Swimming lessons may reduce the risk of drowning, but water survival skills can lower those odds even further. It is for this reason that Athanasius Pang developed a realism swim methodology for babies and children. “We gently simulate different scenarios so children can practise self-rescue skills. While we hope they never get caught in an emergency, we want them to be prepared if it happens,” he explains.
Pang works with babies as young as three months old at his school Dip Swim. There are several benefits to starting them off as soon as they’re able to keep their neck upright, he says. Physically, it improves their motor skills and muscle development while cognitively, it enhances their problem-solving skills and independence. “They are able to realise their own body anatomy and think about how to move their bodies when submerged in an aquatic environment, such as flipping over for air and planning a path to safety.”
Realism training also stimulates their sensory development, which positively impacts their neurological health through neurogenesis, or the creation of new brain cells. The release of endorphins and other mood-boosting hormones soothes their nervous system and reduces stress.
Moreover, it strengthens emotional resilience, which is why Pang does not consider Dip Swim’s approach to swim instruction as just about swimming. “It’s an advocacy for character building. We foster essential life skills like discipline and teamwork in the pool, skills that translate seamlessly to life on land.”
Besides teaching children water safety skills, he also teaches the elderly. Age-related muscle loss makes it harder for people to perform daily activities and puts them at a higher risk of falling and getting injured. Through Dip Swim’s senior wellness programme, clients can improve their mobility, range of motion, and fitness. Some senior clients enjoy hydrotherapy or physiotherapy in the water while others enjoy the buoyancy and freedom of movement that aquatic exercise provides.
Pang also caters to pre- and post-natal women through his classes. The water helps ease the weight of pregnancy, alleviating backaches, swelling feet, fatigue, and more. “Mothers feel lighter, supported, and more in control of their movements.”
Raising awareness has been his biggest challenge in advocating for water safety, he lets on, particularly when city dwellers have become complacent about water safety.
“Some parents believe they are good swimmers and therefore know what to do when an incident occurs. However, they tend to underestimate the probability and possibility of the risks.”
Athanasius Pang on the need for water survival skills
It is also a problem when parents are deciding whether to invest in water safety education in the future. Many parents want their children to learn swimming, so they can be ahead of their cohort, but they withdraw them from courses once they have earned SwimSafer certification.
“They fail to understand that the SwimSafer programme is only the scratch of the surface.”
Photography Mun Kong
Art direction Ed Harland
Hair Yue Qi, using Ghd
Makeup Sarah Tan, using Shu Uemura
Photography assistant Alfred Phang
