practice without holding onto the side.
The rushing sound of the waterfall surrounded us. The queasy feeling in my stomach had gotten worse as I watched the water roll off the edge of the rocks and into the river that it flowed into. The rushing got louder in my ears even though I tried to block it out. I backed away from the bank where we were sitting before the stream could get too close to me. I stared at the river as the tide of memories came rushing back.
Step 4: Practice with a Flotation Device.
Get a swimming device (kickboards and foam noodles are best) and try to swim one lap. Do not use arm supports or anything around your waist as these interfere with swimming more than help. Hold onto the kickboard or noodle with both hands. Kick off the wall and scissor-kick with your legs straight behind you. Rotate your head side to side to breathe. Complete one lap, resting when necessary.
I was nine years old when I almost died. My family was hiking at Gillette Castle and we had stumbled upon a river. The river was a beauty in and of itself, the water playfully glinting up at me, winking and giggling like a court jester. My sister, who was just five years old then, was afraid of drowning in it as I had told her about the sinking of the Titanic the week before. Mom tried to reassure her, but her tight smile had never been comforting. My sister backed away and tried to run, but Dad caught her before she could go off the path. He dragged her back, tickling her as he did. Only Dad’s warm smile and soft eyes were able to bring a smile to her face when she was upset. He set her down on the cliff-like bank of the river next to Mom. She had stopped crying and was now clinging to Mom in an attempt to not fall off the small ledge. I too was clinging to Mom’s hand for security. I wasn’t afraid of falling, but would have preferred to go back to our car with dry clothes. It was then that Dad suggested that we take a closer look.
I held his hand as he helped me down onto the shiny rocks that bordered the rushing current of the river. Dad’s hands were always more sturdy and rough than mine. My first foot, the left one, reached the rocks first. I watched as my foot slowly slid forward and down the rock before Dad caught me. I had no idea that shiny rocks were also slippery. Dad steadied me and continued to hold my hands as we went down the rocks towards the river.
When we had made it to the last rock, Dad let go of my hands and let me stand by myself next to him. The view from here was amazing. The water was not blue as I had been told so many times before but crystal clear. So clear that I could see myself and the small tadpoles wading at the bottom. I leant in to get a closer look. That was a big mistake.
Step 5: Swim without a device.
Once comfortable, try a lap without a flotation device. Put your arms in front of you and push off the wall. Begin scissor-kicking with your arms straight out in front and side breathing. Complete one lap, resting when necessary. Repeat this as you feel more comfortable.
I was now in the water. I had no recollection of how I got here, but my clothes were now soaked through, and I was oh so very cold. My fingernails were gripping the wet rocks so tightly that I could feel them breaking off. My hands were covered in dirt and blood from what I could see. I let out ear piercing scream after ear piercing scream, pleading for someone to help. Please. HELP ME! I was now wishing that I had taken Mom up on her offer for swim lessons. I lifted my head to look up at my father. He was just standing there. Just standing there not doing anything. It was only when Mom screamed at him to help me, get me out, save me from the sweeping current that was slowly pulling me into its grasp. Dad rushed to the edge of the rocks and lifted me up into his arms. I sobbed as I was placed back onto the soft ledge of the riverbank.
Mom cradled me to her as I cried. I could hear her yelling at Dad for even thinking about taking me down there. How could he do that? Was he even thinking? How idiotic of him. I heard Dad argue back. I would never hurt my daughter. I wanted her to have fun. I’m not an idiot, you just don’t know how to have fun because you’re always at work. They went back and forth like this for a while before Mom told him to shut up and asked to see my hands.
I showed her. They were still bloody and dirty. She inspected them and then told me that my skin had ripped away from my nail on my pinky finger. No wonder it hurt so much. She said that we had to get back to the visitor center so that I could wash my hands and get a Band-Aid. Dad kept apologizing. I don’t know why. I didn’t blame him for anything. He was just trying to help me enjoy nature and get a closer look at the tadpoles and the fish and the one crane that stood on a rock a few feet from the bank. Why would anyone apologize for that? I know that I wouldn’t.
Congratulations! You did it! You now know how to swim using these five simple steps.
As we walked back, the smell of wet dirt and the sound of the rushing water got quieter. I was still crying, but not as much as I had been before. The pain in my finger had subsided a bit but was still very prominent. Dad was still apologizing, Mom was still mad at him, my sister was a bit lost, but it was all good. I was still alive wasn’t I?
Happy swimming!