Everyone can learn to swim Comfort comes first You can float vertically Overcoming fear IS learning to swim Having fun is the best way to learn Feel safe all the time Overcome fear without feeling afraid Go at your own pace Learn with your swimming people It’s amazing what 5 days can do Correct information does wonders!

Have you tried private lessons, group lessons, and informal lessons from family, friends, lifeguards and Olympians but not learned to swim? It’s not your fault.

The traditional teaching system works for people who have no fear, but not for those who do.

You must stay comfortable at all times in order to heal fear. Learn without ever being told to push yourself, do scary things, relax, or let go of the wall. Quite the opposite: the book encourages you to be yourself, as you were when you learned to walk. It cannot fail. Take the gentle, fool-proof route.

Delve into a new paradigm of teaching and learning. It has never once failed in 41 years and almost 6000 students. The courses based on the book are in their 42nd year. The system is beginning to replace traditional swimming lessons. Progress is faster than readers thought possible. Yes, reading a book can help you learn to swim. First, learn to think about it differently.

It’s sensible, personal, and trustworthy.

Say goodbye to shame. There’s no silly reason that anyone is afraid in water. Virtually everyone can learn to swim peacefully without fear by using a bit of new knowledge and placing one’s attention on the right thing: comfort.

“…The book is amazing. I am so grateful I found it because it speaks to the heart of me. I am taking swim lessons at the local rec center and while they are terrific for what they are, they are exactly as you describe. Without your book and video, I would not have the courage and confidence to speak up and tell the instructors what I need. To their credit, they listen! They help me and I think I am helping them….” –Gratefully, PW

The true meaning of “I can swim” is, “I’m comfortable and safe in deep water,” not, “I can move my arms and legs like this but only in shallow water.” Strokes do not make students safe in deep water. You’ve tried them, right? They are not included.

Kirkus Review: “Our Verdict: Get it”

An insightful, warmly reassuring how-to for novice swimmers.

Anyone can feel confident swimming in deep water, according to this soulful beginner’s swimming course.

Dash, a swimming coach and founder of the Miracle Swimming School for Adults, addresses grown-ups who would love to swim but feel a primal dread of the water; her guide aims to enable phobic readers to serenely breathe and move about in the pool’s deep end.

…She introduces rudimentary skills in a pressure-free, self-paced manner that allows learners to edge into the shallow end, acclimate while clinging to walls, and build slowly up to the big step of submerging their faces. More advanced lessons cover front floats and back floats, arm motions and hand orientations, and frolics like underwater somersaults and handstands.

…cogent-detailed, lucid, and eminently practical for helping newbies overcome fundamental but often overlooked barriers. Swimming programs often ignore students’ struggles with basic aquatic competency, and Dash’s book ably fills that gap in a fun and appealing way.

BookLife Prize – 2022 by Publishers Weekly
“This book will help readers of all ages who want to learn to swim. The step-by-step approach is clear and easily accessible and can be practiced in just a few sessions as readers find themselves less fearful in deeper water. Melon breaks down the subject with multiple solutions, yet manages to not overwhelm the learner.

In this well-executed text, with a step-by-step approach to not only overcoming a fear of water but also learning to swim in spite of it, Melon’s perspective and real-life comparisons make it easy to understand her lessons.
For anyone who thought it wasn’t possible to learn to swim from a book, this book will prove that theory wrong. The advice given is relatable and will ring true with anyone who has ever doubted themselves in the water.

Melon’s process is simple and nicely conveyed. She has patiently included and addressed any problem or excuse that might arise in such situations. Her methods are practical and logical, and go hand in hand with the games and practice methods that she recommends. Melon has eliminated confusion by breaking the process down into specific activities and solid advice.

Other Media
Founder Melon Dash’s work has appeared in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, NPR, NBC’s Today Show, CNN’s Headline News, CNN.com Opinion, Psychology Today, Real Simple, Elle, San Francisco Chronicle, Tampa Bay Times, Sarasota Herald Tribune, and dozens more.