Swim Lessons
Group and private lessons for swimmers of all abilities and ages.
Aquatics
Participants will need a valid recreation center membership or day pass for each day of lessons.
Session
Registration Deadline
Session
May-March
Registration Deadline
Saturday, Feb. 10
Session
June-August
Registration Deadline
Saturday, May 4
Session
September-November
Registration Deadline
Saturday, Aug. 3
Session
December-February
Registration Deadline
Saturday, Nov. 2
Tiny Bobbers with Adult Guardian | Ages 1-2
A safe and fun introduction to the water for youth ages 1-2 to share with a participating adult guardian.
The purpose of the course is to familiarize children with the water and teach swimming readiness skills. In addition, the course provides safety information for parents and teaches parents techniques they can use to help orient their children to the water. Water safety topics for the pool, home, beach, and waterpark are also included. Note: This class is not intended to make children water-safe.
American Red Cross Preschool Aquatics Classes | Ages 3-5
This three-level Preschool Aquatics program is designed to facilitate developmentally appropriate learning of fundamental water safety and aquatic skills. Students will progress through the levels at their own pace, mastering the skills in one level before advancing to the next. Registration for the program is by age: Paddler Age 3 for three-year-old participants and Paddler Age 4 & 5 for four- and five-year-old participants.
- Preschool Aquatics Level 1: Introduces basic aquatic skills, which children continue to build on as they progress through Levels 2 and 3 of Preschool Aquatics and then Learn to Swim. Children start developing positive attitudes and safe practices around the water. Many skills are performed with assistance from the instructor.
- Preschool Aquatics Level 2: Further development of basic aquatic skills continues. Children begin to perform skills at a slightly more advanced level by practicing skills for a longer period of time or long distances. This also marks the beginning of independent skills.
- Preschool Aquatics Level 3: Additional guided practices help increase a child's proficiency in performing previously learned skills by increasing repetitions, distances, times, or levels of refinement. Skills are performed independently.
American Red Cross Learn to Swim Classes | Ages 6-15
This six-level Learn to Swim program allows students to progress through the levels at their own pace, mastering the skills in one level before advancing to the next. This program provides an increased emphasis in the areas of drowning prevention and water safety and emphasizes an inclusive approach to swimming and water safety. A 50% cost reduction for Learn to Swim Levels 1 & 2 and 3 & 4 is available to those who qualify.
Learn to Swim Levels 1 & 2
- Level 1: Introduction to Water Skills - Orients swimmers to the aquatic environment and helps develop a positive attitude and safe practices. This level is for the non-swimmer who does not submerge the head or body.
- Level 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills - Builds on the basic aquatic skills and concepts learned in Level 1. Requires successful completion of Level 1 or ability to fully submerge, float on front and back with support for 5 seconds and recover.
Learn to Swim Levels 3 & 4
- Level 3: Stroke Development - Continues to build on skills learned in Levels 1 and 2 in order to achieve water competency in the pool. Requires successful completion of Level 2 or ability to swim 5 body lengths using a combination of arm and leg actions on back and front with face in the water, as well as float or tread for 15 seconds.
- Level 4: Stroke Improvement - Improves proficiency in swimming skills introduced in Level 3. Requires successful completion of Level 3 or ability to tread water or float for 1 minute, swim front crawl or elementary backstroke 25 yards, and then exit the pool.
Learn to Swim Levels 5 & 6
- Level 5: Stroke Refinement - Refines all 6 swimming strokes. Requires successful completion of Level 4 or ability to swim front crawl for 25 yards, swim breaststroke and back crawl for 15 yards, submerge and swim a distance of 3 to 5 body lengths underwater.
- Level 6: Fitness Swimmer - Focuses on refining strokes and turns and building endurance. Requires successful completion of Level 5 or ability to swim front crawl 50 yards then swim elementary backstroke for 50 yards and swim 25 yards of both breaststroke and back crawl. The course starts with a 12-Minute endurance swim test.
Adult Group Lessons | Ages 14 & up
Adults - Learning the Basics
This class can help teens or adults overcome their fear of water and to learn the basic skills to achieve a minimum level of water competency. In this course, participants strive for skill and stroke performance as indicated in the Learn-to-Swim Level 3 outline and performance charts.
Adults - Learning and Refining Swim Strokes
This class is for teens or adults who want to improve their foundational skills and swimming strokes to gain an overall level of comfort in the water, to be able to enjoy the water more safely with their children, because they own a home pool or to open the door to training for other aquatic opportunities, such as to learn SCUBA.
The Adult Swim—Improving Skills and Swimming Strokes strive for skill and stroke performance as indicated in the Learn-to-Swim Level 5 outline and performance charts.
Please contact your preferred recreation center for private lesson availability.
Introduction to Springboard Diving | Ages 7-15
Learn basic diving skills, including approaches, forward, and back dives off a 1-meter diving board. Participants must be deep water safe and be able to dive off the diving board.
Intermediate Springboard Diving | Ages 7-15
Learn competitive diving skills including advanced forward, backward, inward, reverse, and twist dives. Participants must be able to perform a forward dive with a four-step approach, a forward somersault, and a back dive with a back take-off.
Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death in children ages 1 to 14, and many of these tragedies are preventable with the proper instruction and learned techniques. Living in a place like Virginia Beach where there is such an abundance of access to waterways, it’s a vital skill that every child should know. Here are some easy ways to learn water safety at home.