As the weather warms and summer nears, Central Coast residents are drawn to the water and activities that involve the wet stuff.

For some, however, swimming pools figure into their year-round schedules as they dive in to find healing and form deeper relationships with others.

For the elderly, water activities can help swimmers with back problems and managing pain. Attending a water aerobics class soothes them, relaxes them and helps them stay connected socially.

For the young, swim classes can thwart an early fear of water and, more importantly, prevent a drowning. Participating in a “Mommy and Me” class bonds them with their parent, teaches them swimming basics and offers them a fun diversion.

For both, the water is a wonderful place.

Seniors sing and swim

Seniors at one of the water exercise classes at Five Cities Swim Club in Arroyo Grande use foam weights, and stretch and kick as they sing old songs like “Bicycle Built for Two” and “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot.”

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Joy Collins of Grover Beach had two knee replacements and one hip replacement, and had scheduled an appointment with a pain management doctor in six weeks. She started a water exercise class at Five Cities Swim Club in Arroyo Grande shortly after that, and by the time her appointment came around, the pain was gone.

She and her neighbor, Norma Sandager, have husbands who have Alzheimer's and dementia, and the class provides them an opportunity to socialize, as well.

Sandager was on medication for spine pain but she no longer needs it. Her physical therapist said the inflammation between her fourth and fifth discs must be gone.

“Just getting in the water and exercising is the best part,” Sandager said. “It's an easy way to exercise.”

Diane Roberts, the instructor of the senior exercise class that Collins and Sandager participate in, can attest to the wonders of water.

“Water on joints is a wonderful thing,” Roberts said. “They can move in the water more than they can on land.”

She explained that the resistance of water is 12 times that of air. At the same time, the buoyancy of the water supports the body and creates less stress on the joints.

Members of the class also ask about each other when they see someone is absent, send get-well cards when someone goes in for surgery and sing “Happy Birthday” when it's someone's birthday. They keep a list of participants' names and phone numbers so they can keep in touch with each other.

Roberts said people travel from Orcutt and San Luis Obispo to attend the class, even when some of them have difficulty making it to the pool without assistance. Once they're in the water, it's easier for them.

“There's gotta be something to keep them in the water for three times a week, for 10 years or more,” Roberts said. “They're the most faithful people.”

Margie Beam of Arroyo Grande also had back problems. Her doctor recommended water exercise after she experienced a herniated disc in her spine.

“That was 13 years ago, and I've been doing it ever since,” Beam said. “It does help.”

Parent-child aqua bonding

Children, especially very young ones, can become comfortable with the water through a “Mommy and Me” class at the school with their parents.

Jeff Purchin, owner of the Five Cities Swim Club, said water lessons for very young children, 3 to 10 months old, can help them develop their breath-holding reflex and make it easier to avoid drowning later on in life. They avoid swallowing water, and learn how to roll on their back and float.

Besides giving their children an edge if they were to tumble into the water, the parents are able to bond with their children and, often, with each other.

The families sing and hold their children as they move around in the water. Children use equipment, such as kickboards, to stay afloat and walk across a flat foam piece shaped like a hippopotamus to stay balanced.

Johnnie and Lilia Martinez of Nipomo have been bringing their 2-year-old daughter, Alyssa Mendoza, since she was 1. She already liked to play in the bathtub, so her parents figured she might as well learn to play safely.

“Some kids have bad days, and she hasn't had a single bad day since we've been there,” Lilia said. “She loves being in there, she loves going. So we continue going.”

Both Lilia and Johnnie enjoy the time spent together as a family.

“Besides the one-on-one time with Alyssa that I have with her, we can all three of us share, and it's something that all of us can look forward to and get excited about,” Johnnie said. “Lilia and I both benefit learning as well, so we can keep teaching her when we go swimming, like at hotels.”

Johnnie is athletic and wants Alyssa to feel comfortable in the water, in case she decides she wants to swim when she's older.

Jeremiah Serpa of Shell Beach, another parent who participates in the class at Five Cities Swim Club, wants his son Ryleigh to know how to swim.

“I think everybody needs to know how to swim,” Serpa said.

“My wife and I are both avid surfers, and if he wants to grow up to be a surfer, he needs to know how to swim.”

He said it is a good father-bonding experience, as well as a good physical activity.

Rebekah Mullis teaches the class in which the Serpas and the Martinezes participate. She said not being afraid of the water is a useful skill to grow up with. “You're missing out on a lot if you're scared of water,” she said.