Things to do on Holiday
Hélène van den Broek
I am Hélène and this is my dog Chacho. I left Holland, to start a new life on La Palma.
I love to be outdoor and coach 50+ active people especially woman. The coaching will be 1:1 and based on the activity they personally like.
For example stargazing on the Mountain, cycling, walking, visit special places, making music with locals etc.
Private Surfing for Beginners in Tenerife
Personalized Surf lessons no matter age, gender, size or fitness. Get your private surf lesson with tips and a lot of fun. Surfing equipment included. Minimum 2 participants. Price 65€ per person.
Join us in Tenerife for your liveaboard boat holiday. We will liase with your recommended surfing instructors to ensure your holiday meets your expectations, whether that’s surfing for the whole group, a more relaxed pace with Pitch n Putt for the family or maybe a mix and match holiday with diving, golfing, fishing, riding, walking – it’s all down to you with affordable options living aboard our private yacht.
Sample Prices with 7 day boat stay
Our private pool is small and inviting and everyone that comes to us for residential swimming lessons tells us they wish they hadn’t wasted so much time, in some cases many years, trying to learn to swim the hard way!
Being residential means that once you have arrived, unpacked and settled in, you can concentrate totally on the task ahead, learning to swim, without worrying about travelling back and forth or forgetting what you learned last lesson because there has been a week or more in between.
When we say residential we mean just that. We don’t put you up in a local B&B as many do, expecting you to drive back and forth. Nor do we expect you to share with anyone unless you bring your partner. The residential accommodation is private, self contained and next to the private pool.
You can cook for yourself or just chill with a glass of wine and order a takeaway, maybe visit the local pub – whatever you style, you will never regret taking residential swimming lessons with us.
As many people learn when they make the decision to learn to swim, almost all of the lessons available cater for children.
If you are lucky, you will find a learn-to-swim program at your local pool but it’s likely you will have to wait a long time for a place and in our experience it is unlikely you will have learned to swim a year after starting, that’s if you manage to learn at all! Read what we have to say about public pools and learn-to-swim classes under our private lessons page.
Many people would like to learn to swim but fear they are the only ones with the sort of problems they have. Frankly men are the worst for this (sorry for being sexist). Trust me, you’re far from being alone and not learning to swim because you don’t want to feel a fool while you are learning or because you think you are too old is a real shame and so unnecessary.
We have taught so many people to swim that started out being embarrassed, fearful or simply disbelieving that we almost know what you are going to say when you walk through the door. Just trust us when we say that whatever is going through your mind, others have gone before you thinking exactly the same and they DID learn to swim.
If you’ve made the decision to learn to swim, or even if you are simply just thinking about it, drop us a line and tells your fears or concerns, or what you would like to achieve, and let us tell you how we can help you learn to swim.
Do you feel that only children can learn to swim? Do the adult swimming lessons at your local pool leave you cold? Maybe you been there – done that – still can’t swim. Maybe you can’t even pluck up the courage to think about it?
Let me tell you my story.
Above is me behind the camera, so sad watching hubby swim when I’m too frightened to even go close. At 45 I got ME (chronic fatigue syndrome). At 48, having been so terrified of water all my life – I wouldn’t use the shower in case water went in my face – I decided I was fed up of being a victim and I would learn to swim.
Below is me, age 54, in Egypt the day I qualified as an Open Water Scuba diver. In between I learned to swim, qualified as an instructor, took a life guarding qualification, taught many many people to get over their own phobias and learn to swim, and finally I learn to dive.
I tried to learn to swim at my local pool and frankly was horrified. For almost 3 months I went and steadfastly refused to put my face in the water or take my feet off the bottom. I scoured the net looking for ‘learn to swim’ books that would teach me how to swim without putting my face in the water. Needless to say – there aren’t any. It was a long time before I made any progress during which time I saw the vast majority of adult swimmers give up along the way. Eventually I met Irene who shared my fears and phobias and also had decided to learn (she’s even older than me <grin>). Together we found TI swimming which teaches balance in the water and altogether different techniques to ASA swimming.
Long story short, Irene and I qualified as ASA instructors then took the best of all we had learned to put together our own ‘Learn to Swim’ methods. These we adapt for each and every student to suit their needs and swimming phobias. We also address the fact that adult swimming/learning is or should be, very different to the way children learn to swim and also that every adult learns in a different way and has different challenges in life.
Finally, this is me below, diving in the Red Sea. Take heart – you CAN learn to swim as an adult.
To talk to us about Swimming Instruction please contact us via our contact form.
I am 72 years old and was terrified of water until into my forties. I am a teacher by profession computing and business studies and I semi-retired a few years ago due to illness. With time on my hands I finally decided to beat my fear of water and now thoroughly regret not having done it a long time ago.
<————- This is me on holiday in Tenerife 2003.
Having taken lessons at my local pool I went on to do a specialised swimming course and then took my first teachers certificate after specialist swimming instruction.
My teaching career was quite varied. Having had a fairly traditional 20 year career in computing (programming systems analysis project management consultancy) I switched to teaching first lecturing at Cornwall College to adults and later giving instruction to Special Needs teenagers in Birmingham. From this came a strong belief that most people can achieve whatever they set out to achieve provided they have the proper support and encouragement swimming instruction is no different to anything else in this respect.
Here is Immy’s brother Luke better known as the Bubble. He’s next for the pool!
You might also like to visit Learn-to-Swim-Easy and read Irene’s story. Irene and I have much the same philosophy and outlook on swimming and you could also approach her for swimming instruction. Swimming Instruction is also available from Steve at Ergoswim.
Please note I do not endorse any other swimming instructor or organisation. Please satisfy yourself as the suitability of any swimming instructor or swimming teacher that you choose to employ.
