Don't give up! My husband and I enrolled in lessons a few years ago and managed to get a bit of headway in several weeks. We are in our mid-late 30s so imagine what it's like for us to queue up at the pool behind the kiddies! Learning as an adult takes more determination to keep going as progress is slow and can be frustrating seeing those over-60s glide past you effortlessly. There are so many hang-ups and fears to get over when you're an adult. It's embarrassing to admit you don't know how to swim / ride a bike / drive a car so I can identify with how you feel. Having a goal (ie. swimming on holiday) to work towards might be more useful than just ticking "learning to swim" off your to-do list.

Erm... you might want to take your glasses off.

At age 67 I had my first ever swimming lesson in a series of 10, at weekly intervals. I was frightened of the water and lacked any confidence.
The 10 lessons eventually stretched to 39 plus 4 one to one lessons, and I still couldn't swim.
However, I persevered and with the help of a friend I visited the local baths at least once a week with my friend giving me tips and supplying confidence.
Now after 18 months I can swim the breaststroke with my regular breathing needing fine tuning.When this has been achieved in the next couple of weeks I will then move onto learning the crawl.

Good on you: my mother taught me how to swim when I was 8. My dad believes swimming is un-natural for humans and has a negative attitude to it and he can't swim himself. All I can say is once you know how to swim, you too will hopefully regard it as one of the most enjoyable experiences you can have in life. Enjoy and good luck

Congratulations on learning to swim. My mother amazed her children by going behind their backs and learning to swim when she was 70. Then she told us she had been swimming and we said, "What?!"

I taught myself to swim when I was forty, in the sea at Sandend on the Moray Firth in Scotland. I was amazed at myself. I had gone into the water for a dip and suddenly realized I had forgotten my float. I thought, 'what the heck!' and just went ahead.
Keep in fairly shallow water, face the shore when you are taking the plunge, and just go for it. You only need to do one or two strokes and that's it! You see that you can do it. Soon you are back for more, just to make sure.
It was one of the best days of my life!

I was taught to swim when I was 8, my family moved to Singapore and as we spent every weekend and the school holidays at various forces swimming pools, both of us kids were swimming within a few weeks.

I have a friend who now in her late 50s has never been able to swim and I really don't think there is any way that she will now. I tried to teach her when we were about 15 but she panicked so much on one occasion she went to grab my arm, missed and pulled the top of my bikini off.

I was still willing to keep going in the the hope that she would eventually be able to swim but she just didn't have the confidence. It's a real shame, now she has a grandson I think she would love to be able to go swimming with him.

Good luck Bim. I thought I was too old when I started swimming lessons when I was 8 or 9 (a lot of people I went to school with had started 2 years earlier). There's certainly no barrier to lean something new. I've yet to canoe, ski or go ice skating and I'm 25!

Brilliant that you're learning.

Obviously, you've got a good instructor but if I were to add my penny's worth it would be start in really shallow water – I mean knee deep so you can just lay flat with your hands and knees on the bottom and get used to the feeling of buoyancy.

Also, get your face in the water as much as you can.

Get used to the feeling of water around your neck. Your head is heavy. Holding it high out of the water pushes your body deeper beneath the surface and makes swimming much harder.

Have fun!

Learning to swim is a excellent means of developing coordination and positional awareness. Moving in three dimentions is liberating and stimulating. And, it's wonderfull exercise.

Brava. Keep going with you practice and soon you'll become a capable and confident swimmer. Have fun.

Don't wait to start. Go to the pool anyway. Get into the water and move around in the shallow end. Hold on to the edge and try floating. Kick your legs and experience how it feels. You can get a kickboard; a foam pad that you lay your chest on that floats. You can swim with the kickboard holding your head out of the water. Even if you can't master swimming on your own, you'll be much better prepared and you will learn much faster when you do finally take lessons.

