Imelda Ruiz
swimming instructor
Patient; comfort before technique
Deep End
His daughter starts swimming lessons and he wants to be in the pool with her, not watching from the side.
Planned · not started yet
Fitness & sport Second chances Living with uncertainty City life Hopeful Warm
The premise
His daughter starts swimming lessons and he wants to be in the pool with her, not watching from the side. Olu works through decades-old fear to real competence, ending with an open-water swim he would once have refused to watch.
The protagonist
Olu Brightman-Sato — 34-year-old who never learned to swim after a childhood scare
The council
Every council member is an original fictional character. None represents, quotes or is endorsed by a real person.
Dr Pavel Hruska
motor-learning scientist
Analytical; skills grow in small repeatable steps
Dr Grace Nwankwo
anxiety specialist
Gentle; fear shrinks with gradual exposure
How the story moves
From the shallow end to an open-water swim; a panic in deep water halfway through is the turning point, and his daughter becomes his coach.
What readers take away
- Water confidence and controlled breathing
- Floating and body position
- Front-crawl technique
- Backstroke and treading water
- Turning and resting safely
- Open-water safety
- Cold-water shock and self-rescue
- Fear and gradual exposure
- Breathe bilaterally in front crawl
- Swim continuously for 400 metres
- Choose safe open-water venues
- Use flotation and visibility aids
The books
- 1The shallow end Planned
- 2Breathing Planned
- 3Open water Planned
Book titles are working titles and may change before publication. No book is on sale until the complete series is finished, checked and released.