Learning to Swim as an Adult: Where to Start

It's never too late to learn to swim. Adults can find beginner classes at YMCAs, city and county parks departments and Red Cross Learn-to-Swim facilities, or search U.S. Masters Swimming for a certified Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor nearby.

If you never learned as a child, you're in good company, and there's nothing to be embarrassed about. This guide covers where to find a class, what the first lessons are like, what to bring, and how to practice safely.

You're not alone

Millions of adults never had the chance to learn. In CDC's 2023 national survey:

54.7%

• About 40 million adults (15.4%) said they did not know how to swim (opens in a new tab).
• About one in three Black adults (36.8%) and about one in four Hispanic adults (25.8%) said they could not swim, compared with 6.9% of White adults. CDC links these gaps to history, including racially segregated pools and pool closures after integration was required.
• Adults 65 and older were more likely than adults 18 to 29 to say they couldn't swim (18.6% vs. 12.4%).

Even people who say they can swim may lack key skills. In a 2020 Red Cross survey, 85% of Americans said they could swim, but only 56% of those self-described swimmers (opens in a new tab) could do all five basic water safety skills.

Learning matters for your family, too. The USA Swimming Foundation says that if a parent doesn't know how to swim, there is only a 19% chance (opens in a new tab) that a child in the household will learn.

Finding an adult beginner class

Look in more than one place:

• U.S. Masters Swimming. Its Adult Learn-to-Swim instructor search (opens in a new tab) finds certified instructors near your ZIP code. The program is built for adults who never learned or who had a frightening experience in the water.

• American Red Cross. Red Cross Adult Swim (opens in a new tab), developed for older teens and adults, lets you progress at your own pace with a certified Water Safety Instructor. It has three levels:

  1. Learning the Basics: basic strokes and the skills you need to become water competent
  2. Improving Skills and Swimming Strokes: basic aquatic skills and the six basic swimming strokes
  3. Swimming for Fitness: refining front crawl, back crawl, breaststroke and turns to build endurance

  Find a facility on the Red Cross Learn-to-Swim Providers map.

• YMCA. The Y's Swim Basics (opens in a new tab) classes are for all ages, and Swim Strokes covers school-age children, teens and adults.

• Parks departments. Some cities run adult classes. NYC Parks, for example, teaches adults and seniors (opens in a new tab) basic swimming and safety skills such as breath control, floating and arm strokes, for free with a recreation center membership. See free swim lessons in NYC.

• Community and cultural centers. Some run adult classes, and some set aside women-only swim times.

Our finder opens these searches for your ZIP code:

If modest dress, women-only times or a female instructor matter to you, see swimming with modesty for how to ask.

What your first lessons look like

Beginner adult classes start with comfort, not speed. NYC Parks describes adult beginner skills as breath control, floating and arm strokes. The Red Cross first level, Learning the Basics, builds toward water competency, which includes getting in, turning around and getting out of the water. So expect to work on:

1. Breath control, including putting your face in the water
2. Floating
3. Turning over and turning around in the water
4. Simple arm strokes
5. Getting in and out of the pool safely

Ask to start in water where you can stand. Tell your instructor before the first class about any fear of water, past scary experience, or health condition. A good instructor adjusts to you. If fear is the main thing holding you back, read how adults can overcome fear of the water.

What to bring and wear

• A swimsuit you can move in. Pools set their own rules on attire. NYC Parks outdoor pools, for example, require a swimsuit and allow only a plain white shirt over it on deck. If you wear modest or full-coverage swimwear, ask the pool ahead of time.
• Goggles, if you like.
• A swim cap, if your pool requires one. Some do.
• A lock and a towel. Some pools require a lock.
• Shower before you swim. Some pools require it.

You don't need expensive gear to start.

Practicing safely between lessons

Practice helps, but safety comes first. The Red Cross lists water smarts for every swimmer (opens in a new tab), even strong ones:

• Never swim alone. Swim where lifeguards or water watchers are present.
• Know your limits, including your fitness and any medical conditions.
• Swim sober. Among teens and adults, alcohol is involved in up to 70% of deaths (opens in a new tab) linked to water recreation, according to CDC.
• Don't play breath-holding games. CDC warns that hyperventilating or holding your breath underwater for long periods can make you pass out and drown (opens in a new tab).
• Stay in water where you can stand until your instructor says you're ready for deeper water.

Track what you've learned with the progress tracker:

Setting goals

A good first goal is water competency: being able to get in over your head and return to the surface, float or tread water for a minute, turn around, swim 25 yards and get out. See the five water competency skills.

After that, your goals are yours: swimming laps for fitness, playing with your children in the pool, or feeling calm on a beach trip.

Pool skills don't fully carry over to open water

A lake, river or ocean is different from a pool. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reminds swimmers that natural water is not like a pool (opens in a new tab) and that swimming ability declines with age. The Red Cross says to always wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket while boating, regardless of swimming skill. Read water safety for adults before your next trip.

Learn to help others, too

Part of water competency is helping others safely. The Red Cross lists knowing the signs that someone is drowning, knowing how to help with "reach or throw, don't go," and knowing CPR and first aid. Find a class in where to learn CPR.

Bringing a group of adults together

If you lead a community, faith or parent group where many adults never learned, you can run a free dry-land session first. Our Adult Learn-to-Swim Orientation lesson plan walks a group through what lessons are like, setting a first goal and finding a class.

What you can do today

1. Open the U.S. Masters Swimming search or our finder and write down one adult class near you.
2. Call and ask: Is this class for true beginners? How many students per instructor? Can I talk to the instructor first?
3. Print the Adult Swim Lesson Guide and take it to your first class.
4. Tell one person you're doing this. Better still, invite a friend or family member to learn with you.
5. Book your first class.