Whenever Ashley Gonsalves drops a child into her pool, parents flinch. Some turn away before the child even hits the water. Known to her little swimmers as “Auntie Ashley,” the survival swim coach stays calm, guiding them through the moment that can turn fear into confidence. Her sessions simulate real-life emergencies where the response must be instinctive. Children learn to hold their breath, roll onto their back, and float until help arrives—a move that can save lives.
Ashley’s one-on-one approach is important. Drowning remains a leading cause of accidental death in children under five. Globally, about 236,000 people die from it every year, says the World Health Organisation. “Drowning is often misunderstood because it doesn’t look the way people expect it to,” says Ashley, also an internationally certified water safety expert and drowning prevention advocate. “It’s quick, it’s silent, and it can happen to anyone. Many parents believe they can watch their children every second, or that they’ll always have time to react. You cannot supervise your way out of a drowning; you have to prepare for it. We are giving them a ‘Plan B’ for when a gate is left open or a parent’s back is turned. In those five seconds, the child needs to know exactly what to do without thinking.”
At Auntie Ashley’s Aquatics, that preparation begins as early as three months old. At this stage, children are curious and mobile, yet unaware of the danger. However, Ashley notes that mastery depends entirely on the individual. “I explain to parents that regardless of age, they start with learning how to survive before they learn how to swim,” she shares with WE. “It’s also important to understand these skills require maintenance as children develop. It’s about consistency, reinforcement, skill-building, and growth over time.”
The swim instructor’s serious demeanour in the pool—focused and unwavering—is often mistaken for harshness, but it reflects what’s at stake. To her students, who range from baby up to age 17, that intensity is balanced by a genuine bond; she is a trusted figure who guides them every step of the way. At this point, Ashley has taught a few thousand children, including those with special needs such as Autism Spectrum Disorder, “and that number continues to grow by the grace of God,” she says.
Ashley herself entered the water at age three. In her early teens, she went on to represent Trinidad and Tobago in both swimming and water polo at CARIFTA and the Goodwill Games. Back then, she had never heard of survival swimming. “I grew up in the competitive world where it was all about speed and strokes. But when I was introduced to the ideology of self-rescue and real-life water safety, I knew instantly it was something I had to be a part of.”
Auntie Ashley’s Aquatics, located in Westmoorings, boasts a dynamic team including Auntie Kyla, known as the “baby whisperer,” Auntie Raven, and Auntie Marielle, all former competitive swimmers with independent international training. “Honestly, what I do now was never the plan,” she admits. “I went to university to study business and marketing with the intention of returning home to take over my father’s advertising agency. But I realised very quickly, it just wasn’t where I belonged. I needed to be back in the water, but in a way that truly mattered.” While her heart is in early childhood prevention, she has also worked with adults to help them face their own fears. The more you understand what’s happening in the water and how to respond, the less power that fear has over you, she reasons. “Adults often feel like they’ve missed the boat, but you don’t have to rush the process; you just have to start it.”
The most rewarding part of the work for this mom of five is the relationship she builds with the families who walk through her doors. “It’s hearing that they’re singing their swim songs at home or seeing videos of them kicking on the living room floor. There are hundreds of kids who know they can call Auntie Ashley if someone is being naughty to them, or who would tell you I’m their best friend. The trust parents place in me is something I never take lightly,” she says.
