5 essential water skills to know this summer

Knowing how to swim can help you have fun at the pool or beach this summer. But it could also save your life. Here are some tips to start swimming if you never learned as a kid. This episode originally published June 29, 2023. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:00Speaker 00

  This message comes from the Southern Environmental Law Center. No one voted for dirty air and water. That's why S E L C is fighting back to defend the healthy environment everyone depends on. Because it's not political, it's fundamental. Learn more at S E L C dot org.

• 0:17Marielle Segarra?

  You're listening to Life Kit from NPR.

• 0:24Marielle Segarra?

  Hey, everybody, it's Marielle. There are some life skills that we're told we're supposed to learn as kids. But then you get to adulthood and you realize you never did learn how to ride a bike, or to light a match without burning your fingers, or to swim.

• 0:44Marielle Segarra?

  That's true for me and swimming. I took lessons as a kid, but I somehow never got the hang of it. I always felt like water was going up my nose and that I was moving through quicksand. And now, if I try to swim, I feel like I get nowhere. That is hard and a little embarrassing. And that shame can make us put up walls, like, I'm not good at this. Why even bother? Colin Jones told me he gets it.

• 1:11Speaker 02

  Like, once you start to build that thought process that you're not good at something, it tends to become real.

• 1:19Marielle Segarra?

  Jones nearly drowned when he was five. And then he went on to swim in two Olympics, win four medals, and become the first African American to hold a swimming world record.

• 1:29Speaker 02

  And one of the things that I think we need to do as a society, especially around water, is stop feeding into that thought process.

• 1:39Marielle Segarra?

  If you're an adult and you don't know how to swim, or don't know how to swim well, Colin is confident that you can do it. And he says you should do it. 11 people die by drowning every day in the US. Among adults, Black and Indigenous Americans have the highest drowning rates. And the American Red Cross found that while 85% of Americans said they could swim, only 56% could perform five basic water safety and swimming skills that can prevent drowning.

• 2:07Speaker 02

  We've talked about all the reasons why you shouldn't and can't. We need to change that into, I can and I will because. I will because I don't want this to continue. I will because I don't want anyone else in my family to drown. I will because I don't want any of my friends to drown. I will because this will make me healthy. I will because I know I can do it. So we need to change that narrative in our heads.

• 2:33Marielle Segarra?

  All right, Cullen, I'm listening. On today's episode of Life Kit, how you can learn to swim as an adult and what specific survival swimming skills you should know.

• 2:55Speaker 00

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  Support for this podcast and the following message come from the Southern Environmental Law Center. No one voted for a dirty air. No one voted for polluted water. That's why S E L C is fighting back to defend the healthy environment everyone depends on, just as they've done for 40 years. Because clean air, clean water, and a healthy climate aren't political, they're fundamental. Learn more at S E L C dot org. This message comes from Angie. When it comes to home projects, it matters who you hire. Angie has been helping homeowners find skilled pros to get their home projects done well for over 30 years. Angie's nationwide network has experts in everything, from landscaping to roofing and more.

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• 4:29Marielle Segarra?

  So Colin was telling me how he almost drowned as a kid. And then he went to swim classes.

• 4:34Speaker 02

  It took me five different teachers until I started feeling comfortable with the water. But you know how we all have that favorite English teacher, gym teacher, you know, Spanish teacher, whatever. We have that teacher that things just click. And so I never shame, I never make a point of putting anyone down, especially when it comes to learning to swim, because I can understand and I can relate. But the only thing that I say is do not give up. Because you will find that teacher, you will find that instructor, that it just clicks. You know, we really need to change this thought of swimming is just a great sport, which it is. It's also a life skill. And so we want to make sure that people understand the importance of learning to swim.

• 5:19Marielle Segarra?

  Yeah, as a crucial skill that they need to have. What about once you're an adult? And let's say you want to learn to swim for the first time because you never did as a kid. Where do you start? Like where can you find a class or an instructor that you might click with?

• 5:39Speaker 02

  So my mom took me to the Y. I think you have so many different groups now. We're talking about, this was like early 90s, late 80s. So she only had the Y in New Jersey at that point to really bring me to. But there's so many different outlets. And it's really about just doing the research and finding a pool near you. Most pools have lifeguards that will teach you. They might have a lesson program within the pool. You can go to usaswimming.org/makeasplash and there's a pool finder on there where you can find a pool near you. And you can, for some people, get those lessons for low cost or no cost.

• 6:23Speaker 02

  It's just about doing the research and finding what your local pool is providing.

