Why Cultural Competence is Non-Negotiable in Leisure & Aquatics
In leisure and aquatics, cultural competence is often spoken about as if it’s a “nice to have.” In reality, it is a matter of safeguarding, equity, and survival. We know that nearly half of ethnically diverse adults in England cannot swim 25m unaided, and that barriers rooted in history, culture, and representation continue to prevent whole communities from accessing water safely. If we don’t address this with urgency, aquatics will remain a space where too many people feel they do not belong.
The Hidden Barriers
When people are excluded from water, it isn’t always about price or location. The barriers are often less visible but no less powerful.
For many families, swimming pools and open water bring up generations of fear and disconnect. Parents who never learned to swim may avoid enrolling their children because of shame or anxiety. Cultural or faith-based modesty requirements can make standard timetables feel unwelcoming or even impossible to access. For some, stereotypes about who “belongs” in the water are so deep-rooted that they don’t even consider stepping in.
These barriers aren’t excuses. They are lived realities. And unless leisure and aquatics professionals recognise them, whole communities will remain shut out.
Why Cultural Competence Matters
Cultural competence is not about political correctness. It’s about three things:
Safeguarding – If professionals don’t understand cultural context, they risk misinterpreting behaviour, missing warning signs, or escalating situations unnecessarily.
Equity – Every community deserves the chance to be safe around water. Without cultural competence, exclusion continues, and inequality widens.
Survival – Aquatics will not grow or thrive if it does not reflect the full diversity of society.” For the industry to survive, it must become relevant to everyone.
To treat cultural competence as optional is to accept a system where drowning risk, exclusion, and inequity continue unchecked.
Safeguarding and Equity
Cultural competence in aquatics is not an optional extra – it is safeguarding. When staff understand and respect the diverse needs of participants, they create environments where people feel safe, seen, and able to learn. This matters because the stakes are so high.
Research shows that ethnically diverse communities in the UK face disproportionately high drowning rates. These disparities are not about ability or aspiration – they are rooted in exclusion, access, and representation. Unless addressed, they will continue to cost lives.
What It Looks Like in Practice
Cultural competence is not a theory. It shows up in everyday decisions and actions:
A receptionist who knows how to welcome people from different backgrounds with warmth and respect.
Marketing materials that reflect the diversity of the communities they’re meant to reach.
A swimming teacher who understands that a child’s fear of water might be rooted in family history, not just the present moment.
A timetable that considers religious practices or provides modesty-friendly sessions.
These are not extras. They are the difference between a family feeling excluded or a family feeling that water is a place for them.
When organisations get this right, trust is built. Participation grows. And aquatics becomes what it should always have been, a universal life skill and a source of joy.
The Future of Aquatics
Aquatics is at a turning point.
One path is familiar: programmes that look the same as they have for decades, participation gaps that never close, and communities that continue to feel water is “not for them.”
The other path is harder but vital: embedding cultural competence as a core professional skill. Just as safeguarding and first aid are non-negotiable, so too must cultural competence become part of the foundation of our sector.
Because if we want aquatics to survive and thrive. If we want swimming to be a life skill for everyone, then cultural competence cannot sit on the margins. It has to be central.
The question is not whether we act. The question is how quickly we are willing to change.