The Institute of Aquaphobia aims to help everybody, on a multi-cultural & inclusive basis, who has a fear of water to overcome their worries and concerns and learn to feel happy and relaxed in or around pools, rivers or the sea.
The IOA’s worldwide community brings together people from around the globe, who have a personal or professional interest in helping individuals be free from this life-changing phobia and stresses relating to aquatic events or experiences. You can be a part of this amazing network, either as a member of the public, interested in overcoming aquaphobia or a swimming teacher training to be an Aquaphobia Angel Coach.
The IOA aims, with global partners, to further all aspects of learning that advances scientific research, community networks and best practice by professionals for people, at whatever age, who need to be able to relax with basic swimming skills for personal, social/pleasure, mental and physical health and most importantly life-preservation reasons.
Train to Become an Aquaphobia Coach
As a swimming teacher, helping your local communities gain water confidence is a key part of your role and can often be challenging with those who have an inherent fear of water.
We’ve teamed up with UK Academy of Swimming (trading as instituteofaquaphobia.com) to give you the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of water phobia so you can help your participants to relax, float and importantly feel happy in the water.
CTA CPD 1 Aquaphobia Coach
The learning content takes place within a 3D Virtual Leisure Centre viewable on iPhones, Tablets, PC’s, Macs, and Android devices.
CTA CPD 2 Advanced Aquaphobia Coach
CTA CPD 2 is a tutor-led training session that further expands upon the theoretical elements of CPD1 in a classroom environment.
Aquaphobia Coach Testimonials
A specialist new teaching programme to help people who have an inherent fear of the water.
A Swimming Pool In Your Pocket
The first mindfulness relaxation virtual reality app for swimming, at an amazing introductory price of £9.99!
Our virtual swimming pool is the ultimate digital teaching companion for your phones, tablets, and devices. This pool is an advanced fully immersive interactive technology, designed by experts from aquatics, psychology, robotics, and exercise science.
Users can experience what it is like to be in a leisure centre and go into a pool, in the familiar format of a PlayStation or Xbox game. All from the comfort of their living room. Designed for aquaphobics, non-swimmers and beginners or anybody who needs to feel more confident in or around water. There is also a strong message of water safety awareness throughout the App.
The Aquaphobia Learning Programme
The Aquaphobia Learning Programme (ALP) is a 12-stage step approach to support those with a fear of water, providing them with the confidence, skills and techniques to enjoy the unique freedom that being in water can give.
Distinctive from swimming programmes, ALP focuses on eliminating and desensitising fear, with the physical mechanics of swimming being secondary.
The aim of the programme is to teach a participant how to relax, float, feel happy and in control in the water and reduce all stresses in a safe and careful way.
Taught by a certified Aquaphobia Coach, each course is tailored to the individual’s personal needs and degree of fear, going at their own preferred pace, so they feel uplifted, encouraged and comfortable to undertake lessons on a regular basis.
When a person has achieved a stage, they then progress on to the next one in sequence, with no set timescale or pressures on the individual they will learn key swimming skills that really boost enjoyment and relaxation.
By going through the 12 steps participants will grow in confidence and learn the basic principles of: entering, standing, floating, moving and breathing in water.
Creator of the course Master Coach Mike Burman LIII said: “As each new swimming action is correctly learned, it is embedded into both the conscious and subconscious mind and also into muscle memory. This increases the skill base, knowledge and self-belief in each individual.
“As the skill level goes up, the fear reduces. You will never be rushed into achieving the next stage. We understand that some aquatic skills are easier learnt than others with some aspects of the fear being more entrenched than others.
“Every achievement, however small, is a milestone. Something to be proud of, boost confidence and be happy about.”
Find an Aquaphobia Coach