• 6:28Marielle Segarra?

  As an adult, there's... There's additional shame layered on there. It's a feeling of, I should have learned how to do this by now. It's embarrassing that I haven't. And then I'm gonna go to this class and I'm gonna be with a bunch of kids and that's gonna be, I'm gonna look so silly. What are some of the, the mental barriers that adults might face when they're trying to decide to do a swimming class?

• 6:53Speaker 02

  Oh, I love my mom, but trust me, I've gotten every excuse thanks to her. I've heard it all. My sinuses, my allergies, my hip, my eh, I've heard it all. But I'm not saying that, that shame isn't a part of how you feel. I, I fully understand that. But what is important is shame or nearly drowning or drowning. I'll take the shame and I'll overcome the shame over that any day of the week. My mom is now learning to swim. And one of the things that she told me after her first swim lesson, she's like, why did I, why did I wait so long? And I said, it's because of all of the things that you built up in your head as to why you couldn't do it or why you shouldn't do it.

• 7:37Speaker 02

  Or you got really close to going, but then eh, something else got in the way.

• 7:42Marielle Segarra?

  Yeah. What are some things that you could do to make it easier on yourself? Like to prepare yourself for, for day one of lessons as an adult?

• 7:54Speaker 02

  I think as an adult, just like anything, pack your bag the night before. Have no excuses. You need no friction as to why you're going. Because again, we know about these stigmas that you've built up in your head as to why you shouldn't, couldn't, and won't do what, what this is when it comes to learn to swim. And then literally just listening to the teacher, because the teacher will tell you what, what you, what else you need. If it's a kickboard, if it's paddles or what have you. The, the, usually the facility or the, the lifeguard can supply that. But goggles, cap, suit, make sure you're comfortable in anything that you bought and you should be good.

• 8:31Marielle Segarra?

  Is there a, a swimming stroke that, that people are usually taught first? Or like one that is the most useful or effective to learn?

• 8:41Speaker 02

  You know, I would say freestyle just because of the ability to uh,

• 8:47Speaker 02

  Catch on to the motion. You can also breathe pretty easily by shifting to the side. The kick is a lot easier. The stroke is a lot easier. Once you get the rhythm down. Breaststroke is, I would say, a very, very close second.

• 9:01Marielle Segarra?

  Okay, how do you get over the feeling of grossness of like being in a body of water, like in a pool with all these other people and just their bodily fluids and sweat and stuff all over?

• 9:14Speaker 02

  I'm not even gonna lie to you. That's the first time I've ever been asked that. And I've been doing this for a long time. Okay, so getting over the grossness of other, others in the pool.

• 9:28Marielle Segarra?

  Sorry.

• 9:29Speaker 02

  No, no, no, no.

• 9:30Marielle Segarra?

  That's always been a thing ever since I, I think that part of it is like I saw like a Band-Aid floating in the water once and like, I know kids, they pee in the pool and I'm just, it's gross to me.

• 9:42Speaker 02

  Yes, I, I completely can understand that. When it comes to pools, the pools are shocked with chlorine. They are sterilized. They're constantly testing it to make sure that it's safe for people to be in there. Push the Band-Aid aside. That, that's just an unfortunate situation. But I can tell you that normally jumping in the pool is extremely clean.

• 10:06Marielle Segarra?

  Okay, and then, you know, I feel like there's, there are the people who know that they're not strong swimmers or that they can't swim. And then there are the people who think they can swim well, but they actually couldn't swim well enough to save themselves in a situation.

• 10:25Marielle Segarra?

  That's something the American Red Cross has talked about. They have this list of five skills that you need at minimum to save yourself in the water. I thought maybe we could go through them and why they're important.

• 10:39Marielle Segarra?

  The first one is to be able to fully submerge yourself underwater that's over your head, like to be comfortable enough to do that, but also to know how to do it safely by either stepping in or jumping in.

• 10:52Speaker 02

  Jumping into the water is a big issue, especially when you're looking at open water, when it looks at the ocean, or a lake, or a river, because you don't know what you're jumping into. So you see people jumping off rocks, you see people jumping off all of these different platforms. We've seen people become unbelievably injured from that. You want to make sure that you understand the depth of the water that you're actually jumping into.

• 11:20Marielle Segarra?

  There's another one that says you have to be able to return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute.

• 11:27Speaker 02

  This is a big one.

• 11:30Speaker 02

  I'm gonna tell you right now, I have four medals, I've been to the Olympics twice, I can't float. It has nothing to do with learning to swim. Muscle does not float. So if you are someone that is fit, has muscle, don't expect to float. You're gonna tend to go down, so that's why treading is very important. That's why these swim lessons are so important, because you can learn these skills to be able to hold yourself above water.

