Submersion – swimming activities

Putting the face and head under the water with confidence.

Activities

  • Bubble Count – Swimmers blow bubbles for longer and longer counts, progressing from mouth to nose to whole face.
  • Bubble Orchestra – Swimmers make different bubble 'instruments' with their mouth and nose, learning to control how they breathe out.
  • Captain's Coming – A pool version of the ship game: each command is a skill – scrub the deck, man overboard, lie on deck – done as quickly as possible.
  • Car Wash – Swimmers drive through a 'car wash' of sprinkled water to get used to water on the head and face.
  • 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.
  • Dolphin Dives – Swimmers porpoise over and under a noodle like dolphins, feeling the head-first wave movement that butterfly uses.
  • Duck Dive for Treasure – Swimmers learn a head-first surface dive to reach sinkers on the pool floor instead of just crouching down.
  • 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.
  • Fishing Net – Two helpers hold a noodle 'net' across the water; the fish must duck fully under it to escape.
  • Handstand Challenge – Swimmers do handstands in shallow water – great for confident submersion, breath control and body awareness.
  • Head-First Surface Dive – A piked surface dive: swim forward, bend at the hips, lift the legs vertically and let their weight drive the swimmer down.
  • Jack-in-the-Box – Rhythmic bobbing: swimmers crouch down, blow bubbles, then spring up – builds breathing rhythm and submersion.
  • Jellyfish Float – A tucked mushroom float that lets swimmers feel the water lifting them up.
  • Obstacle Course – A course that links several skills in a row – enter, travel, go through a hoop, collect a sinker, float and exit.
  • Pass the Parcel – A ball is passed around a circle; whoever holds it when the music stops does the skill written on the next 'layer'.
  • Rain Hat – Swimmers pour a cup of water over their own head – giving them control builds confidence fast.
  • Ring of Bubbles – A circle game that combines a rhyme, holding hands and blowing bubbles – ideal for younger groups.
  • Seabed Spotter – A memory game: swimmers look underwater at a group of sinkers and try to remember the colours they saw.
  • Short Underwater Swim – A controlled underwater swim of a few metres through a hoop, breathing out steadily – never a breath-holding challenge.
  • Sinker Ladder – Swimmers retrieve sinkers placed at increasing depths – knee, thigh, then waist – so going fully under builds step by step.
  • Sit on the Bottom – Swimmers breathe out steadily to sink and sit on the pool floor – a clear test of controlled exhalation and relaxed submersion.
  • Slow Leak – Swimmers let air out slowly through the nose underwater, like a slow puncture – the exhale they will need for strokes.
  • Space Mission – A themed circuit: launch (glide), orbit (roll), spacewalk (back float), meteor shower (go under) and splashdown (swim home).
  • Supported Jump-In – A step-by-step progression to a first jump-in, with a helper in the water, for swimmers ready to go beyond a seated entry.
  • Torpedo Through the Hoop – Swimmers glide through a hoop held at the surface – a target that encourages a long, flat body.
  • Travelling Bobs – Swimmers bob across the pool – under to breathe out, up to breathe in – building a breathing rhythm for swimming.
  • Treasure Chest Relay – Teams swim out, dive for a sinker 'treasure' and bring it back – combining travel and submersion under light pressure.
  • Treasure Hunt – Swimmers collect sinking 'treasure' from the pool floor – brings submersion in naturally.
  • Tunnel Glide – Swimmers push off under the water and glide through a tunnel of hoops or a partner's legs.
  • Under the Bridge – Swimmers duck under a noodle 'bridge' that is lowered a little each time.
  • Underwater Finger Count – Swimmers look underwater to count how many fingers the teacher or partner is holding up.
  • Underwater Humming – Swimmers hum a tune with their face in the water – stops water going up the nose and makes breathing out automatic.
  • Underwater Rock, Paper, Scissors – Pairs play rock, paper, scissors under the water – swimmers must open their eyes and stay under calmly to see who won.
  • Underwater Tea Party – Pairs sit on the pool floor and 'pour tea' for each other – staying down calmly by breathing out slowly.
  • Underwater Word Hunt – Letters on sinkers or laminated cards are scattered on the pool floor; teams collect them to spell a word.