Learn to Swim

Introduces babies and their caregiver to buoyancy and movement in the water through play and songs.

Introduced toddlers and their caregiver to movement and active play in the water through games and songs.

Participants will gain confidence in the water by learning how to safely enter, move through and exit shallow water and develop basic swimming movements including floats and glides. Participants will also learn to put their face in the water and blow bubbles.

Participants will continue to build on their confidence in the water by learning how to safely swim with a PDF. They will also learn how to fully submerge underwater and will work towards kicking on their back.

Participants will build on their independence in the water and will be introduced to side glide and treading water. They will also increase the length of their front and back gloats to 7 seconds and will begin to learn a side glide.

Swimmers will compile the foundational skills they have learned in the previous levels to attempt front and back crawl for 5 metres while wearing a PDF. They will also continue to work on their side glide and will demonstrate the skill for 5 metres.

Swimmer 1 participants will begin working on the foundational skills of swimming including front and back floats, glides (3 metres), and kicking (5 metres), with the assistance of a Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or buoyant aid. Participants will be introduced to treading water and will gain confidence to jump into chest-deep water.

Swimmer 2 participants will learn how to safely enter and exit deep water, recover an object for the bottom in chest-deep water, and will be introduced to side glide. Participants will begin to work towards 5 metres of front crawl and 5 metres of back crawl with a buoyant aid.

Swimmer 4 participants will be introduced to seated dives and forward roll entries, attempt to tread for 30 seconds and will learn how to whip kicks on their back. Participants will be challenged to increase their front crawl and back crawl distance for 15 metres.

Swimmer 5 participants will begin to work on more advanced skills including whip kick on their front for 5 metres as well as the arm movements for breaststroke. Participants will learn how to do a kneeling dive and will increase their treading water for 45 seconds. Swimmers will increase their front crawl distance to 25 metres and will attempt a front crawl sprint.

Swimmer 7 participants will increase their front crawl and back crawl distances for 50 metres and combine their whip kick and arm movement skills to demonstrate breaststroke for 15 metres. Participants will be introduced to elementary backstroke and a stationary eggbeater kick. Participants will be challenged with treading water for 2 minutes as well as a 25 metre back crawl sprint.

Swimmer 8 participants will be introduced to advanced swimming skills such as vertical and horizontal dolphin kick and head up front crawl. Participants will continue to increase the distances of their front and back crawl to 75 metres, and will learn how to complete a shallow dive into deep water.

Swimmer 10 participants will continue to develop their strokes with 50 metre swims of front crawl, back crawl, and breaststroke. Participants will be introduced to lifesaving sport skills including a 25 metre obstacle swim and 15 metre object carry. Participants will have a first aid component which will focus on assessment of conscious victims, contacting EMS, and how to treat bleeding.

Swimmer 11 participants will continue to learn more lifesaving skills including searching for a recovering object, supporting an object for 1 minute, and removing a conscious victim from the water. Participants will expand their first aid knowledge by learning a primary assessment, how to care for a victim in shock, and how to assist a conscious person with an obstructed airway.