Learning to swim in Florida is crucial. Here's how these adults did it

In the shallow end of the recreation center pool, Felicia Singleton tried again.

State of splash: After learning a few basic water skills at camp growing up in New York, she'd spent most of her life reading books from the safe and dry pool deck.

• But on a recent afternoon at a St. Petersburg YMCA, Singleton, now in her 50s, was starting to get the hang of a body rotation drill to fine-tune her freestyle.
• "That's it? I did something?" she said after another attempt. Her swim instructor nodded, beaming.

Why it matters: About 15% of American adults — nearly 40 million people — don't know how to swim, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• The consequences can be dire. Drowning deaths are on the rise for the first time in decades, the agency announced in May.
• Children, seniors and Black Americans of all ages saw the greatest increases.

Stunning stat: More than half of American adults have never taken a swim lesson, per the CDC.

Zoom in: With lessons too costly for some families , and for transplants like Singleton, who grew up wearing ice skates more than a bathing suit, learning as a child isn't a guarantee.

• And taking on a new skill later in life comes with additional challenges.

Yes, but: Adults interviewed by Axios Tampa Bay say it's well worth it.

For Dianeka Jones, 33, admitting she couldn't swim came with embarrassment. Everyone assumes you know how to swim when you're born in Jamaica, she told Axios.

• Her son gave her the push she needed. After taking lessons as a child, he now swims competitively. She wanted to enjoy the water with him so she signed up for lessons.
• Starting out meant overcoming a fear she thinks a lot of adults share: "Once you're in the water, you can't control what happens to you."

Now, two years in, she knows that's not true. She's taken her newfound courage on cruises and snorkeling trips and is thinking about going for her diving certificate.

• "I didn't know I was missing all that until I learned," she said.

For Jane Sanchez, 63, kids were also a motivating factor. About seven years ago she and her husband moved from the Northeast to a house with a pool in Ocala.

• If her grandchildren were going to visit, she wanted to know how to save them.
• Sanchez learned from her husband and online videos (she recommends Coach Mike Nitro ). She started out clinging to a green pool noodle "for dear life," she told Axios.

Now, she can swim 20 laps across her 40-foot pool. She can tread water as long as she wants. She can splash around with her grandkids.

• But perhaps her favorite water activity is floating on her back, gazing up at the Florida sky.

For Singleton, learning to swim has meant conquering her fear of the deep end, joining her friends in the water instead of watching from the sidelines and feeling the years melt away as her body becomes weightless.

• She has no plans of stopping her lessons, she said. There's still so much to learn.