The origins of 50 clinical cases of childhood water phobia were investigated. All Ss had sought treatment at a university-based water phobia clinic. During screening, an origins questionnaire was administered to each attending parent. Parents were asked to indicate the most influential factor in the onset of their child's concern from a list of alternatives covering all three of Rachman's (Behaviour Research and Therapy, 15, 375-387, 1977) pathways to fear. Only one parent could recall classical conditioning episodes at the onset of their child's phobia. In contrast, the majority of parents (56%) claimed their child's concern had always been present, even on their first encounter with water. The data are taken to support a non-associative model of onset. Differences with previous studies in which classical conditioning has accounted for the majority of cases are discussed in terms of the differing definitions of conditioning used across studies.