Background Development of aquatic competencies is recommended for preventing drownings, typically achieved through participation in aquatic education programs. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic led to cancellation of numerous programs, and now, many swim schools are operating at full capacity, hindering children’s access to aquatic education. This is concerning as a significant number of children in Victoria, Australia are not meeting established water competency benchmarks. Despite limited exploration into factors contributing to low aquatic competence among children, a child’s negative prior aquatic experience (NPAE) has been acknowledged as a potential influencing factor. Existing research on children’s NPAE has focussed on parental perceptions, leaving a gap in understanding the child’s actual experiences.

Objective To explore the perspectives of both parents and children regarding the child’s NPAE, and its impact on the child’s proficiency in aquatic activities.

Method Validated surveys collected demographic information from parents and children. Children were also assessed against swimming and water safety benchmarks. Chi-square tests determined whether NPAE led to variations in the attainment of aquatic competencies. Thematic analysis enabled categorisation of themes related to parent and child perceptions of the child’s NPAE.

Results Eighty-five parent-child pairs participated. Children were significantly (p=0.019) more likely than parents to report they had a NPAE. Parental reports of children’s NPAE were linked to children being significantly less likely to meet standards for water safety knowledge, continuous swimming and survival skills (p<0.05). Children that reported NPAE were significantly less likely to achieve underwater skills (p=0.048). Agreement between parents and children was high for no reported child NPAE (96%) dropping to 22% when children reported NPAE. Parent descriptions of their child’s NPAE primarily involved open water incidents and the child losing control or requiring intervention, while children described NPAE in closed aquatic environments with concerns about underwater submersion.

Conclusions Findings highlight the importance of considering both parental and child perspectives on NPAE. Using NPAE information, practitioners can tailor swim teaching approaches to overcome and prevent NPAE, particularly as many children perceived their NPAE within pools where aquatic education typically occurs. Findings also suggest children with NPAEs may require targeted interventions to address specific skill gaps.