College Students Fear of Water: A Study about Swimming Ability in The Coastal Area

Abstract

Students in coastal areas are generally accustomed to various activities at sea, but there are still people in coastal areas who are afraid of the sea. This research aims to determine the level of fear of students in the coastal region regarding water sports activities. This research is descriptive research with a quantitative approach. This research was conducted in October 2024 at Raja Ali Haji Maritime University with respondents involving biology education students. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire, and the data was analyzed descriptively. The results show that although coastal students are used to living side by side with the sea, there are students who are afraid of activities in the water. 64% of students are afraid of activities related to water due to various factors, and 36% are not afraid or phobic of water. This shows the importance of getting coastal students accustomed to doing sports activities in water slowly until they get used to it and their level of fear of water decreases.