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I can remember how I felt during my first ever swimming lesson. Aged 10, I was nervous and curious about what plunging into the water would feel like. I didn’t have any swimming lessons prior to this, but surprisingly I was somewhat comfortable when I eventually got into the water with my armbands.
During our first lesson, we concentrated on flapping our legs in the water, which is a very enjoyable task for a 10-year old. It made me feel like a mermaid even before I actually started swimming. Eventually I got the hang of moving my legs, then adding my arms. I could swim – and I loved it.
I soon started spending my Saturdays going to the local swimming pool with my neighbour, Hayley. In the water, I instantly forgot about the world.
But as I grew older and my priorities changed, swimming became a distant memory. Since it would usually take lightyears for my hair to grow after swimming, it didn’t feel like a hobby I would miss. It also wasn’t something any of my peers were doing. I didn’t know many Black people who swam regularly.
And sadly, Black people are still underrepresented among swimmers today. Data from Sport England suggests just 4.8% of Black adults swim regularly, compared to 10.9% of white adults.
But the tide is turning, with a growing number of young, Black Brits starting adult swimming lessons. This year, I decided to take the plunge (literally) and join them.
If I was nervous when I was 10, I was anxious as hell during my first lesson as a 26-year-old. But I’m happy to report I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve had in the pool.
During my first lesson, my instructor asked me to swim to see what I could do. He told me I could swim, but I struggled to flap my legs. So for the duration of the lesson and my next couple after that, that’s what I focused on.
There are usually two or three other people in my swimming class so my instructor observes each of us and gives us tasks for the lesson. It’s nice being taught in a small group as we all encourage each other. But it’s made me reflect on why so few Black women swim.
Rejoice Ojiaku, a 27-year-old from London who works in SEO, started taking swimming lessons this year. Similarly to me, the last time she swam properly was when she was eight years old.
“I would like to jump in the sea to swim, so that’s what prompted me to learn,” Ojiaku says. “Also my partner can swim too, so I want to swim with him.”
Both of Ojiaku’s parents can swim and as a child, she learned in a blow up pool at home after her parents realised she had a chlorine sensitivity. This put her off swimming a little, but her hair was another factor.
Depending on which hairstyle you have, getting your hair wet can require a lot of aftercare for Black women.
“I just avoided learning in total,” Ojiaku says. “I never really considered my hair as a reason, but if I didn’t do my research, I wouldn’t have found a brand that catered to Black hair.”
Now she has locs so doesn’t mind getting her hair wet, but she’s also found a brand called Soul Cap, which makes swimming caps for Black women.
Ojiaku says she really love swimming now. “I love the fitness aspect of it, because I do it alongside going to the gym regularly, so it’s my way of keeping active,” she says.
“I’m no longer scared to swim because I have learnt how to float and once you know that, it helps you try other things such as front stroke and floating without support.”
Mary Oluwa, a 25-year old entrepreneur from London, went on holiday with a friend in 2017 and remembers panicking in the pool. “I felt so embarrassed that children a fraction of my age were swimming in the deep end of the pool I told myself I can’t continue my fear of the water,” she says.
Though she took mandatory swimming lessons at school, she didn’t enjoy them or practice afterwards. ”I didn’t really go on to pools or go on holiday that much when I was younger so I quickly forgot my swimming skills,” she says.
Oluwa remembers avoiding swimming because of her hair in the past and believes a lot of Black women do the same because we have to wash our hair afterwards.
“Wash day is exhausting and a day that a lot of Black women brace themselves for,” she says. “So to bring that forward because of swimming, it’s almost a no-brainer to not do it.”
However, it no longer puts her off. “Now that I’ve grown my hair, I put it in braids so there’s minimal disruption to the style,” she says. “I can still wash my hair afterwards like normal so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
So far, she’s enjoying swimming and thinks it’s been good for her mental health. “Unfortunately I do have a lot of mental health episodes and avoid swimming during these times, but when I do have my lessons I never regret it,” she says.
Shalewa Ekundayo, who is a 27-year old technology consultant from Essex, also believes swimming has had a great impact on her mental health.
“As someone who doesn’t work out, I’ve found that when I swim I feel really good after and it’s a good way of instilling discipline,” she says.
She started swimming as a child but didn’t feel comfortable in the water. But last year, she decided to give lessons another try.
“Whenever I go on holiday with my friends, they all know how to swim, so I want to make the best out of my holidays like they do,” she says.
“When I started my lessons I realised I could swim better than I thought – I just lacked confidence. So I moved up to the immediate class to build up on my confidence and learning how to swim in the deep end.”
Working on her self-belief has also had a big impact outside of the pool.
“I’m now seeing that I go after more of what I want now,” she says. “I see the value in trying new things and getting out of your comfort zone.”
As for me, it’s been five months of lessons and I can now comfortably say I can swim. It’s been empowering, but it’s also been challenging. I didn’t know how much physical and mental effort goes into swimming, but that’s what I love about it. For those 30 minutes I’m focused on what my body can do.
If I could go back and speak to my 10-year-old self, I’d tell her: “Just keep swimming.”
Move celebrates exercise in all its forms, with accessible features encouraging you to add movement into your day – because it’s not just good for the body, but the mind, too. We get it: workouts can be a bit of a slog, but there are ways you can move more without dreading it. Whether you love hikes, bike rides, YouTube workouts or hula hoop routines, exercise should be something to enjoy.