Go ahead and get a start. There's no time like the present.

iF U DAD THOUGHT LIKE THAT, sad

for starters he may well be wrong. It seems we were aquatic originally.

u have my sympathy

all i can say is u r missing a great plesure, asset/skill, life insurance & THE best exercise

fear is your enemy - conquer it

then its about breathing patters

go at your own pace, but when u get that down & calm breathing, u can go for hours

freestyle, its about making your mouth like a venturi from forward motion - u can still breathe w/o putting your neck joints out

once u can chill doing laps, u just reflect.meditate - its not as boring as it looks

nothing is overstreessed or over heated - unlike other exercse

I went to lessons when I was in my 40s because i realised my children needed to learn and i had to be one step ahead. In the first lesson i floundered across a width driven by determination and panic.
Now retired and arthritic i swim 3 times a week in a crowded pool with many other retired people and come away refreshed and energetic. i also sleep better too.
Waching the excellent baby and toddler groups at the poolI see so many children enjoying it ; there are plenty of opportunities to learn.

Good luck. I really missed out on a lot of things in my childhood not being able to swim and then when my first child was about to be born I decided I just had to do it. I found a class for adult non-swimmers called Fraidy Cats and knew it was for me. It took about ten months but by the end of my lessons I could swim backstroke and freestyle (but I couldn't tread water - I had to wait until my two sons insisted on my going into the deep end until I learned that!). That was when I was 40 - now I am nearly 57 and I swim three times a week at a local pool - a mile a day. Just find a teacher who combines patience with challenge like I did (thanks Sarah) and you will do it.

For those living close to the sea, I recommend learning in shallow seawater because of the buoyancy provided by the salt content. Unlike in a swimming pool, there you can simply lie on your back without sinking. It is clear from the article and the comments below that the difficulty lies in getting over the phobia of water and not the actual mechanics, as learning the basic doggy paddle should take minutes, not weeks of lessons.

YAY! Well done Bim, I think that's fabulous.

My ten year old nephew seems to believe that things should come easily and instantly or they're not worth doing. He needs to learn that persevering is the secret to success. Hardly anything comes "naturally". I think he feels embarrassed if people see him doing something badly. While learning to swim is your own achievement, its also a wonderful lesson for kids (and probably adults too) who see you trying despite your inexperience. Importantly, no one minds. No one is laughing. Everyone wants you to succeed. The experienced crowd are making way for you in the pool. I'm going to show my nephew how awesome you are.

I hope you treat yourself with a seaside or poolside holiday next year.

For those living close to the sea, I recommend learning in shallow seawater because of the buoyancy provided by the salt content. Unlike in a swimming pool, there you can simply lie on your back without sinking.

Really? If you live close to the Dead Sea maybe?

I learn to swim / overcome the fear and anxiety by:

- getting some goggles

- having a look under the water

- holding on to the side with body flat on the surface, looking down at the bottom (with goggles on)

- letting go of the side for brief moments, body as relaxed as possible, then slightly longer ones, hands always near the rail

- realising I wasn't going to sink / realising I was more or less floating

- this gave me confidence and suddenly I was keeping myself up by moving my arms around

Once I got to that point I was ok to keep myself afloat. I knew the relationship between limb movement and staying up and could doggy-paddle about..

(Might be one method?? I do remember the fear and hope that perhaps helps someone,)

.... plus a schnorkel helps avoid the worry about getting your breath ....

I´m 48 years old and have for many years not had the time or the money to learn to swim properly I live near the sea and every summer I lie shamefully to my children who are all itching to go swimming I don´t have a driving license either. And all for economic reasons. This is the kind of society that some politicians would have for us the working citizens of this world... less and less natural experiences in life because they are out of our price range.

Good for you! I have missed out on so much fun over the years in being a non-swimmer. My friend taught me at the age of 18, and I swam a little bit over the next few years, but after many years of not swimming at all, when I was on my honeymoon at age 32 I bottled it and persuaded myself I couldn't do it - spending the fortnight reading at the side of the pool instead of splashing about having fun.
9 years later I surprised myself and my husband by managing a few tentative widths in a hotel pool and I am now determined to become stronger and to swim more often to improve my confidence at the age of 40.

