Deep End, New Beginning 

Fear of the water is real, but so is the feeling of awe and accomplishment the moment it fades and Don Sheppard has witnessed it many times. 

In Florida, water is part of life. It’s in the pools, at the beach, in the springs and lakes and especially as the weather warms up, more people are drawn to it. But for plenty of adults, getting near the water still comes with fear, hesitation or the lingering effects of a bad experience years ago. 

That’s where Don comes in. 

An aquatic instructor in The Villages, Don teaches adult swim classes designed for beginners, advanced beginners and those ready for swim workouts. But beyond helping people kick, breathe and build endurance, he’s also helping them get past something deeper. 

“I have many people come to me saying they are a hopeless cause because they’re afraid of the water,” Don says. “As it turns out, many times it’s just that they had a bad situation at one time, like they almost drowned, someone pushed them in or they fell in.” 

“Whatever it is, they’re afraid of the water, so I have to get them over the fear.” 

That’s one reason he enjoys teaching adults so much. While he taught mostly children when he first started back in his college days, he now concentrates solely on adults. 

“I enjoyed both kids and adults, but I found adults to be much more challenging and I’m good at it,” Don says. 

Don’s own background in swimming goes back decades. He once tried out for a college swim team, earned his water safety instructor certification and later taught swimming while working professionally as an analyst for the Department of Defense. After retiring, he worked as an aquatic instructor for the city of Alexandria, Virginia, before moving to The Villages in 2016. Once here, he approached what is now The Enrichment Academy about offering swim instruction and the program took off. 

Since then, he’s helped many adults do something they once believed they never could. 

“I’ve had numerous situations where people thought they’d never be able to learn how to swim and they did,” he says. 

His method starts with breaking the tension and that’s when his humor comes in handy. 

“One of the key things I do on the first day of my classes, is tell students my rules,” he says. “Number one is ‘Don’t tell me you can’t do something, and number two, and the most important rule, is I want you to have a good time.”  

That matters, especially for adults who come in nervous. 

“I make sure that they are laughing and joking and I tease them and poke fun of myself,” he says. “Anything to just make them laugh and start joking around because that gets rid of a lot of the tension.” 

From there, it’s all about building confidence. 

“All my feedback to each of my students is all positive and that gives them motivation to progress,” Don says. 

He also keeps his classes small, capped at six people, so he can work with students individually. 

For Don, learning to swim is about more than exercise. It’s about safety, confidence and peace of mind. That’s especially true in a state like Florida, where children and adults alike are surrounded by water. 

“Most drownings take place in really shallow water, and it’s only because people panic,” he says. “If you’re in water somewhere and you start to feel uneasy… simply lean back, relax and just float. The panic is usually the problem.” 

Additionally, Don strongly believes children should start lessons young, before fear has a chance to take hold and he warns against relying on floaties or water wings as a substitute. 

“It’s a false dependency,” he says. “Teach them to swim and that way you don’t have to worry about those things.” 

Still, his message for adults is just as strong: it is never too late. 

“Oh, absolutely,” Don says when asked whether anyone can learn at any age.  

“There’s no age limit, you can always do it, you can always learn,” he says. 

That’s what keeps him teaching and what keeps students coming back, often by word of mouth from others who have already taken the leap.  

And when someone who once panicked in the water finally makes it across the pool on their own, Don gets to witness something bigger than a swimming lesson. 

“It’s rewarding for them, but it’s rewarding for me, too,” Don says. “I get to see the look on their faces and it’s like they can’t believe they just did that and they are so proud.”  

To book a swimming class in The Villages with Don, visit theenrichmentacademy.org.  

Photos by Nicole Hamel