For the refugee and migrant students at a New South Wales learning centre, large bodies of water and swimming can seem as alien to them as the new country they are in.
For Bayan Kheirallah, who fled Syria with her family when she was 12, the drowning death of a family member added an extra layer of trauma to learning about water safety.
But at the Warrawong Intensive English Centre (WIEC), on the state's South Coast, she has been participating in swimming lessons that have helped make her feel more at ease.
"My swimming skills have improved," Ms Kheirallah said.
"Now I can swim better. Now I feel more confident in the water."
Going under for the first time
Once a year students at the WIEC participate in the School Swimming and Water Safety program, a NSW Government initiative.
Kate Coban has been teaching at the IEC for the past 12 years, and in the pool teaching water safety for the past decade.
"The swim scheme is a very good scheme for our students because our student cohort, unfortunately, are in the top category for drownings every year in Australia," Ms Coban said.
"Many of our students have never put their head under the water.
"Possibly because their countries are landlocked, or [for] religious, cultural reasons — so it can be quite terrifying for them to put their head under."
Ms Coban said it was rewarding to watch the students as they progressed.
"Some of the students who are illiterate in their first language, they struggle in the classroom, so they lack confidence," she said.
"But when they come to the pool it's another area of their life that they very quickly gain confidence, and realise they can do things in this culture."
For students like Ms Kheirallah, the water safety program presented other challenges, including finding a full-cover swimsuit, which quickly became a priority.
Jumping in to Australian life
Aye Aye Htoo came to Australia as a refugee in September 2019.
Before she arrived she lived in a refugee camp with her family on the border of Thailand and Burma.
"In the refugee camp, we were not happy because there wasn't enough food and education," she said.
"I love swimming, because yesterday I put my head in the water and was kicking under the water."
After 10 days of in the program, Ms Htoo, who could not swim a stroke before, is now able to swim 5 metres.
The WIEC is unique
Students generally study at the WIEC for 12 months before continuing their education at the nearest high school.
In a class of 15, English teacher Wendy Regan contended with seven different languages.
"English is how we try to communicate as a common language," Ms Regan said.
"Lots of nodding, shaking heads, pointing, drawing, it all comes into our language to communicate.
"It's a battle, but it's fun — we all appreciate and accept the challenge.
"I'm teaching these students about Australia, I'm teaching them about customs, I'm teaching them about our culture, and I'm learning.
"What these students bring to our area and to our school, is quite remarkable."
