After a traumatizing experience of having his head shoved in the water during his first swim lessons, Raphael Ng has overcome this fear and now teaches local kids to swim.

Ng, 15, is from Renton and attends Kentridge High School in Kent, but he was born in Malaysia and moved to the U.S. when he was 6.

Before he left Malaysia, Ng said he was in a swimming class that would scar him for years.

Ng said he was ready to learn how to swim, but after the instructor held his head under the water because he wanted to help him hold his breath longer, he was terrified of bodies of water.

For years, Ng avoided any situation where he would have to go to a pool or lake and engage in other sports. Ng said it wasn’t until he was 13 years old that his dad told him he had to learn to swim because it was a life necessity. Ng said he begged his dad to make him do anything but swim.

Eventually, Ng said he gave in and gave it a try. Ng said his dad would sit next to the pool the entire time, which helped him, but he still didn’t like it. He said he started at a different school before he would go to the Renton swimming school called Water Babies.

He said it wasn’t until he went to Water Babies that he finally got comfortable and actually began to enjoy swimming. He said he was still scared at first, but he knew that he could just stand up and go at his own pace if he ever got scared.

Ng said what really started to make him feel comfortable swimming was how Water Babies broke down the steps to progress at each level of swimming. He said they wouldn’t push anything onto him, and the learning style emphasized learning at one’s own pace.

Ng said he went from being terrified of setting foot in water to actually wanting to swim and finding it relaxing. About eight months after he started swimming lessons, Ng was offered a job as an instructor.

“It’s kind of shocking, the progression, how fast it came to be. I mean, just looking back, why was I terrified of swimming? I could understand it, but I guess I can learn fast,” Ng said, “I quickly learned to endure my fear and then teaching others how to swim, that’s also pretty good so that they can save themselves if they need to.”

Ng said his parents were also surprised and confused when he told them about being offered a job as an instructor. He said his dad asked the instructors if they were really offering him a job because he was surprised at how fast he progressed.

Ng said this is his first time teaching and having a job, and it’s also his first time interacting with young kids, but he enjoys it. He said if he ever doesn’t know what to do with the kids, he can talk to his managers or his parents, who will guide him.

“It’s a lot different than speaking with my friends or older people. You have to put everything in simpler ways so they can understand,” Ng said. “You usually have to show them physical movements, the form, and what they’re supposed to do. You learn patience. A lot of patience.”

Ng said he’s already very busy going to school, taking catechism classes, taking piano lessons, and playing tennis, but as he continues to improve his swimming abilities, he wants to eventually try out for the school swim team and just continue to be a stronger swimmer.