Water world

With 6,000 kilometers of navigable waterways and about half of the country below sea level, it’s no wonder that the Netherlands has a unique relationship with water. They’ve been fighting it back for at least 1,000 years through a system of dikes and water pumps (those picturesque watermills were the first) and various floods throughout the years - most notably a devastating one in 1953 that killed 1,836 people - have taught the Dutch to be well-prepared for anything their watery landscape might throw at them.

It should come as no surprise then that almost without exception, the Dutch learn to swim as children. Learning to swim is not just about gaining a fun skill that’ll make summer vacations more enjoyable, it’s about survival. Dutch kids usually begin quite young - at age 5 or 6 - and progress through several skill stages on their way to acquiring three official swim diplomas; A, B and C. The vast majority of Dutch children continue through to their B diploma which shows parents and instructors alike that they’ve firmly acquired the necessary skills and strength to swim unattended.

A life-saving skill

For internationals like Iranian Masood Esfahanian, such an emphasis on learning to swim was never a part of his childhood. “We have the Caspian Sea in the north and the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman in the south. So, naturally, people in those areas know how to swim. But for people who live in different areas, it really depends. If your family is into it, then you follow their example. But my family didn’t swim, so I didn’t either.”

He isn’t alone. Though it’s a difficult statistic to pinpoint, experts believe that approximately 54 percent of the world’s population can’t swim. For instance, in Hong Kong - a city with 200 islands and 700 kilometers of coastline - local officials estimate that only 20 percent of residents are strong enough swimmers to survive a fall into the water. And according to the International Life Saving Federation, 1.2 million people worldwide drown every year - that’s more than 2 people every minute. The most common victims are children under the age 5 and, surprisingly, young adults (predominately male) between the ages of 20 and 25.

Though scary statistics like these aren’t the main reason why Masood decided to learn, he knew it was a skill that would help his life in the Netherlands. “We tend to do group activities in our company and one time one of the guys proposed to go to Aquabest [a water recreation park in Best]. I had to say I can’t join because I don’t know how to swim. And he was like “Really? How can that be!?’” 

Taking the Plunge

So you’re an adult and you’re one of the 54 percent who can’t swim. Is it time for you to take the plunge and learn? Luckily, as a TU/e student, that option is open to you at the Student Sport Center Eindhoven (SSC). You can even get your diplomas just like the Dutch.

Manon van Lint organizes courses at the center, including swimming lessons for children, women and adult beginners. The center recently began offering diploma swimming for their adult learners and the first class has already acquired both their A and B diplomas. “We thought that at first it would be only international students but there were also Dutch students. We were surprised. They told us stories like ‘When we were children, we were scared and didn’t learn it.’”

Maybe you’re interested in learning how to swim but feel a bit like a fish out of water? Don’t worry. The SSC isn’t expecting to turn you into an Olympic swimming star. Van Lint explains the Dutch philosophy: “We teach swimming differently here in the Netherlands. We teach people the breast stroke because it’s less intensive. They can have their head out of the water so they can do it for hours. Treading water is also for saving yourself because you can do it for a long time. We also teach turning in the water so you can orientate yourself again - so you know immediately where you are and know what to do if you fall into water.”

Masood jokes that his lessons began at the very beginning, “I started at: What is water? Even before the beginner’s course there was a guy who would coach us on how to float and how to do strokes. After a while I moved to the beginner’s class. At this point, I was still in the shallow part, not in the deep, learning how to do more continuous strokes. And then I continued onto the intermediate course and I had to do that three times actually. My weakness was with freestyle. I would go really hard and lose my breath and my energy. They would always tell me to notice that there are no sharks behind me.”

Manon van Lint says that both the participants and teachers have enjoyed the process for diploma swimming, “They’ve told us, ‘We liked it very much. It was fun, like a little party.’ And the teachers really like it because the students learn so fast.” She also emphasizes that adult participants should remember they’re not alone, “You don’t have to be embarrassed that you can’t swim. It’s nice to learn it and the diploma is a reward for your hard work. I think it’s also nice that you’ll see that there are some Dutch people who also can’t swim.”

Masood echoes this sentiment, “The first step was the most difficult; going to the swimming pool and saying I don’t how to swim and what can I do? As you grow older, you’re sort of embarrassed. But it’s never too late.”

Feeling motivated to dip a toe into the water? Find out more at by checking out the SSC’s swimming schedule. You can also chat with Manon van Lint at (040) 247 50 02 or via email.