Brian has been really great at getting him to be a bit braver with it two years ago he was able to actually get Mikeal INTO a big pool without having a constant death grip choke hold on me. Last year we were able to get him to at least put his feet into lake water, then by the end of the summer he would go out into it and really enjoyed himself. This year though there have been a lot of breakthroughs!
A couple of weeks ago we went out to the lake and he was alright - so long as he had a floaty. Then last week the floaty had "died" but we had also went to the creek close to here where the "deep" spot is still only just about chest high to him - lower chest high - but there are a couple of spots where the current is a bit strong. Anyways, Brian worked with him for a little bit and got him to relax enough that he was able to figure out how to float on his own and had a blast floating on his back down the current.
The last two days we have done our swimming at the hotel pool where my FIL had been staying at. Yesterday Brian was able to get Mikeal to brave jumping into the pool - once - but he still insisted on hanging onto the edge of the pool or only staying where he could definitely touch. Today we were able to get him to actually allow me (he didn't have much choice really) to take him out to the middle of the pool, where it is deepest - 5ft - he fought with me, got mad at me, the works - although I do have to admit, it is NOTHING like the BLOODCURDLING SCREAMS he used to let out that would bring officers in off the main road into the apartment complex we were at two years ago - Then I gave him the deal - he wanted to be back in the shallow water, I wanted him to relax, trust us, and learn how to get himself to at least stay afloat. It took him almost no time to get the hang of not only to keep himself in check to stay relaxed enough to float, but also to trust that I wasn't going to just "walk off" and leave him like that. After about the 5th time of pulling him out to the middle of the pool he did get the hang of not only how to relax & float but how to propel himself threw the water to get to where he wants to go. Now there is still some tweeking in store of that bit, but he has the basic idea.
I'm so very proud of Mikeal for allowing himself to get to this point, even if we did give him a bit of a "push".
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Mikaila on the other hand is a totally different story! She is COMPLETE water bug! We'd get out of the van at the hotel and she'd take off across the bit of parking lot there towards the pool.
Everyday after lunch she knows she has the choice to either take a nap or go outside and play in the mini-kiddie pool we have - but if she goes outside before the nap she's learned that I'm going to cut it WAY short and take her in for a nap soon. At the creek she's fairly content just sitting at the very edge of the water & throwing rocks out of her way. 
At the pool though it was a bit of trial and error. She didn't really want to be held close, but the smallest life vest we found is a bit bulky & big, she HATES the baby floaty that she can ride in and is constantly trying to figure out how to weasel her way out of it but today we found some of those inflatable arm floaties, she REALLY like those! They held her up just enough where she had a bit of "freedom" to kick her feet like she wanted, lay back to get her hair wet, splash, the like - yes, one of us adults ALWAYS had two hands on her - but she absolutely loved it! The steps at the end of the pool were her favorite part because she could climb up the top 4 ...then climb out and walk around the pool throwing in anything anyone left on the ground - our shoes, hair ties, towels, shirts, beach ball, you name it - before backing her way back down into the pool easily into our hands or took the steps back into the pool. She did do well with kicking her feet and actually floating on the water decently.
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