No, not at all. The Dead Sea is a lake for a start. I live on the Black Sea coast and compared to the average it has a fairly low salt content. With my legs and arms tucked in close to the body, I can keep afloat with tiny movements of my hands. And if I spread out my arms and legs, no movement is necessary.

Go, Bim, go!

I share your terror of driving and I'm not a great biker either (though I had to bike while at uni or risk being late for morning classes) but swimming - I love it. Have loved it since I was 7 and my mum sent me for lessons given that she and my dad agreed that the least they could do was ensure that they could cross off "drowning" as a potential hazard for their kids.

Soon you'll be enjoying it and enjoying the sensation of floating and gazing up at the bright blue sky on a hot and sultry day. One of the loveliest ways to relax is to have access to an empty open-air pool (early mornings!) or deserted beach or secluded pond/lake, pulling on one's swimwear of choice (mine is a sleek little one-piece number... no bikinis for me!) and then swimming far out enough so you can just float...

It's never too late to try anything new. Never.

While it's a shame you cannot swim, blaming politicians and the economy is a pretty far-fetched argument.

No. I learned as an adult. One big advantage is that you can learn to do the strokes "properly" rather than the "any which way you can" style, often limited to breatstroke, head above water, that a lot of child learners end up with. As well as friends, I also used some textbooks.

I'd say lose the glasses as well. I'm short-sighted but really they are a limit. Get some decent goggles or (even better) those Aquavue wider-vision things. Underwater breathing is the key to swimming well.

Remember a lot of us around you - even a lot of us effortlessly gliding around - are adult learners who can't see properly too!

..;.... and you could listen to Loudon .....!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdfXHWUKm-8

..... and sing his happy song as you splash about !!

I learnt when I was 41. And I wasn't anywhere near the oldest in my class.

Underwater breathing is the key to swimming well.

Well, I guess fish would agree with you. Maybe you meant timing your breathing so that you breathe in when your head is out of the water?

i'm crap at swimming; can only do breast and back stroke and both not very well.
once you understand that properly timed breathing alone keeps you afloat, you can swimm.

Being told to take off my glasses is one of the reasons why I did not enjoy swimming lessons in school. I am extremely short-sighted (can't even read a book if I hold it to my face) so was unable to follow any of the teachers' instructions. Sometimes we were supposed to play ball games in the water; I had no idea who was on my team and could only have recognised them by swimming up and looking into their face. At the public swimming pool I was told off for being in the lengths lane and for not getting out when they whistled at me; I had no idea I was in any lane or that they were whistling at me until they came up and shouted in my face.

Now I unashamedly go in the pool with my glasses on, and enjoy it. If they get drops of water on them then you can just dip them in the water for a better view. You can also buy prescription goggles, but they cost quite a lot and people do look at you oddly if you walk around outside the pool with them still on...

My Mum's cousin was told by his Mother that he couldn;t go to the swimming pool until he had learned to swim, (yes think about that for a few seconds) luckily he sneaked in with his friends and was soon swimming like a fish. Don't worry about how many lessons it takes for you to swim, it took me ages when I was a child, but I love it now.
Keep it up, it might be a bit of a struggle, worthwile things often are, but the rewards are fantastic. Just think of that great sense of achievement you will have when you finally master it,

I can't remember exactly when I learnt to actually swim on the surface, it might have been as late as 10, but living in a hot climate at the time the pool was a a welcome school holiday destination and I'd even do widths of the pool underwater, coming up for air but never managing to actually swim properly on top!

So yes, being able to get your head wet is important for confidence and the glasses will eventually have to go! Fair enough now, but that head out of the water style is very tiring. Starting on breaststroke I found the transition to crawl helped even more by wearing goggles, particularly in heavily-chlorinated pools. Somehow not having to worry about your eyes meant you could concentrate more on that all important breathing.

