Learning to swim was something that Olaniyi Olaosebikan had always wanted to do, so he took the plunge and signed up for his first swimming lesson in 2004 at age 39 years old – and he’s never looked back since.  

“It was something I’d always wanted to do, I wanted to do it systematically till I was confident enough. As soon as I got the chance, I just took it”, he explained.

But weekly lessons at Bridge of Don Swimming Pool weren’t enough:

“I’d practice every day, sometimes even twice a day. I’d go to Linksfield Swimming Pool, Hazlehead Swimming Pool and Northfield Swimming Pool – anywhere there was water, I’d be there!

“Alison McDonald was my swimming teacher; she actually went on to teach my kids too – she asked me to enrol in the swimming teacher course.

“I hadn’t realised the opportunity existed to become a teacher.

“My friends would say to me – oh, you can swim now, can you teach me?!

“If I can teach my friends successfully, then why not help loads more people, I thought to myself.”

Olaniyi completed his teaching qualification through Sport Aberdeen in 2014 and teaches several classes per week across all the charity’s swimming pools.

He commented: “My contract at Tullos Swimming Pool has been the longest – Graham Dutton put me to work there in 2015 and I’ve taught there ever since.

“I was also part of the Bridge of Don Masters Club – when I was taking my kids to their lessons, I thought there’s no point sitting here watching them, so I thought I’d help out with the coaching team.

“I can’t believe I’ve been teaching now for over 10 years; I teach all ages and it’s ace!

Olaniyi then decided to complete his National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) training in 2022.

“Back when I initially learned to swim, the lifeguards at Linksfield encouraged me to become a lifeguard. They said they’d never witnessed someone go from 0 to competent before like I had done.”

“At the moment I’m doing around 8 hours of teaching per week and 7 hours of lifeguarding, but my lifeguarding hours can be as much as 20 in a week. 

“Sometimes I will pick up a lifeguarding shift right before I teach at Tullos Swimming Pool and Bridge of Don Swimming Pool. But this is only my part-time job,” Olaniyi laughed.

Leading a busy life by nature, Olaniyi’s full-time job is teaching and mentoring engineers in-person down in Glasgow, primarily for students.

Explaining how he manages such a busy schedule, he remarked: “I write everything in my calendar so I can fit everything in.

“I swim every day if I can find the time. I go to Get active @ Northfield, Get active @ Lochside and Tullos Swimming Pool, sometimes Bridge of Don Swimming Pool on Sundays if I’m not working. I actually use every Sport Aberdeen pool.

“I try to swim 100 lengths in an hour, if the pool is open for 3 hours, I’ll be in there for those 3 hours.”

Speaking about how he feels whilst swimming, Olaniyi said:

“When I swim, it’s a feeling I’m not sure I can describe. It’s therapeutic, it clears my mind. It’s amazing, honestly.

“I feel very good when I come out and I sleep like a baby.

“If I don’t pick up my phone, it’s probably because I’m in the water haha.”

Showing his appreciation for Sport Aberdeen, he went on to say: “All I can say is thank you to the people at Aquatics Aberdeen – Grant MacKnight, Tom McNeill, Donna McKenzieMcNeill and all the teachers.

“Jennifer Hughes gave me my first lesson; she would watch me from a distance and then correct what I was doing wrong.

“She made sure my kids got lessons and today they talk about her as if she’s family.

“Teaching is one of my ways of giving back to Sport Aberdeen for all the support and advice I received throughout my swimming journey to date.

“My kids are all grown up now – one is a swimming teacher too and another is completing the paperwork to become an aquatics assistant.”

Sharing advice for anyone new to swimming, Olaniyi said: “Just respect the water, as long as you respect the water and follow the teacher’s advice, you’ll be fine.

“Oh, and don’t be afraid to ask any questions. Anything you are worried about, just ask.

“For me, I wanted to find out about breathing. As soon as I worked this out, I just pushed myself.”

If Olaniyi’s story has inspired you to learn to swim, then you can register for lessons with Aquatics Aberdeen here.

If you are interested in becoming a swimming teacher, email coachedprogrammes@sportaberdeen.co.uk for further information.