11 December 2025

A documentary sheds new light on the stereotype that people from African, Caribbean and Asian backgrounds cannot float or swim.

Seren Jones presents the programme Seren Jones: Yn Fyw yn y Dŵr (Alive in the Water), which explores a subject close to her heart.

As a former professional swimmer, the journalist is keen to uncover the truth behind the “heavy bones” myth.

According to the myth, people from African, Caribbean and Asian backgrounds have heavier bone density that affects their ability to float.

But in the documentary, new University of Portsmouth research led by the Black Swimming Association (BSA) and supported by the RNLI has been shared, with the results debunking the concept.

In the programme, which will be broadcast on S4C on 11 December at 21:00 and available to watch on S4C Clic and BBC iPlayer with English subtitles, Seren speaks to experts in the field and people who have been affected by accidents and deaths in the water.

Maria Ejimofor’s son David drowned in July 2023 after jumping into the sea from the breakwater at Aberavon beach, Port Talbot.

The 15-year-old was celebrating the end of his GCSEs with his friends when tragedy struck.

“He was a joy to be around.  It’s hard to go over what happened,” Maria said.

“I had no concern because he’d been to the beach before.  We just said ‘Ok, David, you just take care of yourself’.

“Then he went, and sadly, he got into difficulties in the water and he passed.”

Statistics show that 400 people accidentally drown in the UK every year, and data indicates that the risk of drowning is higher in black and brown communities.

Only 35% of children in Wales can swim 25 metres unaided - the length of a swimming pool.

In 2020, Seren was one of four people who came together to establish the Black Swimming Association (BSA).

Another of the four was Alice Dearing, the first black woman to swim for Team GB at the Olympic Games.

“I’ve realised a lot of black and mixed-race people, and Asian people, don’t get these opportunities because they are already told from the day they’re born that they won’t be efficient swimmers,” Alice says in the documentary.

Seren returns to the USA, where she was captain of the swim team during her time at university, and sees how attitudes have already begun to change.

Seren said: “The plain truth is that racism, discrimination based on colour, and historical barriers have created the myth that black people can’t swim. 

“It has nothing to do with our bodies.  Everyone can learn to float.   Everyone can learn to swim.  The research proves that.”

Llinos Wynne, Head of Docs and Specialist Factual at S4C, added: “I’m so grateful to Seren and the team for shedding new light on such an important international story in this special documentary programme.

“And it’s great that S4C is drawing attention to a subject that needs greater awareness, to disprove harmful stereotypes and ensure that people from every community feel safe in the water.”