Swim instructor ignored our wishes about stranger fear

[FunnyLemonExpert]

Our 8 month old DD goes to swim class, shes been going for 3 months. She's started stranger fear now so we've asked instructors to not to hold her.
We should have the same instructor each week but we've had 5 different ones now. The first 4 listened and didn't touch her or just held her hand.
We had a class on friday, another new instructor and a trainee. Trainee is lovely.
DH forgot to remind the trainee to not hold DD so he helped her into the pool, she immediately cried as someone else held her. DH was in the pool trying to calm her down while class started. The trainee threw her a little rubber duck to help calm her down.
The other instructor then marched over 'dad, can I have her'. DH did not say anything so she took my crying DD from his arms and started doing the exercises with her. DD was now absolutely wailing. DH just stood there like a lemon.
I said excuse me 4 times until the instructor bothered to look at me. I said 'she's scared of strangers'. DH took DD back and handed her to me (i was not in the pool).
This instructor then berated me repeatedly saying DD needs to get used to her face and should be held by other people. This went on for several minutes, couldn't really hear much from the wailing. DH and I had said nothing else to her while she was ranting at me.
I took DD to get dressed and we left, she was in the pool for less than 5 minutes and cried for nearly 2 hours.
I've emailed the company with no response but we have another class today, no idea who the instructor is
DH thinks we should leave this company. I love taking DD swimming and she usually loves splashing about and floating, should I just skip the classes with that instructor or am I massively over reacting?
I spoke to my HV about it and she said I did the right thing and not to force baby to be held by other people

The ability to swim independently and be water confident is what will save your child from drowning if they fall into a river/pond/bath etc by accident. Of course you want that as young as possible.

So nothing exists unless you and @EvangelicalAboutButteredToast have heard of it, @Hildegard25? You don’t believe that some children go through a phase of being afraid of strangers?

It is developmentally normal for babies/toddlers to go through a phase of being afraid of strangers

An 8 month old with ‘stranger fear’ has me howling. Would never have expected this to be about a child younger than 5 never mind a baby at the height of developmentally normal separation anxiety.
Leave the company (for them as much as you), tell you DH to grow a pair and just take the baby swimming on your own

Couldn't agree more with all of this!

Never heard of ‘stranger fear.’

FFS. We have never heard of that term, where do you idiotically assume that we think it does not exist.
Where the hell do you get the notion that we don't believe that some children (and for your info Adults too) don't have, or still have a fear of strangers.

You make a lot of stupid assumptions out of a five word comment.

By the way to put it into context, I know some people have never heard of Charles Dickens, but I would never assume that they thought he did not exist just because they had not heard of him.

Your comment sounded very sceptical and dismissive, @Hildegard25 - you clearly did not intend it that way, but that is how it came across to me.