Marcus Hawthorne is the director of Aquatics at the YMCA in Nyack.

The 25-year-old had many roles before then - both in and out of the pool - including teaching people how to swim and be lifeguards, which he still does.

"I'm so used to teaching people how to play basketball," said Hawthorne. "For me to step outside of my comfort zone and teach people how to swim is something I never thought in my life that I'd be able to do."

Hawthorne learned to swim himself at that YMCA a few years ago after six months of lessons.

He said at first, he had to get over the fear of deep water.

According to the American Red Cross, 85% of Americans say they can swim, but only 56% can perform the following five basic water safety skills:

1. Step or jump into the water over your head.

2. Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute.

3. Turn around in a full circle and find an exit.

4. Swim 25 yards to the exit without stopping.

5. Exit from the water. If in a pool, be able to exit without using the ladder

While Hawthorne has spent time teaching others, he says being in the pool has opened his eyes to a real lesson.

"The more you are relaxed in the water with your body, the more you become afloat. And that's what I think life is about. The more you're relaxed, the more you don't worry about things, the more you put your best foot forward everyday, you'll stay afloat in life," he says.