• 11:56Marielle Segarra?

  You know, I feel like treading water can be so exhausting. Is there anything I might learn in a swim class that would make it easier?

• 12:03Speaker 02

  So you'll learn how to skull, it's called sculling, where you're putting your hands back and forth, back and forth, and it's a way to keep yourself above water. You'll learn how to kick your feet. But one of the biggest things about, you know, treading water and also floating is taking in a deep breath. When you take in that deep breath, your lungs at that point essentially become a buoy, which will lift your body up above the water. Now, when you're treading water, sometimes you need to actually be breathing because you're moving, but to rest, you can take a deep breath and hold it and then kind of lay back.

• 12:40Marielle Segarra?

  Got it. All right, another one is to be able to turn around in a full circle and find an exit.

• 12:47Speaker 02

  So, I mean, it's just as important as getting into the water is to understand how to get out of the water. You know, you see people, they jump in and then they're disoriented and they don't know how to get out of the body of water. So, a lot of that is just understanding that, yes, you, you know, we all like to get in the water, but we need to also prioritize understanding the safest way how to get out.

• 13:09Marielle Segarra?

  And then being able to swim 25 yards to an exit without stopping. How far is 25 yards, by the way, for those of us who can't picture a yard?

• 13:18Speaker 02

  So, most pools in the US are 25 yards. So, the pool that you're thinking of in your head, that's probably a 25-yard pool. Many swim tests usually either go the full 25-yard length, or you have to swim across the width of a pool.

• 13:37Marielle Segarra?

  And then you also need to be able to exit from the water, and if you're in a pool, that means get out without using a ladder.

• 13:45Speaker 02

  Correct. I have a three-year-old and I yell it to him every time he tries to get out now that he's really good at it, but it's elbow, elbow, tummy, knee, knee. You're not always going to necessarily have a ladder to be able to pull yourself up. So, one of the things that I like to, and I've heard from others, elbow, elbow, so you're putting your, both of your elbows up on the surface, lifting yourself up to your stomach, so you're halfway out, and then you're trying to bring your knee up, one knee up, and then the other knee up, and then you should be able to stand up at that point.

• 14:17Marielle Segarra?

  So, how do you know if you've been learning to swim in a pool, how do you know when you're ready to maybe tackle the ocean, or a river, or something like that?

• 14:26Speaker 02

  If you feel comfortable in a pool, being able to swim 25 yards, or 50, which is two laps, and you can tread for, you know, two, three minutes, I think that, yeah, going into the ocean, I think is great, and it's fine, and it's a lot of fun. But we want to make sure that, like, people feel comfortable, and I think that you will feel comfortable if you're able to, to not worry about the depth. You know, I have so many people come up to me that say to me, like, "Well, how, you can swim?" "Yeah." "Well, how, how deep can you swim?" Yeah, that question doesn't really make sense if you know how to swim. Because it doesn't matter what the depth is if you know how to keep yourself above the water. And so I think if you can understand that concept in your head, then you're ready to swim in the ocean.

• 15:11Marielle Segarra?

  What are some other skills that you should have if you're swimming, say, not in a pool? Like if you're in the ocean or you're among rocks or waves?

• 15:19Speaker 02

  So one of the things that you want to know is to not go against. You want to kind of go with the current so that you can kind of swim out of the undertow. And then you can swim towards land. So what you really want to do in that time is you want to allow the current to kind of take you. And then from that point, once the current has stopped, you can use your energy towards swimming to safety at that point. Not trying to fight the ocean. You're not going to win.

• 15:50Marielle Segarra?

  And if you are someone who is not a strong swimmer, like is it, is it inadvisable to go into the ocean up to, say, like your knees or like your hips? Is that okay? Or is that like, don't do that?

• 16:12Speaker 02

  Look, here's how I will answer that. Again, there is no substitute. Zero. I mean, I don't care what life jacket you have. There is no substitute for learning to swim. Because what you will learn at a formal swim lesson is what will save your life in these types of circumstances. Go get swim lessons. But if you find yourself on a boat or if you find yourself standing in the water and you don't really know how to swim, life jackets are out there. There are Coast Guard approved life jackets to make sure that people are safer around the water. So you want to make sure that you're preparing for every circumstance.

• 16:58Speaker 02

  But yes, go out there and learn to swim first.

• 17:01Marielle Segarra?

  Yeah.

