Nervous in deep water

Confident in shallow water but anxious when the floor is out of reach.

Activities that help

  • Aquatic Skills Sequence – Swimmers link entry, swim, surface dive, scull, tread and exit into one continuous, controlled sequence.
  • Deep Water Confidence Ladder – A step-by-step route into deep water: hold the wall, let go for a count, turn and swim back – each rung builds trust.
  • Deep Water Jump and Tread – Jump into deep water, surface, tread for a count, then swim back to the side – entries and survival combined.
  • Deep Water Object Recovery – Swimmers use a surface dive to recover objects from deeper water and return them to the side – a practical lifesaving foundation.
  • Entry Menu – Swimmers choose the right entry for the depth – step, slide, jump, crouch fall – and explain their choice.
  • Feet-First Surface Dive – From treading water, swimmers push down with the hands and sink feet-first with a streamlined body to reach the floor.
  • Float to Rest Positions – Swimmers try different ways to float and rest – star, vertical, tucked (HELP position) – and discuss when each helps.
  • Jump and Turn – Swimmers jump in, turn straight back to face the wall and swim to it – the essential safety habit after any entry.
  • Kneeling Dive – One knee down, arms streamlined – swimmers overbalance forward into a shallow dive, the step between sitting and crouching.
  • Sitting Dive – The first head-first entry: from sitting on the edge, arms over the head, swimmers overbalance forward into a shallow glide.
  • Stay Upright Challenge – In water just too deep to stand, swimmers stay upright using sculling hands and cycling legs – an early step towards treading water.
  • Survival Sequence – A calm self-rescue sequence: enter, float to recover, tread and signal, then swim to safety and exit.
  • Tread and Talk – Swimmers tread water while answering questions or playing a word game – they learn to stay relaxed long enough to talk.
  • Treading Water Basics – Upright in deep water with a noodle, swimmers learn slow cycling legs and flat sculling hands – then gradually loosen the noodle.