Seeing the sparkling ocean filled my heart with joy.
It was a warm day and my family had come to the Caspian Sea in Iran.
Noticing the excitement in my eyes, Dad asked if I wanted to go for a dip.
“You’ll have to swim in the ladies’ section,” he warned.
In our country, the beach was divided into male and female sections.
“No,” I told him.
Being out on the water was a new experience for me.
(Image: supplied)I’d never been in the water before and would have loved to splash around, but I didn’t want to be separated from my family.
So that was as close as I ever got to the beach.
But when I turned 30, I moved to Australia to study.
On the flight there, I stopped at Malaysia and did some scuba-diving.
My swimming skills were only basic, but the experience of being immersed in water was so amazing I vowed I’d do it again in Australia.
But to really tackle the sea with confidence, I’d need proper swimming lessons.
I wanted to do more scuba-diving.
(Image by Tasha Waller)My first attempt ended badly.
The instructor’s Aussie accent was so hard for me to understand that I couldn’t follow the instructions.
Instead, I decided to teach myself by watching countless videos on YouTube and practising alone in the pool.
It worked!
I then joined an underwater hockey team and competed in tournaments.
Now I’m teaching others how to swim!
(Image: supplied)After three years in Australia, I was a competent swimmer and loved heading into the waves as often as possible.
It didn’t bother me that Tassie’s beaches were some of the coldest in the country – that’s what wetsuits were made for!
Thinking back to how far I’d come, I knew there must be other migrants like me, so I formed From Zero To Hero, an adult swimming program.
As an instructor, I’ve helped women, even those in their 70s, gain the confidence to get back in the water.
It’s a job I love, and I hope that I’ll empower others to keep making a splash!