Depressed? Swim with dolphins
Taking a dip with dolphins can be a tremendous therapy for people with depression according to a study published on Saturday in the weekly British Medical Journal (BMJ).
Nature lovers – biophiles to give them their scientific name – have long argued that interaction with animals can soothe a troubled mind but this claim has always been anecdotal lacking the scientific data to back it up.
Seeking to find out more psychiatrists Christian Antonioli and Michael Reveley at Britain’s University of Leicester recruited 30 people in the United States and Honduras who had been diagnosed with mild or moderate depression.
The severity of their symptoms was calculated according to established yardsticks for mental health the Hamilton and Beck scales which are based on interviews and questionnaires with the patient.
No antidepressants
The volunteers were required to stop taking any antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy for four weeks.
Half of the group was then randomly selected to play snorkel and take care of dolphins each day at an institute for marine sciences in Honduras.
The other half was assigned to a program of outdoor activities also at the institute that included swimming and snorkelling at a coral reef but without the dolphins.
Two weeks later both groups had improved but especially so among patients who had been swimming with the dolphins.
Measurable symptoms of depression in the dolphin group had fallen by half and by two-thirds according to the two scales – twice as much as in the non-dolphin group.
In addition a self-rating measurement of anxiety symptoms the Zung scale found a fall of more than 20% among the dolphin group compared with a decline of 11% among the non-dolphin groups.
“To the best of our knowledge this is the first randomised single blind controlled trial of animal-facilitated therapy with dolphins ” say Antonioli and Reveley.
“The effects exerted by the animals were significantly greater than those of just the natural setting. The echolocation system the aesthetic value and the emotions raised by the interaction with dolphins may explain the mammals’ healing properties.”
ROCHESTER GIRL CHOSEN FROM THOUSANDS TO WIN SWIMMING AWARD.
Zoe Bartlett is making a splash after earning a top award to mark her outstanding achievement in the water.
The seven year old from Rochester, had a major fear of water but this has not stopped her learning to swim.
Now her courage and perseverance have paid off and she is riding on the crest of a wave after she was presented with a Southern Water Learn to Swim Achiever of the Year award.
The successful youngster was one of fifty winners from amongst the 35,000 children taking part across the region. The awards are given to children who have shown great courage in overcoming particular difficulties or for their exceptional performance.
Zoe’s swimming instructor at Strood Sports Centre, Maureen Welsh said: “Zoe was extremely frightened of the water and was terrified of getting her face wet. She would not join in with the rest of the class, but fortunately she never gave up. With great courage and perseverance she has now overcome her fears and can swim and go under water. She is a very worthy winner of the award.”
Zoe was treated to a visit by the Learn to Swim scheme mascot Ollie the Otter, who dropped in to help her celebrate her success.
Nigel Smetham, Southern Water’s Water Manager presented the youngster with a bag of goodies, which included a sports watch, at a special ceremony at Maidstone Leisure Centre.
Mr Smetham said: “This is a tremendous occasion for these children. They have proved themselves in many different ways and made enormous achievements on the Learn to Swim scheme.
To win these awards is extremely significant because the youngsters have been selected from 35,000 children who were taught on the scheme last year.
We are pleased to be able to contribute to the community by helping children learn a very valuable life skill, as well as enabling them to reach their fullest potential.”
The scheme, now in its tenth year, teaches children from 4-12 year-olds and is sponsored by Southern Water. It is run in consultation with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).
Diving Lessons Learn to Swim Swimming Lessons Teach Baby to Swim
Babies and Swimming Pools Children’s swimming pools Swimming lessons for babies
The following information will help parents make an informed choice about taking their baby to a swimming pool
Do babies need their immunisations before swimming? No. The advice to wait until baby has had some or all of their immunisations before taking them to the pool, goes back to the days when polio was much more common and we were worried about its spread in swimming pools. This is no longer a concern.
Picture Courtesy of www.waterbaby.co.uk
The vaccines given to young babies protect against:
The above infections are not contracted in the chlorinated water environment of a well-run swimming pool.
What about feeding? You should wait one hour after your babies feed before swimming.
Should baby swim if they are ill? NO! The temperature of the pool, changing rooms and outside are really important, as a baby cannot control their body temperature. Pool water should be at least 30oC. A child who is ill should not be exposed to big swings in temperatures. Take note of the following:
What should my baby wear in the pool? It is more hygienic to put your baby in a swim nappy such as kooshies or aquanappy. It is somewhat essential. It is important remember that stomach and bowel upsets can result if a pool is heavily contaminated with faeces. The following advice should be followed;
Are the chemicals in the water harmful to my baby? A baby’s skin is more delicate than an adult’s and the chemicals used to sterilise swimming pool water can irritate the skin and eyes of some babies. Your health visitor will be able to advise you on skin care products.
Where can I get further information about protection for babies?
Swimming pool bans backstroke
A local council has banned it’s swimmers from doing backstroke in the pool as it fears they could injure themselves if they collide. Swimmers at the Daisyfield pool in Blackburn have been told they can do only forward strokes during busy periods when the pool is divided into lanes, officials said. “This is not about threats of legal action,” said Kate Hollern, of Blackburn and Darwen Council responsible for culture, leisure and sport. “We are simply limiting the times when people can swim backstroke to prevent dangerous collisions. “We would expect that people would be concerned for their own safety as well as that of others so we are being proactive in introducing these rules.” She said the new rules complied with guidelines issued by the national Institute of Sport and Recreation Management, and were “designed be inclusive to ensure that all people can use our facilities in a safe way”.
Diving Lessons Learn to Swim Swimming Lessons Teach Baby to Swim