Keep at it. A local open air pool has opened for summer and now all the winter season sports are over I need to get out and exercise.Thanks you've just reminded me of the pleasure of swimming when one makes the effort!

I have a friend - also in his early forties, who can't swim and has never learned.

When I first heard about this I challenged him with the usual primary-school rhetoric: "but what if you fall in the water?" His reply was "How many times in your adult life have you 'fallen in the water'?"

Whilst I still feel he's missing out, I couldn't answer that one with anything other than an admission of 'zero'.

I'm in my late 30s and have never learnt to swim, not through lack of trying. I had plenty of lessons as I child, but they just made it worse and more fearful of the water. I'm not lacking in coordination, I'm pretty sporty, and I know what I should be doing to swim, but it just doesn't work. If I hold a couple of floats I can zip through the water like Mark Spitz, but don't have enough bouyancy to not have some assistance. I just can't seem to float in any way whatsoever.

Well done, Bim!
I`m 32, and can`t swim, or drive, either.

As a child (at the age of around 4), I went for swimming lessons, but panicked in the pool when the swimming teacher let me go.

Then there were the blocks of 10 weeks every year when school took us to the swimming pool as part of PE. I absolutely dreaded those weeks. I was embarassed that everyone else in my class could swim, and I was the only one who couldn`t. It was never really picked up on, at school since I was in the Athletics team, etc and was seen as very capable when it comes to sport. I really wish I`d got over that embarassment / shame.

Now, I have multiple scars on my arms and legs which mean I`d need one of those burkhini`s to go in a pool. It is too late for me.

On a positive note, I know an elderly man (he`ll be eighty next month) who goes for weekly swimming lessons, and is loving it.

Every summer I lie shamefully to my children who are all itching to go swimming I don´t have a driving license either. And all for economic reasons.

Are you seriously going to pretend that in all your 48 years you've never been able to afford to learn to swim or drive a car? Sorry, but that's simply ridiculous.

Well done Bim!
I can't help but think what a lot of unkind un, - empathetic people there are around judging by the comments here!

What a lovely article.

As someone who cant remember not being able to swim it is something I take for granted. How wonderful to learn something so momentous as learning too swim as a conscious, reflective adult; when you can appreciate each moment. Well done and keep going!

Congratulations Bim! Swimming is great - it's about the only form of physical exercise I like. As a really clumsy person, it's only in water that I feel graceful and coordinated - and when you get really used to the water you'll feel the same too.

Now, if you successfully learn to ride a bike, can you write about that too (I'm 36 and can't ride a bike, but would like to. Just think I'd look rather silly with stabilisers..)?

Swimming is actually a part of the curriculum so it is not really politicians fault you haven't learnt to swim. Perhaps it is poor teachers or slow learning. The taxpayer cannot fund your education forever and there comes a point where you have to pay for lessons yourself.

As for driving, should the taxpayer fund driving lessons. Well no as we (to some extent) subsidise public transport. Driving is a luxury good, unless you live in a rural area in which case I believe public transport should be improved.

Go Bim!!!

thank you for every single word in your comment. It gives me hope. I am 42 and I know neither to swim nor ride a bicycle nor drive a car. I joined swimming lessons but it was so frustrating, very slow going, and a couple of times I developed cramps in the pool. I was so terrified that I never went back. Same with driving. It was so frustrating that it really hampered my confidence. Hopefully I can go back and do these things some day

I learned to swim at the age of 40. I'd had a phobia of water ever since my father's misguided attempt to acquaint me with the deep end when I was about 7 and I nearly drowned, but I've found one of the benefits of growing older (yes, there are some) is that you let go of a lot of the anxieties and irrational fears you had when you were younger. So when I was 40 thought I'd have one last go and found that, as soon as I lowered myself in, I just started swimming with the instructor hardly having to tell me anything.

I don't know why, but I really enjoyed that article. Thanks!