Anyone who grew up in Seal Beach remembers taking swim lessons at McGaugh pool. Raised right across the street from it, Dan Airth learned to swim at the same time he could walk. He participated in every All-City Swim Meet as a kid and remembers proudly displaying his heavy marble plaques they used to give out.
Now as a veteran English teacher and occasional swim instructor, he dreams of one day living in a tropical country and teaching local kids how to swim. He got that chance in 2015 as an English Language Fellow, a 10-month program with the Department of State that sent him to Benin, West Africa.
Finding a local pool nearby, nothing could prepare him for the attention he got when he jumped in and did a few laps. Swarmed with attention, the one question that he was always asked was “Can you teach me how to swim?”
That is when he decided to found the non-profit Swim Benin to train swim instructors in Benin. Last December, Swim Benin partnered with the Benin Swim Federation to train their club’s swimmers to be swim instructors. The Federation was founded in 2000 to promote swimming and foster Olympic swimmers.
In the harsh environment of Benin, it takes a lot of effort to learn to swim and a lifetime of dedication to become an Olympic athlete. When Dan met with the team’s swimmers in 2016, they said many had been recruited as children by the coach Narcisse Alognisso.
Narcisse’s job is not easy as he has to convince the swimmer’s parents to come to the capital city and train with him. They always ask the question, why is becoming an Olympic swimmer so important? Well, last year at Rio, two of his swimmers qualified: Jules Bessan and Laraiba Seibou. Neither swimmer got out of their heats, but for both it was an experience of a lifetime.
According to feedback from some of the new swim instructors, the Swim Benin training was a great success. “The structure of the swimming teaching sessions taught can not only be applied to swimming but even in daily life activities,” said Romauld Houebeme.
According to Dan, “Teaching someone to swim is more than just about recreation, it has an empowering long-term effect. It can also save theirs or someone else’s life.”When Dan returned to Benin last year, he met up with Narcisse and got to jump in the pool for an impromptu lesson with the team. He showed Narcisse the story that was published in the Sun in December 2015. “One day,” Narcisse said, “a Beninese swimmer will medal in the Olympics.”
Dan Airth is a Seal Beach native. He donated 60 swimsuits and goggles to the Benin Swim Federation in 2016. Swim Benin is currently planning to participate in the World’s Largest Swim Lesson www.wlsl.org, a world-wide event to bring awareness to the global drowning epidemic.
Please visit his website www.helpbeninswim.weebly.com or his facebook page Swim Benin to find out how you can donate and help make it happen.
