Aquatic lessons start early

Caitlin Lang, 9, has been to swimming lessons since she was 6 months old. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Heather Lang's daughters have always been in the water - she wouldn't have it any other way.

They started swimming lessons when they were 6 months old and have been having lessons ever since.

Now 5-year-old Briana can swim across the pool, while Caitlin, 9, has moved up from lessons to swim squad training twice a week.

"Really for us I felt it was such an important life skill to have from an early age."
The family have a boat and spend lots of time at the lakes over the summer so it was only natural.

"It was about making sure they were safe and they could cope."

Heather says they were lucky that the daycare the girls attended also placed an importance on swimming and were happy to take the children down to swimming lessons during the day, which helped.

The girls each moved on to more formal swimming lessons at 4 or 5, taking part in the Swim2XL programme run out of Lynmore School.

Aside from that, she says swimming is also about enjoyment. The girls both love the water, she says.

"They enjoy the water, but they've also got a lot of respect for the water."
She says knowing the girls have had swimming lessons allows her to feel more confident when they're around the water.