When Samoa's aquatic centre was built for the 2007 South Pacific Games, the country was without a single swimming club, and no real swimming culture.

Critics said the pool would never be used again but Tania Nugent found the swim centre has sparked a ripple of interest in the sport across Samoa.

Tania Nugent: Amusa Primary School is the first in Samoa to introduce swimming as part of classes. It's a small private school with 42 students - and 3 teachers. We're joining them for their fourth weekly swimming lesson.

Donna Aiono Le Tagaloa-Ioane, school principal: They live for Wednesdays. They can't wait for Wednesdays. My desire is really to see Samoan children learn to swim properly. We do live on an island but most of us don't swim properly in the sense that nobody can swim freestyle or if you're asked to rescue someone from the sea you can't really do that properly.

Tania Nugent, presenter: They're learning to swim at the state of the art aquatic centre in Apia.

Rev Dr Siaosi Salesulu: [CEO of the Samoa Sports Facilities Authority.] Of course the world bandied about always is white elephant after the South Pacific Games. Yes, it was for the games but there was probably a dream there to utilise, to let these facilities be part of a long term vision in enhancing sport in Samoa and the Pacific.

Tania: Three times a week the Tafina Le Vai swimming club kids come for lessons and training. Faletoese Asaua's children are learning to swim.

Faletoese Asaua: It's roughly around three to four months I've been bringing them to this class, basically to learn a survival skill - to learn how to swim initially, but if they wish to pursue this as a sport in the future, they can take it up to the next level.

Suzie Schuster: [Club coach and a member of the Samoa Swimming Federation Executive.] The club was started in January for the mere fact that we were trying to get clubs going here in Samoa after the South Pacific Games, so we decided to start a club for all interested children who were at swimming club level, that could swim a full 50 metres without any assistance and really wanted work on stroke perfection.

Tania: For the next five years an Australian Youth Ambassador like Ben Harvey, will be working with the Federation to develop swimming in Samoa.

Swimming development officer, Ben Harvey: Trying to get people to the pool is an issue a lot of people don't have the money or the time to be able to take the kids out here, so trying organise programs through school and churches and community centres where we can get buses out and bring the kids in for more formal lessons.

Donna Aiono Le Tagaloa-Ioane: I think it's such a waste if it's not being put to good use and at the moment it's not being put to its full use and I figure that the best way to do that is to go into the schools and try and incorporate swimming so that Samoan kids can have a fair shot at learning how to swim. Actually I learned how to swim early on during the year. It was actually through my kids just before the South Pacific Games. I enrolled my kids, because we go across the ferry to Savaii and you know you kind of worry about drowning and things like that, so I brought them in and I thought, why not give it a shot myself.

Suzie Schuster: If we train the teachers they will take it back to the schools and start a school based program. That is part of our overall strategic plan, to have swimming throughout all the schools as a compulsory component of their physical education curriculum.

Tania: Rev Uaea Isaraelu is the pastor of Salepaga village, around two hours by bus from Apia.

Rev Uaea Isaraelu: Even though we don't have the swimming pool as in Apia, but we do have the privilege of having the ocean here, so something to start with for kids to learn to swim. It's okay in a way.

Tania: In seaside villages like this, learning beach and water safety is a priority. The Western Pacific region is where a third of global drowning deaths occur.

Ben Harvey: For me I think it's a life skill and people take it with them for the rest of their lives. Hopefully the more people I teach the more people will teach others.

Rev Uaea Isaraelu: As a village that lives by the sea here it’s very important for the safety. That's the first and foremost - the safety of the kids.