i learnt to swim as an adult twice as old as most people at the pool because it was a hot summer and a mate insisted we go swimming. Had a few lessons as a kid but mostly hated it because the water was too cold and likely too deep. Did not learn to swim and avoided it studiously thereafter. So anyway, as an adult did learn to swim and got to liking it and did quite a bit of swimming.
The pool i went to ranged from about 3ft to 4ft 10 deep so anyplace I stood up my head was out of the water. What i did first was just get used to being in water and being underwater. I dont float well so the difficult bit is coming up for breathing while you flap about trying to do something. So i didnt bother with breathing at first. just took a breath and went underwater, or lay on the water and flapped a bit, and then got up. The important thing for me was to get comfortable in the water. to be secure that i could always stand up and breath watever I did. Learn to roll and rotate in the water so i could always turn head pointing up. Once i was sure i could do that, then I tried taking a few strokes before standing up and taking a breath. After I got able to move in the water I started to work on taking a breath while swimming. I did breaststroke because it seemed easiest and is fairly level swimming. I still only do breaststroke really, though I have tried others. Oh, and this was not done in five minutes.
I am not too impressed by the idea swimming might save my life. Guess I could swim ashore from the middle of a river but much more sensible not to get dumped into one. I kept at it because I got to enjoy the feel of the water. i think it was important I started doing this in a hot summer. Cold water is horrible, and i would class 80F as cold. Leaves me gasping if I walk into water at this temperature, which is not a good start for something involving breath control. On the other hand, 85F is ok. Just a small difference matters. My best day was when their heating went wrong and ran on all night. the pool was truly glorious for me but most of the swimmers were complaining! Yes, I do now swim in the sea sometimes and it will be colder than 80, but I am used to it now. If you are moving then its ok once the initial shock has passed. I think being warm is important for being comfortable, and being comfortable in the water is essential.
I dont like zooming up and down in lines. Its boring. i do like rambling around in and under the water. It feels good, and I feel the hair all over my body rippling in the water. Its easy so long as its enjoyable being in the water.
Goggles are a must. My eyes turn red from the water if exposed but more importantly I cant see without goggles. You need to be able to see underwater both so you can tell what you are doing and because being able to see makes you feel more in control.
It is easier to swim under water. professional swimmers are required to come up for a breath every stroke or per regulation because it is easier not to. Maybe I am biased because that is how I learnt, but I find it much easier for my head to be underwater most of the time instead of trying to hold it out of the water. That is harder. I would rationalise it as because I am working to push up against the water and not just push back. So you get more tired more quickly. If the head is down then you are lying flatter on the water and it is supporting you more. But of course, your mouth and nose are under water. So it is a must to get comfortable with that first.
learning to breath is important. I think i read that I breath the wrong way round. I hate having water in my nose, so best to blow out through nose. Take a gasp through mouth when above water. Easier to deal with a mouthfull of water when it happens than a nosefull. Also important to learn not to cough when you just swallowed some water at a bad time, because it will just make matters worse. Whatever you do, like I said, for me it was important to learn to be comfortable just being in the water and under the water before learning to get around.
Cant imagine anyone does swimming classes like this.