• 17:04Marielle Segarra?

  I think the thing is like, I just, I try and I don't go anywhere.

• 17:09Speaker 02

  Ah, okay.

• 17:11Marielle Segarra?

  It's like, I'm not moving. It's really weird. I feel like I haven't covered any ground. So like, sometimes you feel like you could get the move and then you're like, eh, okay, I get that.

• 17:23Speaker 02

  Yeah, but like for anything, I mean, it's, did you understand algebra the first time you did it? Did you understand how to read the first time you did it? And one of the things that we talk about when it comes to kids, you know, wire kid sponges because they're not afraid to, to, to fail. Like, we're afraid to fail? Like, no, we just need to be gracious when we fail. You talked about track, right? Did you win every race? No. Did I swim every race and win? No.

• 17:50Marielle Segarra?

  Yes, yes.

• 17:51Speaker 02

  Yes, you did? Oh, you did. I'm sorry. I apologize. I apologize.

• 17:53Marielle Segarra?

  I don't know if you've heard of me. I'm a, I'm also an Olympian.

• 17:57Speaker 02

  I got it. Okay. Cool, cool, cool, cool, cool.

• 18:01Speaker 02

  But, but we, we can't be afraid to fail. We can't be afraid to fail, fail graciously. Understand that you're not going to get it the very first time. The very first time that you did anything, you usually fail at it until you continue to work at it.

• 18:17Marielle Segarra?

  Oh, God. I just, you know, I think there's something, there are a lot of like really deep fears here and, um, right? It's like trying to care less about what random people at the pool think about you.

• 18:30Speaker 02

  Yes.

• 18:31Marielle Segarra?

  You know, as if they're thinking about you at all.

• 18:33Speaker 02

  You know, as a black male in the nineties, wearing Speedos, growing up in the inner city, I had to learn very early to not pay attention to what other people were thinking or the fact that they were looking at me because I did stand, stand out. So you're a hundred percent right. If you are in your journey, no matter where you're starting or where you are in your journey, stay focused on your journey. You know, understand that it's going to be a process and understand that, you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel and you will get better at it the more you work at it.

• 19:14Marielle Segarra?

  Colin, you're gonna make me like take a swim lesson.

• 19:18Speaker 02

  Oh, it's happening. It's happening. I'm speaking specifically to you because I want you to learn.

• 19:27Marielle Segarra?

  I'm like, oh, God.

• 19:28Speaker 02

  Miss Never Lost a race and you're an Olympian, right? Come on, I gotta get you safe around the water now.

• 19:38Marielle Segarra?

  Okay, well, thank you so much. This has been great.

• 19:41Speaker 02

  Thank you for having me. This was fun.

• 19:43Marielle Segarra?

  Yeah.

• 19:43Speaker 02

  See you at the pool in an hour. Let's do it.

• 19:50Marielle Segarra?

  Okay, it's time for a recap. The American Red Cross says everyone should know these five survival swimming skills. How to submerge yourself underwater safely. How to come up for air and float or tread water for a minute. How to turn around in a pool and look for an exit. How to swim 25 yards to that exit. And then how to get out of the water without a ladder. Colin suggests the elbow, elbow, tummy, knee, knee method. If you're looking for swim classes, you can go to usaswimming.org/makesplash to find a local pool and take it from there. Remember, Colin suggests to pack your bag the night before your first class so you have no excuses the next morning.

• 20:34Marielle Segarra?

  You might want to bring goggles, a swim cap, or a nose clip if, like me, one of your big concerns is water going up your nose. And, you know, try to have fun and not worry about what other folks in the pool are thinking. I mean, anyway, they're probably thinking that you've got the cutest bathing suit. Where'd you get it, by the way? For more Life Kit, check out our other episodes. We've got one on how to start running and another on what to do when you're feeling anxious. You can find those at npr.org/lifekit. And if you love Life Kit and you just cannot get enough, subscribe to our newsletter at npr.org/lifekitnewsletter.

• 21:12Marielle Segarra?

  This episode of Life Kit was produced by Margaret Serino, who has offered to teach me how to swim so we can go to the beach together this summer. I'm considering it. Our visuals editor is Beck Harlan, and our digital editor is Malika Greed. Megan Kane is our supervising editor, and Beth Donovan is our executive producer. Our production team also includes Andy Tagel, Claire Marie Schneider, Sylvie Douglas, and Sam Yellahhorst Kessler. Engineering support comes from Zoe Vangenhoven. I'm Marielle Segarra. Thanks for listening.

• 21:56Speaker 00

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