These adults were terrified of water. Here’s how they learned to swim. (washingtonpost.com) These adults were terrified of water. Here’s how they learned to swim. By Sydney Page 2026061809011700 Maria Castilleja was 5 the first time she went underwater. Her sister told her to jump, and she did. She still remembers it clearly: the water closing over her head, her brother pulling her out of the pool, the panic that swallowed her. "That was a trauma," said Castilleja, 66.