Swimming is a key part of summer for many people in Finland, but what is life like if you can't swim? This week's podcast looked at the stigma around swimming skills, asking Yle News reporter Priya Ramachandran D'souza what she found out when she asked the lifeguards' federation about the topic.
"They told me that they know of so many people who cannot swim but could not even tell their spouse or friends, so they would mask it," said D'souza.
The issue is getting worse, with some 55 percent of sixth graders able to swim now — that's down from 76 percent in 2016. The pandemic is partly to blame, with disrupted swimming lesson schedules not helping learners, but what will adulthood be like for those who don't learn to swim as kids?
Listen to the episode via this embedded player, on Yle Areena, via Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
There are big barriers to learning, and phobias to overcome, but the rewards once people finally "get it" are immense.
"When I learned how to float, I was crying because first, I had overcome my fear of water," said Neleah Kagiri, who learned to swim as an adult. "I had overcome the fear of everything that had held me back from swimming. And it was such an experience that I remember shouting and crying."
Swim coach Andrew Harrison says there are certain techniques to help people overcome their worries.
"The main thing is just learning how to put your face inside the water and blow bubbles," said Harrison. "So a good pair of goggles, I think is really important. Cheap goggles are just a nightmare. And you don't have to spend a lot, but good enough goggles. And learning how to just breathe out and relax under the water, because you can spend 10, 20 seconds inside the water calmly, but your natural reaction, your instinct tends to overcome that and you start to hyperventilate."
Join the conversation!
This week's show was presented by Egan Richardson and Zena Iovino, with additional reporting by Priya Ramachandran d'Souza. The sound engineer was Panu Willman.
If you have any questions or want to share your thoughts, contact us via WhatsApp at +358 44 421 0909 or at [email protected] and [email protected].
Users with an Yle ID can leave comments on our news stories. You can create your Yle ID via this link. Our guidelines on commenting and moderation are explained here.
