It's not that harsh. Generally the teacher will scoop water over the head with a command (this is after letting bub know... where mine go swimming it's "child's name, ready go" then water over head or child under) so that they get used to knowing when they're going to be going under. Elijah LOVES it so much he demands you pour water over his head in the bath lol. They hold their breath and everything quite quickly. It's like Jodi said too... it's about making it fun but also water awareness.