We believe that the best time to start swim lesson is at 4 months of age. By four months parents are relaxed with handling baby, the baby has good neck control and baby is interested in new and exciting situations.

One of the most common reasons for children to become scared is lack of control. For a child to be in control in the water they need shallow water. They need to be able to either sit on a ledge or stand up on the bottom of the pool by themselves. When they are doing this they are in control. Once they have built up their confidence in the shallow water, you can gradually introduce them to the deeper water. This can be done through reassuring your child that you are there with them and through setting small tasks for your child to accomplish. Slowly but surely your child will build confidence. Remember if your child is frightened, go very slowly. All it takes is patience and time with frightened children. Regular exposure is also very important for the beginner. It would be beneficial for parents to commit to taking their child to the pool a few times a week until they notice their child relaxing in the environment.

Every child is different and therefore it is impossible to give an exact answer to this question. However practice and exposure are the keys to learning, therefore if you want your child to learn fast you need to take them to the pool regularly and this means two or more times per week. You can take advantage of our Family Swim sessions for this. Getting children in the pool early is vital and means that by the time they are 3 years old, they will have learnt to doggy paddle and will most likely have mastered some basic strokes. During their initial classes they learn lifesaving skills including floating, turning and swimming back to the wall. Through continuous development in our programs, they should be able to swim 3-5m unaided by the age of 2 1/2 - 3 years. We always advise parents that learning to swim takes a lot of practice and patience and every child will accomplish the goals in their own time as it happens with any other learning process. We do not rush or force any child or parent into any activity they are not ready for.

No, we do not recommend private lessons for babies under 3 years old. Peer learning serves as a very influential motivator. Positive group energy can help with the challenging behaviors some youngsters may be experiencing. A group is fun and also takes away the pressure to perform for the child. This results in a more natural learning environment, allowing skills to unfold at each child's unique rate.

We recommend babies wear a reusable swim/ cloth nappy that is snug fitting around the legs. Swim diapers are also acceptable, however they do tend to be more loose fitting around the legs and tummy area and may not be snug enough to contain any waste matters. Sometimes we may recommend both a swim diaper and reusable swim diaper to be word at the same time. Every new student who isn't potty trained will get a complimentary reusable swim nappy when they sign up for classes.

It's more for the benefit of your child, not you! Babies have a natural grasp reflex to hold on to things. This is an important survival skill which will develop into them holding on to the wall or ladder when they are older. We want to maintain and improve this survival instinct by getting them to hold on to their parent’s top from a young age. As we do not allow cotton t-shirts in the pool, we ask that you wear a rashie or dri-fit lycra top.

We ask that parents with long hair and children, both boys and girls with long hair don a swim cap. The reason is two-fold. Firstly it’s safer to have hair out of the way of your face and eyes. It can get caught in goggles, or other swimming pool equipment. Secondly, we want to maintain hygiene and cleanliness in our pool and minimise the amount of hair in the water that will eventually clog up our filters.

No, although parents need to be in the pool with the babies, the pool is shallow enough for parents to stand up. Our teachers are fully trained and experienced in helping parents to feel confident in the water. We will assist you with the submersion exercises for your child if you do not want to go underwater, although it is a wonderful experience to share with your child.