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Parwich artist Esther Tyson is working on a project to immortalise the seahorses of Dorset in art – but first of all, she has to learn to swim underwater! Esther’s project diary continues below…

Day Five.

I’ve moved from the pool at Sandybrook to the 25m pool in Ashbourne Leisure Centre.

Every pool I’ve swum in has had a gradual grade to the final depth, but here it’s ever so sudden: half way, the depth plummets! In my first swim, it took me completely by surprise; coughing and spluttering, I grasped the rail whilst composing myself.

Back to the present day: looking at the length and wondering how it will go. It’s a long way…

I’m at the deep end. The length went better than I hoped – still ungainly, and I’m very conscious of the lifeguard (will I need rescue?) and the old man who is also trying to stay close to the side rail (I hope we don’t bang heads). It turns out that he is more confident than me, so he happily shifts on a lane and we slowly progress.

I’m slow, very conscious of breathing out of my nose underwater and breathing in through my mouth above water. I misjudge the shallow end; tired, I move to stand and I’m completely submerged. Coughing and spluttering again! Clinging to the side rail.

I’ve been told that as part of the dive training, you have to tread water for ten minutes. Really? I’m in a pool with a deep end now, so I decide to give it a go. I last for two minutes… need to work on that.

Day Six.

“Hold your breath and put your head underwater.”

What? Hey, no, I don’t do that… I breathe out through my nose when I’m underwater!

I took Amanda up on her offer. We hit the pool at nine and this first instruction took me by surprise. Oh my goodness – this is going to be tough!

Thankfully the schools were in, so we only had the central area to swim. Widths are fine with me! Let’s avoid the deep! I have bigger problems today!

I hold my breath and drop below the water line. Instantaneously I’m out, spluttering and clearing my face. I really can’t do this. Water up my nose and into my throat, the familiar burning sensation between my eyes and I really don’t know how I’m going to do this.

• Hold your breath, holding your hand to your mouth.
• Hold your breath, holding your hand under your nose.
• Hold your breath, holding your nose, letting go of your nose once under the water…

Each time I surface spluttering water. It is really not working. I’m holding my breath, then for some reason I think I can breathe under water.

We repeat the “hold your breath, holding the nose and under, let go”. For a moment, my breath holds. Once again and I hold my breath a little longer. Our heads are a foot underwater; we keep ourselves submerged by pushing up on the underside of the rail. A single bubble of air leaves my nose. My eyes are going to pop out of my head – I’m holding my breath so hard. But I am, amazingly, holding my breath…

We break the surface. I can’t believe it! The impossible is ever so slightly more possible.

Now for the width. No, that didn’t work.

The stages are broken down once more, this time with the added help of a small blue float. One hand on the float; the other pinches my nose as I take a deep breath and push forward. Two hands on the float and I don’t get much further.

We repeat this over and over again, close to the surface.

The floats are abandoned and we go deeper. Amanda explains how to surface dive, which is a dive from the surface of the water to the bottom of the pool. The idea is to swim along the bottom for a width. My first try is unsuccessful, but I keep going. I make it so far, then my back end raises, I level out and I’m back on the surface again. It takes so many tries…

“I’m so… sorry.”  I keep burping.
Laughing, Amanda tells me “It’s cos you keep swallowing air!”

I know what she is up to! I’m now trying to swim along the bottom and my mind is no longer consciously on holding my breath… it still is, but I’m swimming along the bottom!

A three command start:
– “On your mark”
– “Get set”
– “Go”

We’re off. I surface dive and swim along the bottom (progressively getting higher) while holding my breath. Half way, I expel air from my nose, still holding my breath. I’m almost at the far side, starting to run out of breath. I expel more air from my nose as I rise to the surface.

Wow!