Water is an essential part of daily life—from staying hydrated to practicing good hygiene. For some, however, water can evoke a deep sense of fear, making even routine tasks feel overwhelming. This persistent and intense fear of water, also known as aquaphobia, can range from mild discomfort to extreme anxiety, significantly impacting day-to-day actions.
In this article, we’ll dive deeper into the symptoms of aquaphobia, discuss potential causes and consider treatments that can help. Whether you think you might be dealing with aquaphobia or simply want to understand it better, this article will help you understand how these fears develop and how you can find relief. With the right tools and support, it’s possible to create a more comfortable and empowered relationship with water.
What is aquaphobia?
If you’re dealing with aquaphobia, you may fear specific situations involving water, such as swimming, bathing, drinking water, or encountering rain. Sometimes, just seeing or thinking about water can be triggering, evoking feelings of anxiety or discomfort without direct contact.
Aquaphobia can show up in many different ways. For some, the fear might focus on tap water, driven by concerns about its safety; others may fear the ocean. Clinical subtypes exist for more specific fears:
- Ablutophobia: fear of bathing
- Cymophobia: fear of waves
- Megalohydrothalassophobia: fear of underwater creatures or objects
- Thalassophobia: fear of large bodies of water
Around 3% of people experience aquaphobia at some point in their lives. While it can be common to feel nervous about a hurricane warning, for example, aquaphobia involves a disproportionally heightened emotional response that interferes with a person’s ability to function comfortably in environments where water is present. For your fears to be diagnosed as aquaphobia, they must cause you significant distress or interfere with your ability to function in daily life. For example, for some, the fear of water can become so overwhelming that it prevents essential activities like bathing, drinking enough water, or even teeth-brushing. In these instances, Kimberly Quinlan, LMFT says it can be important to reach out to a mental health professional.
Common aquaphobia triggers
Water is prevalent in many different settings, so your fears may be triggered by a variety of situations. Here are some common ones:
- Being around water (oceans, pools, fountains, etc)
- Being splashed or sprayed by water
- Drinking bottled water (due to fear of microplastics)
- Drinking or using tap water
- Drinking water from restaurants
- Feeling like you are full or have drunk too much water
- Getting your clothes wet
- Going on boats or being in/near bodies water
- Hearing about contaminated water
- Seeing impurities in water
- Swimming
- Taking baths or showers
- Thinking about bodies of water (oceans, lakes, ponds)
- Traveling over the ocean in a plane
- Washing your hands
Common symptoms of aquaphobia
If you’re living with aquaphobia, you’ll notice symptoms when you’re around water, or in a situation that involves water in some way. You may also notice yourself avoiding water whenever possible, or experiencing anticipatory anxiety in the days leading up to an encounter with water.
When faced with water, or thoughts about water, you may experience:
- Depression
- Dizziness
- Fast breathing and heart rate
- Feelings of dread or hopelessness
- Intense sweating
- Nausea
- Pale skin
- Panic attacks
- Shaking
- Sleep problems
- Tense muscles
What causes aquaphobia?
The causes of aquaphobia vary from person to person, and can sometimes be difficult to precisely identify. “We don’t always know why somebody’s afraid of something,” says Dr. Patrick McGrath, Chief Clinical Officer at NOCD. “It could be that they experienced something [difficult] in water…it could be that they heard a story on the news about somebody drowning.”
That being said, there are some common causes of aquaphobia. Understanding what’s driving your fear can be key to addressing and managing it effectively.
Past Traumatic Experiences
For many, fear of water is rooted in a specific, distressing event. For example, you may have had a frightening experience as a child, such as nearly drowning in a pool—leading you to associate water with danger. Past trauma can impact the way we process present situations, even when the original event is unlikely to repeat itself.
Influence of stories and media
Sometimes, fear develops from hearing or seeing alarming stories. News reports about contaminated water causing illnesses, or tragedies involving drowning can lead to a fear of water. Even fictional portrayals, such as in movies or books, can leave a lasting impression. While these stories might not directly reflect your own experiences, they can still reinforce feelings of fear.
