Does being a proficient swimmer mean you are safe in the water?

Swimming instruction in Norway takes place almost exclusively in calm and controlled indoor swimming pools. But most water-related accidents occur outdoors, meaning the skills children have learned may not be enough.

Learning to swim is important, especially in a country like Norway, where many people live near the coast, a river, or a lake. For this reason, swimming instruction is included in the physical education curriculum in primary and lower secondary schools.

But does the swimming instruction children in Norway receive actually help when the knowledge and skills are needed the most?

“In Norway, swimming instruction mainly takes place in stable, controlled and predictable environments, such as heated swimming pools,” explained Jon Sundan at NTNU’s Department of Teacher Education. He is an assistant professor and has recently completed his Ph.D.

It is all well and good that pupils receive this instruction—they get to practice falling into the water, swimming both on their front and back, floating, basic diving and getting out of the pool.

However, Sundan points out that this is not enough—it is just a start to make them safer and better able to cope in the water.

“Today’s swimming instruction helps pupils acquire basic swimming skills. But does it prepare children sufficiently for the kinds of challenges they might encounter in dynamic and unpredictable water environments, such as lakes, rivers and the sea, which are instrumental from a drowning prevention perspective?” he asked.

Cold water is not the same as a heated pool

Swimming in a warm indoor pool in your swimming trunks is a completely different experience from falling into a cold fjord, lake, or river, perhaps in the dark with all your clothes on, and having to try to figure out what to do in this particular situation.

“Most drowning accidents occur in natural environments, where currents, low water temperature, waves and limited visibility make self-rescue significantly more challenging,” explained Monika Haga, professor of physical education and sports at the same department.

She has been Sundan’s Ph.D. supervisor. They have now published an article in Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy. It investigates the relationship between swimming skills in a pool and in a lake. The work was carried out by Sundan, Haga and Professor Håvard Lorås.

A big difference between swimming indoors and outdoors

“When we tested a group of children, noticeably fewer of them were categorized as proficient swimmers in a lake compared to what they were able to do in a pool,” said Sundan.

To assess swimming skills, they used the Swimming Competence Assessment Scale, which is based on the Norwegian standard for swimming proficiency.

“In the pool, approximately 8 out of 10 pupils had sufficient basic swimming skills, meaning they were proficient swimmers; but outdoors, this was reduced to approximately 3 out of 10,” said Sundan.

According to the researchers, the study provides valuable insight and challenges current practice.

“We simply have to acknowledge that swimming varies according to the water environment in which it is done. One of the measures to reduce the differences between indoor and outdoor swimming could be to ensure that indoor practice is more representative. This means it more closely resembles the conditions in natural aquatic environments. In addition, it is crucial that pupils practice swimming outdoors. This is stipulated in the physical education curriculum, especially at the upper primary and lower secondary levels,” said Sundan.

All pupils must practice swimming outdoors

Things have changed a little in recent years. More people, including central authorities, have become aware that it is important to practice swimming in more natural environments. The academic community at NTNU has been a driving force in calling for outdoor swimming and lifesaving education to be made part of the curriculum.

In practice, however, it will be some time before all pupils receive this type of instruction. This is partly because the teachers themselves lack the necessary competencies and experience.

“Our results show that we still need to take a more comprehensive approach to swimming instruction. In addition to the skills aspect, it must also include knowledge about and attitudes towards being in, near and on water. Our research shows that children cannot just learn to swim in a pool; they must also be better equipped to handle the complex challenges they may face in various outdoor water environments,” concluded the researchers.