South Australian Riverland local Julianne Hancock has always wanted to swim, but unfortunate timing in her school years meant she was never offered lessons.
Now at 67 years old, a fear of water has made swimming with her grandkids more difficult and uncomfortable than she would like.
"I've always had a fear of the water because my mum was so scared of the water. She used to just tell us not to go near it," she said.
"If my feet can't touch the ground … I'm frightened I'm going to drown.
"If my head gets wet, it's like I gasp for breath because I am just scared."
Years ago, she had tried to find lessons in the region so she could join in on family days by the river but had no luck.
Adult drownings a concern The latest Royal Life Saving Australia figures showed adults made up more than 80 per cent of the average number of drownings each year in Australia.
Royal Life Saving South Australia (RLSSA) reports adult drownings are on the rise with deaths among those aged 65 and over up by 44 per cent, and people aged 35 to 49 up 16 per cent compared to the 10-year average.
"What's quite surprising within the data is we know approximately 40 per cent of Australian adults deem themselves as poor to non-swimmers and that's quite alarming," RLSSA chief executive Jake Culkin said.
He said Australians saw themselves as "a nation of swimmers", but the reality was many were not adept at swimming "particularly with more migration to Australia".
"There's a lot of factors at play but obviously not engaging in water safety programs for those who don't have the skills is such a big factor and unfortunately we are seeing these numbers in adults go in the wrong direction," he said.
"Some will avoid [swimming] because they don't have the skills. Some may go and enter the water without the skills and that's where we see people getting into trouble."
A shortage of instructors Mr Culkin said adult swimming lessons were becoming harder to access.
"That gap in lack of adult programs, we're just seeing that increase more and more," he said.
Mr Culkin said the problem was not just attracting workers to the role, but also retaining staff in an industry that hires a large number of students due to the inconsistency in work hours.
"When we're looking at our demographic and who's working in the industry, it's predominantly 16 to 24-year-olds and [teaching adults] can be daunting," he said.
"Their [aquatic] programs might not have adult components or they might be quite limited and they might not get the training and professional development opportunities, so working with children is a more comfortable area for them."
Mr Culkin said the industry should "empower" employers to raise awareness of the opportunities available in the aquatic industry.
More teacher training required Wulanda Recreation Centre in Mount Gambier is one of the few places hosting adult lessons in regional South Australia.
Management has been training extra instructors to increase the number of adult swimming lessons.
"We are a bit restricted on how many classes we can run. We have to have the right qualifications with the teachers, but the demand is high," aquatics coordinator Lisa Rainey said.
"If we can have more adult teachers, we can run more adult classes, but until then … anyone who is not qualified is not allowed to teach that area, so it's a bit complex."
She said it took some extra training to be able to teach adults, but the results were worthwhile.
"They need to have the confidence to know what to do when they're put in a situation where they may be exposed to a bit of danger," Ms Rainey said.
Ms Rainey said breaking the stigma of attending adult swimming lessons was the key to increasing water safety.
"Stereotypically, adults don't have swim lessons. You're just expected to know that and if you don't it's too late," she said.
"The more we can get out there, the better it's going to become. We've just got to get it out there."
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