Aquaphobia and OCD
Aquaphobia can be linked to other mental health conditions, especially obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Phobias and OCD share overlapping symptoms, as both can involve intense fears, avoidant behaviors, and intrusive thoughts.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a mental health condition marked by intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, sensations or urges—obsessions—that create intense distress. For instance, someone with OCD might repeatedly worry that water from their tap is contaminated and could make them sick. These obsessions might lead to compulsions—repetitive behaviors or mental rituals designed to ease the discomfort, such as excessively boiling water for drinking, or avoiding drinking water altogether.
People with health and contamination OCD, a subtype of OCD centered around fears of getting sick or unintentionally spreading illness, may experience a fear of water tied to their concerns about contamination. These fears may include concerns about “magically” contracting an illness from bathing in or drinking water, even when there’s no evidence to suggest harm.
Harm OCD, another subtype, can also lead to fears around water. People with harm OCD often find themselves fixated on fears of causing or experiencing harm. When water is involved, you might worry about drowning. “Maybe you’re afraid of drowning, afraid you’re going to drown somebody, or that your kids are going to drown,” explains Tracie Ibrahim, LMFT, CST, Chief Compliance Officer at NOCD.
Dr. McGrath provides an example: “As a new parent, it’s always good to watch your children in the bathtub, but I’ve worked with someone who felt the urge to constantly check their baby’s pulse to make sure they were still okay, even though they could clearly see that they weren’t drowning.”
As with other types of OCD, people with harm OCD and aquaphobia often enact compulsive behaviors in an attempt to regain a sense of safety and control. These behaviors might include avoiding water, asking someone to stay with you while you shower, or seeking reassurance that situations involving water are safe, for example.
While these behaviors might feel like they help in the moment, they often reinforce the fear and make it harder to break the cycle. When OCD and aquaphobia overlap, the fear of water can become overwhelming, driven by persistent doubts or “what-ifs” about harm, contamination, or other catastrophic outcomes. With the right tools and support, however, you can learn to face these fears in a way that feels safe and manageable.
Is there a treatment for aquaphobia?
ERP therapy
Aquaphobia can be treated effectively. One of the most common methods is exposure and response prevention (ERP) therapy. Originally developed to treat OCD, ERP is an evidence-based approach that is also highly effective for phobias and anxiety.
ERP involves exposing yourself to the source of your fear while resisting rituals or avoidant behaviors that might provide temporary relief. For someone with aquaphobia, this could entail imagining water or looking at photos of calm bodies of water, to start. Over time, with the help of a trained therapist, you might progress to being near water, before eventually touching or interacting with it. Each step helps you build confidence and reduce anxiety, eventually teaching you to manage your fear without avoidance or safety behaviors.
Steps You Can Take on Your Own
While working with a therapist is ideal, there are smaller steps you can take on your own that mirror the principles of ERP. These might include:
- Visualizing water or writing down your fears about water to help externalize your anxiety.
- Looking at photos or videos of water in a calm and non-threatening setting.
- Practicing mindfulness exercises or grounding techniques while thinking about water to reduce distress.
- Gradually exposing yourself to water, such as running your hands under a faucet or standing near a small fountain.
Taking these steps at your own pace can help you build resilience, but working with a therapist provides the structure and support needed for long-term progress.
With the right tools and support, whether through ERP or small, consistent actions, it’s possible to reframe your relationship with water. Over time, you can build a greater sense of confidence and find relief from the fear that’s been holding you back.
Bottom Line
Aquaphobia, like any intense fear, can feel overwhelming and difficult to manage, but it’s important to know that effective solutions exist. Whether your fear is tied to past experiences, learned anxieties, or conditions like OCD, therapies like ERP can help you take meaningful steps toward overcoming it. Facing fears is never easy, but with the right approach and professional care, you don’t have to let aquaphobia dictate your life.