Fear of water / 88 Fulton Street
Overcoming fear of water
One hour to start, then a package sized to you, with an instructor in the water at every step.
The fear is usually the face going under
Matt Romero, in a testimonial published on aquaskills.com, described his as "a pretty bad fear of water, mainly getting my head underwater". It is a precise place for a fear to live. The depth and the strokes come later; the first problem is the surface against the face.
AquaSkills says its instructors are specialised in teaching clients who have a fear of water. The method starts where the fear starts, with breath, and does not ask a student to do anything the instructor has not first shown from inside the pool.
An instructor in a wetsuit supporting a swimmer in a USA cap in bright aqua water
How the first hour works
The first step is a one-hour intro class for $98, private or semi-private. Afterwards the instructor and student size a package together, and you are not obligated to join. Everyone moves at their own pace, and relaxation techniques and basic water principles come before any stroke.
The first steps, as the school lists them, are to inhale above the surface and exhale in the water, breathing and breath control, walking through the water and balance, resistance, floating face down and on the back, and gliding. Each is a skill you can count, so the lesson log has something to record.
It happens in a heated pool 15 feet wide and 60 feet long, at about 88°F, at 88 Fulton Street, with the instructor beside you. Text Lori Pailet at (646) 724-7024 to ask for a time. Once breath and float are steady, the course moves on into adult swim lessons, from treading water to the four strokes.
What changes, counted in lessons
The school's own testimonials count in lessons, not adjectives. Matt Romero wrote that after the 3rd class he was much more comfortable. Others on the same page count 10 lessons, or fewer than 4.
AquaSkills lists press coverage of this work on its own site, including The New York Times feature "A Liquid Fear" (2014), which follows a New Yorker facing his phobia one stroke at a time, and segments on CBS News. The school also sells an Aquaphobia DVD.
The goal at this stage is not a stroke. It is to put your face in, breathe out and stay, and then to count the lesson that made it possible.
Every AquaSkills instructor is an American Red Cross certified lifeguard, trained in CPR, AED and First Aid. Text (646) 724-7024 to book the $98 intro class.
“I conquered my fear and I hate leaving the water. The opposite of when I began less than 4 lessons ago!”
David Kaplan, published on aquaskills.com
Counted in lessons at the pool's edge
When the breath is steady, the next step is adult swim lessons, beginner to four strokes. Children who are nervous start in the same water; see children's lessons from age 4.
Less than 4 lessons
Fear conquered, and a swimmer who hates leaving the water.
David Kaplan, published on aquaskills.com
The 3rd class
Much more comfortable, though getting his head underwater was the fear.
Matt Romero, published on aquaskills.com
10 lessons
Floating, exhaling underwater and swimming across the pool.
Angelica Martinez, New York, published on aquaskills.com
To ask about a first hour, text (646) 724-7024 with your name and cell number.