New S4C documentary debunks the myth that black and Asian people can’t swim

A new S4C documentary will challenge long-held myths about Black and Asian people’s ability to float and swim, drawing on newly published scientific research that debunks the widely repeated “heavy bones” stereotype.

Seren Jones: Yn Fwyw yn y Dŵr, presented by former professional swimmer and journalist Seren Jones, will air on S4C on 11 December at 9pm, with Welsh and English subtitles available on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer.

The film investigates the origins and consequences of the belief that people of African, Caribbean and Asian heritage are biologically less buoyant – an idea Jones describes as both harmful and historically rooted in racism.

The documentary features new findings from the University of Portsmouth, commissioned by the Black Swimming Association (BSA) and supported by the RNLI, which conclusively dismiss the “heavy bones” theory.

Instead, the research highlights how structural inequality, exclusion from swimming facilities, and intergenerational fear have shaped disparities in water confidence and safety.

The programme also confronts the human cost of those disparities. Jones meets families affected by drownings, including Maria Ejimofor, whose 15-year-old son David died in the sea off Aberafan beach, Port Talbot, in July 2023 while celebrating the end of his GCSE exams.

“Being around him was a joy. It’s hard to get over what happened,” Maria says. “We said ‘Take care of yourself.’ Then he went, and sadly he got into trouble in the water and died.”

Around 400 people drown accidentally in the UK each year, and statistics show higher risk among Black and Brown communities. In Wales, only 35% of children can swim 25 metres unaided, raising concerns about water safety education.

Jones co-founded the Black Swimming Association in 2020 alongside three others, including Alice Dearing, Britain’s first Black female Olympic swimmer. Dearing tells the documentary: “Black and mixed people, and Asian people, don’t get these opportunities because they’ve already been told since the day they were born that they won’t be efficient swimmers.”

The film follows Jones back to the United States, where she captained her university swim team, to explore how cultural attitudes are shifting elsewhere.

“The plain truth is that it is racism, segregation on the basis of colour, and historical barriers that have created the myth that black people cannot swim,” Jones says in the programme. “It’s nothing to do with our bodies. Everyone can learn how to float. Everyone can learn to swim. The research proves that.”

S4C’s Head of Documentaries and Specialist Factual, Llinos Wynne, said the channel was proud to broadcast the investigation.

“I am extremely grateful to Seren and the team for shedding new light on such an important international story,” she said. “It’s great that S4C draws attention to a subject that needs more awareness, in order to dispel harmful stereotypes and ensure that people from all communities feel safe in the water.”