When Linh first contacted us, she described herself as having a "borderline phobia" of water. She had never managed to submerge her face in a pool without panicking. At 32, she had decided that enough was enough — and found us through an internet search.
The First Steps Her coach, Minh, started her not in the pool but on dry land. Breathing exercises, progressive relaxation, and discussions about what specifically triggered her anxiety. "It was the loss of visual reference," Linh told us. "Once my eyes went underwater, my brain sent an immediate alarm."
The first in-water sessions were in the shallow end, less than a metre of water, with Linh wearing a mask and snorkel. The goal was simply to float face-down and look at the pool tiles — nothing more.
Weeks 1–4: Establishing a Foundation Within the first month, Linh progressed to floating without the snorkel, then to brief submersions of 5–10 seconds. Each session was calibrated carefully — challenging but never overwhelming. "Coach Minh had this ability to know exactly when I was at the edge of my comfort zone versus actually panicking," she says.
Month 3: The First Real Dive By month three, Linh attempted her first controlled duck-dive to the pool floor — approximately 1.5m. She describes the moment vividly: "I reached the bottom, touched the tiles, and looked up at the surface. Everything was completely quiet. It was the most peaceful experience I had ever had underwater."
Month 8: AIDA 1 Certification Linh sat her AIDA 1 assessment eight months after her first session. She passed the static apnea requirement (2 minutes) comfortably, and completed the 25m underwater swim with ease. Her coach observed that her equanimity under water was notable — the anxiety had transformed completely into curiosity.
"The academy didn't just teach me to dive," she said on assessment day. "They taught me that my body was capable of things I had completely written off."
Linh is now registered for the AIDA 2 programme and has expressed interest in eventually pursuing the freediving instructor pathway.
