FAQs

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What is survival swimming?

The ability of a child to float and breathe, regardless of the water’s depth, for an indefinite period of time. The most essential survival swimming skill we will teach your child is to roll from a face-down position in the water to a face-up independent back float. Infants and toddlers cannot raise their heads to take a breath. If your child falls face down into the water, knowing how to roll into a face-up back float can save their life! If your baby is walking, then he/she can also learn to swim to the pool edge or steps, rolling over to breathe whenever air is needed. It’s not just about being comfortable in the water, it’s being able to swim and survive. Empower your child with the skills needed to safely enjoy the water and discover the difference today!
 

Why infant aquatics?

Children are naturally drawn to pools, hot tubs, lakes, ponds, streams, reservoirs and beaches. Despite a parent’s best efforts at supervision, it only takes one head turn before an accident has occurred. Teach your baby or toddler how to survive and rescue themselves.

Roll over breathing is a technique that many schools and learn-to-swim teachers don’t even attempt because it takes time, skill and patience. But once children learn to roll over to float, relax and breathe whenever air is needed, they can truly swim, stay afloat, conquer fear and experience the joy of swimming.

Reasons to Get Started

• You want your child to learn to swim and float in weeks, not years

• You or your extended family live or holiday around backyard pools or natural bodies of water

• You enjoy swimming and want your child to enjoy it as well

• You would rather take control of your child’s safety than take chances

Your child deserves the lifetime gift of swimming safety.
 

What are 'swim | float | swim' lessons like?

Our instructors customize private lessons, gently encouraging each child’s unique needs and abilities. Infants younger than 1 year old first learn to hold their breath underwater. Next, they learn to float on their backs. Then they learn to rotate from a face-down position to a face-up back-float.
 

Children who are walking learn to hold their breath underwater and propel for a short distance on their tummies by kicking their feet. They learn to roll over and float on their backs to breathe, then flip back onto their tummies and swim again. Once children acquire their skills, instructors test them in clothes to better prepare them for unexpected falls into the water. During the final week, parents learn how to swim with their children and how to help them maintain and enhance their new skills.

How are lessons structured?

Initial swimming lessons are one-on-one. The preferred method is for children to attend 4 - 5 times per week but we understand this is just not realistic for some families hence the option of 2 - 5 days. One-on-one lessons are 10 minutes long. Group lessons are 20 minutes long. Each swim lesson builds upon the previous day/lesson, so there is measurable progress each week.

How long does the program take?

Some kids are “swimming” after only a few lessons. A complete course of private lessons typically requires 4 weeks for infants, 6 weeks for toddlers or 3 weeks for children 4 years and up. As a result of this program, your child will evolve from being completely helpless to being confident and capable of saving his or her own life in weeks, not years. 

 

Are advanced lessons available?

Upon completion of private lessons, we encourage students to continue their progress in group classes. Group classes allow our students to retain their skills, gain confidence, develop a true love of swimming, and progress into stroke development.

Why are your lessons more expensive than others?

Keep in mind, that you are buying private lessons for your child. Instead of your child being one of many, depending on the student/teacher ratio, our lessons are one-on-one with your child and the teacher being the only ones in the water. With our undivided attention, in just 3 – 6 weeks, your child will have a fighting chance to survive an aquatic accident, along with the fundamental skills to safely enjoy the water. No other program can come close to what we can teach your child in a matter of weeks. We encourage you to shop around, but compare the results achieved and the time frame involved, as much as pricing.
 

What is the parent’s role?

Our goal for children of all ages is to establish a relationship of trust between your child and the instructor. Once this occurs, your child will learn to trust him/herself in the water and real progress begins.

How can you teach a baby who cannot talk?

Swimming and floating are motor skills that can be taught to a baby through repetitive exercises, along with gentle verbal encouragement. We show the babies what we want them to do, and over a short period of time, they learn the skills necessary to survive. Be assured, we do not throw children into the water! Our goal is to make learning fun so that your child will love his or her water experience.

Are there lessons for older children?

We offer Level 1 - 6 stroke development for school age children. These are small group lessons (L1 - L2), mini-squads (L3 - L4) and squads (L5 - L6) and run for 20 - 30 minutes depending on how many kids in each group.

When are private lessons scheduled and where can I view the schedule?

Monday through to Friday mornings 9:30am - 12:30pm.  Please contact us to discuss your scheduling needs.

Where are lessons scheduled?

All lessons are taught at the Survival Swimming WA pool in Karrinyup, Perth WA. See the map on our contact page for the address and directions.

How do I enrol?

Please email us at bookings@survivalswimmingwa.com to arrange your lesson.

How soon can we start?

We start new students whenever there are openings on the schedule. Once the schedule is full, your child will be placed on a waiting list.

When can we join a group class?

Upon completion of private lessons, all students are encouraged to join a group class for retention, enjoyment and skill enhancement. The cost of the session will be pro-rated according to the number of weeks remaining in the current session.