Beyond Learning to Swim: How Physical Literacy Can Support Aquatic Education, Water Safety and Blue Physical Activity Promotion
By Dora Carolo, Universidade de Lisboa | Faculdade de Motricidade Humana
Introduction
How can physical literacy help people build safer, more meaningful and more sustainable relationships with aquatic environments?
A new open-access paper by Dora M. Carolo, Dean Dudley, Ana Catarina Queiroga and João Martins, published in Quest, explores this question by bringing physical literacy into conversation with aquatic education, drowning prevention and blue physical activity promotion.
The paper, Integrating Physical Literacy Into Blue Physical Activity Promotion, Drowning Prevention and Aquatic Education, addresses an important gap in research, policy and practice. Physical literacy is now widely recognised across physical education, sport, public health and physical activity promotion. However, its application in aquatic environments remains underdeveloped. In-depth conceptual discussion to distinguish Aquatic Physical Literacy (APL) from other well-established, analogous concepts in the field – aquatic competence, water competence, aquatic motor skills or aquatic locomotion skills – are, therefore, necessary to avoid conceptual confusion that may indered collaborative work and intervention initiatives.
At the same time, aquatic physical activity, aquatic education and drowning-prevention work often operate through separate frameworks. Many programmes continue to emphasise swimming technique or risk reduction, without fully considering the broader personal, social, cultural, environmental and policy factors that shape how people engage with aquatic environments.
This paper argues that physical literacy can offer a shared and integrative framework for these fields. It introduces APL as an expression of physical literacy in aquatic environments – not as a new literacy, but as a way of translating physical literacy into the realities of movement in, on and around water.
What the paper adds to the field
Conceptual clarity
The paper makes an important conceptual contribution by distinguishing Aquatic Physical Literacy from related constructs such as water competence and aquatic motor skills. The authors show that Aquatic PL is broader than the acquisition of swimming or aquatic movement skills. It includes how individuals understand aquatic environments, how they make decisions, how they relate to others, how they value safety and sustainability, and how they continue to engage with blue spaces across life. This clarification helps reduce conceptual overlap and supports more coherent research, curriculum design, assessment and professional practice.
A definition of Aquatic Physical Literacy
The paper proposes Aquatic Physical Literacy as an applied expression of physical literacy in aquatic and blue-space contexts. It is defined as the development of attitudes, values, social behaviours, aquatic physical competence, knowledge and understanding that enable individuals to value and actively engage in safe and sustainable blue physical activities across the lifespan. This definition is significant because it moves the field beyond a narrow “learn to swim” or “water safety skills” narrative. It positions aquatic engagement as a holistic human capability, shaped through meaningful learning experiences in, on and around water interacting with maturation levels and broader physical, social and cultural environments.
A structured framework
A key contribution of the paper is the proposed Aquatic Physical Literacy framework. The framework organises APL into five interrelated components: attitudes and values, social behaviours, aquatic physical competence, knowledge and understanding, and lifelong journey. Each component is accompanied by attributes and observable indicators, offering a practical structure for educators, coaches, researchers and policymakers. This makes the concept more usable in practice, because it provides a way to think about what learners should develop, what practitioners should observe, and how programmes might be designed to support safe, inclusive and lifelong aquatic participation.
A policy bridge
The paper identifies a significant gap in international policy and strategic documents. Physical literacy is increasingly visible in physical activity, physical education and sport development agendas, yet it remains largely absent from blue-space, aquatic education and drowning-prevention documents. At the same time, drowning prevention policies often focus on risk reduction, while physical activity policies rarely engage deeply with aquatic environments. Aquatic PL offers a bridge between these agendas. It provides a shared language through which health promotion, education, sport, recreation, environmental sustainability and drowning prevention can be connected rather than addressed in separate silos.
A socioecological lens
The paper also advances the field by framing aquatic participation and drowning prevention through a socioecological perspective. Drowning risk and aquatic engagement are not determined only by individual ability. They are shaped by interacting personal, interpersonal, community, organisational, policy, cultural and environmental factors. This means that improving aquatic outcomes requires more than teaching individuals to swim. It requires safe and accessible environments, inclusive pedagogies, trained professionals, supportive families and communities, coherent curricula, coordinated organisations and policies that recognise aquatic education as a public health, educational and social responsibility.
A reframing of aquatic physical activity promotion
Notably, the paper positions aquatic physical activity promotion not simply as encouraging people to be active in blue spaces, but as enabling them to do so safely, confidently, meaningfully and sustainably. Through an Aquatic PL lens, aquatic education and water safety become foundations for lifelong engagement with blue physical activities such as swimming, surfing, sailing, rowing, canoeing, diving or recreational activity near water. This reframing connects safety with participation: people are not only protected from risk, but also supported to develop the competence, confidence, motivation, knowledge, social responsibility and environmental awareness needed to flourish in aquatic environments – while also helping others to do the same.
A call for integrated research, policy and practice
Finally, the paper calls for stronger collaboration across sectors that have often worked separately: physical education, aquatic education, drowning prevention, public health, sport, recreation, environmental education and blue-space research. By positioning Aquatic PL as a shared conceptual and practical framework, the paper opens new directions for programme design, professional training, curriculum development, assessment, policy alignment and future research. Its contribution lies not only in defining a concept, but in offering a way to rethink how societies prepare people to engage with water throughout life – safely, actively, responsibly and with care for both people and places.
