Adults Face Their Aquatic Anxiety

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – At 53 years old, Archa Ghafoerkhan decided it was time to face her fear of water. She had a scary experience at age six, saving her brother from drowning, and then nearly drowning herself. She says, “I got exhausted. So when he was up, I went down in the water.”

Ghafoerkhan’s kids and husband can swim, and she got tired of not being able to join them. She says, “When we’re somewhere, like, on vacation. I’m always on the side and I can never enjoy with them.” Which brought her to The British Swim School in northeast Charlotte. Ghafoerkhan is one of many adults who face their fear of water here.

Director Kayla Dupoux works to make this pool a welcoming, judgment-free zone. Her instructors work on the psychology of swimming, not just the strokes. Dupoux says, “When we bring adults in, it’s more like a conversation, right? What’s going to make you more comfortable? Do you want to be pushed or do you want to take it slow?

If you’re wondering how long it takes an adult to learn how to swim, Dupoux says that depends on how much time they’re willing to put into practice. She says, “Adults, they learn very fast, right? And once they get over the initial, ‘I’m afraid,’ from there they progress really quickly. So it’s just getting over that first hump.”

Ghafoerkhan says she is no longer afraid of the water. She can now hold her breath underwater, and swim underwater. She says, “My goal is to go all the way to, the part where you can do (a swim) rescue.”

Dupoux says she is most passionate about their adult swim program because the adults who sign up want to be there, and she loves watching them overcome their fears.