Limitations and cautions
- Because this is a critical conceptual review, the framework now needs empirical validation across cultures, ages, aquatic settings and risk contexts.
- The breadth of APL is a strength, but it may also make assessment complex. Future tools must avoid becoming overly long instruments that are difficult for teachers and practitioners to use.
- The article argues persuasively for policy integration, but implementation will require sector-specific translation for schools, swimming providers, lifesaving bodies, public health agencies, sport organisations and environmental partners.
- The paper uses international policy gaps as a rationale, but the next step is to identify country-level levers, accountability mechanisms and funding pathways.
Implications For IPLA Audiences
For IPLA audiences, the paper offers more than a new aquatic application of PL. It provides a shared language for connecting research, education, policy, aquatic organisations and communities around a common goal: enabling people to engage safely, confidently, meaningfully and sustainably with blue spaces throughout life. Its implications are therefore both conceptual and practical, inviting each audience to rethink how aquatic participation, education and safety can be designed, supported and evaluated.
| Audience | Why it matters | Actionable implication |
| Researchers | Aquatic Physical Literacy opens a new and timely frontier for PL theory, research and measurement. It invites researchers to explore how PL develops in, on and around water, and how it relates to safety, participation, wellbeing and sustainability. | Test and refine the APL framework across cultures, age groups, aquatic settings and life stages. Develop valid, ecological and inclusive assessment approaches that capture not only aquatic skills, but also confidence, motivation, judgement, knowledge, social behaviours and environmental awareness. |
| Educators and coaches | APL reframes aquatic education as holistic learning, not simply the teaching of swimming strokes or technical skills. It encourages practitioners to support the whole learner: physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. | Design learning experiences that integrate aquatic competence, confidence, motivation, knowledge, decision-making, risk awareness, cooperation, social responsibility and care for blue environments. Lessons should help learners move safely, think critically, support others and enjoy meaningful participation in aquatic settings. |
| Policy makers | The paper shows that physical activity, education, sport, drowning prevention, water safety and sustainability are often addressed separately, even though they are deeply connected. APL provides a shared framework for bringing these agendas together. | Embed APL into national and local strategies for PE, sport, public health, drowning prevention, water safety, recreation and blue-space planning. Policies should promote equitable access, quality aquatic education, safe environments and lifelong opportunities to be active in diverse blue spaces. |
| Aquatic organisations | APL creates a common language for collaboration across swimming, lifesaving, sport, recreation, education, public health and environmental sectors. It can help organisations move from isolated programmes to more coherent and connected systems. | Align programmes, workforce development, curriculum design and evaluation around safe, inclusive, meaningful and sustainable aquatic participation. Organisations can use APL to guide staff training, improve programme quality and strengthen partnerships with schools, communities and policy actors. |
| Communities | APL supports lifelong and equitable engagement with blue spaces. It recognises that people’s opportunities to be active and safe around water are shaped by family, culture, access, local environments and community support. | Build partnerships that expand safe access to aquatic environments, especially for children, migrants, rural communities and other underserved or higher-risk groups. Community initiatives should promote confidence, belonging, water safety, social connection and shared responsibility for caring for blue spaces. |
Final Thoughts
This paper is a timely invitation for the physical literacy community to extend its thinking into aquatic contexts. It shows that blue spaces are not only settings for recreation or risk; they are important environments for learning, wellbeing, social connection, environmental stewardship and lifelong physical activity.
For IPLA, the paper offers an opportunity to support dialogue between physical literacy researchers, aquatic educators, drowning-prevention experts, public health professionals, sport organisations, environmental stakeholders and policymakers. Acting on these insights means helping to build shared language, encourage cross-sector collaboration and promote physical literacy-informed approaches to aquatic education and blue physical activity.
The key message is clear: learning to swim matters, but it is not enough. People also need to learn how to understand water, respect it, make informed decisions, care for others, protect aquatic environments and participate with confidence across life.
Aquatic Physical Literacy invites us to move from a narrow “learn to swim to survive” narrative towards a broader vision: learning to move, participate, care and flourish in, on and around water.
Further Reading and Resources
Readers can access the full paper, two visual infographics summarising the key messages, and a presentation that can be used to support discussion, teaching, professional development or advocacy.
- Read the full paper
Dora M. Carolo, Dean Dudley, Ana Catarina Queiroga & João Martins (2026). Integrating Physical Literacy Into Blue Physical Activity Promotion, Drowning, Prevention and Aquatic Education, Quest, DOI: 10.1080/00336297.2026.2655226 [link]
- Infographic 1: Aquatic Physical Literacy as a bridge
A visual summary of how Aquatic Physical Literacy connects movement, water safety, aquatic education and blue-space engagement. [link]
- Infographic 2: Key components of Aquatic Physical Literacy
An overview of the attitudes, values, social behaviours, aquatic physical competence, knowledge and understanding that support safe and meaningful aquatic participation across life. [link] - Presentation slides – AIESEP Connect, June 2026
A short presentation introducing the paper’s background, key findings and implications for research, education, policy and practice. This comunication was presented at the AIESEP connect initiative [link; link]
These resources are designed to encourage reflection, dialogue and collaboration across the physical literacy, aquatic education, drowning prevention, public health, sport and blue-space sectors. They may be used to support learning, professional conversations and the development of more integrated approaches to aquatic participation and water safety.