swimming

Why Choose Swim Fins?

HERE IS WHY SWIM FINS GROUP SWIMMING LESSONS GET THE BEST RESULTS:

At Swim Fins we teach people to "Learn to Swim in 1/4 of the time."*
What other programs do in 3-4 years we do in 1 year therefore saving you the most precious commodity 'TIME'. 

Clo (the owner) used the knowledge gained from her UBC Human Kinetics (Honors received) and Education degrees in combination with 30 years of teaching swimming and school experience to develop a unique learn-to-swim program that works! As a result of the Swim Fins Program, which is only taught at her swim schools, her students learn to swim in 1/4 of the time. This innovative, one-of-a-kind program, yields strong swimmers in 1 year, which would otherwise take 3-4 years in traditional programs.* 

  • Unique Learn-To-Swim Program: Unique Learn-to-Swim techniques that Clo (the owner) developed over the last 30 years based on her Human Kinetics and Education Degree.

  • Learn to Swim in 1/4 of the Time: What other programs do in 3-4 years we do in 1 year therefore saving you the most precious commodity ‘TIME’.

  • Siblings & Friends Swim Together: Siblings & Friends swim in the same class (regardless of skill level) each with their own customized lesson plans.

  • Professional Coaches: Our certified professional coaches/lifeguards offer the highest quality  lessons & best safety supervision out there!

  • Maximum Participation: All students participate at the same time. There is no wasted time because of students having to wait for their turn to participate!

  • Private Learning Environment: We make sure that the environment is free of distractions and overstimulation so that the students can focus on what’s important: learning to swim!

  • Private & Small Group Lessons: Group lessons consist of up to a MAXIMUM of 5 swimmers so that each student can get the attention that they deserve. 

  • Warm Pools: All pools are warm and are run between 84-86 degrees Fahrenheit, which is comfortable for all students from babies to adults.

  • Longer Lesson Duration:  We offer lessons that range from 25 minutes to 55 minutes in duration, with the average lessons duration at 40mins. Longer duration classes allow swimmers enough time to develop the muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, comfort and feel of the water necessary to become an efficient swimmer.  

  • Customized Lesson Plans: Lesson plans are adapted based on each swimmer’s individual learning style, strengths, and weaknesses. Plans focus primarily on Front Crawl, Back Crawl, Breast Stroke, and SideStroke. 

  •  Locations to Choose From: We currently have lessons year round at our pools in Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford. Click here for more information on our locations.

  • Great Referral Program: Our referral program is a win-win for everyone! For each new swimmer you refer, they'll get $50 off their first session and you'll earn a $50 credit towards your next session.

  • Hassle-Free Registration: We offer flexible registration whereby you pick the day and time that works for your schedule. Lessons are offered 7 days a week.

  • Games with Aims: We play fun games that include important life skills that could save your child’s life.

  • Constant Communication with Parents:  The ongoing communication makes sure that parents are kept “in the know” about lessons, their children’s progress, and other class updates.

Let us help you and your kids be safe around water, we currently have lessons year round at our pools in Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford. For more information on our programs, how to register, and much more, head over to our website! Come swim with Swim Fins: https://www.swimfins.ca/register

Siblings Swim Together

Swimming is not just a valuable life skill, but also a fantastic opportunity for siblings to bond, grow, and learn together. While individual swimming lessons can be beneficial, there are compelling reasons why siblings of different swimming skill levels should consider taking the plunge together. From fostering camaraderie to enhancing motivation, the benefits of siblings sharing swimming lessons extend far beyond the pool.

Let's dive into why siblings should do swimming lessons together and how this shared experience can strengthen their relationship, without impeding progress, as each child has their own customized lesson plan. 

  1. Bonding and Camaraderie: Siblings who take swimming lessons together can bond over shared experiences and challenges. Learning a new skill together can create lasting memories and strengthen their relationship.

  2. Support and Motivation: Having a sibling in the same swimming class can provide additional support and motivation. They can encourage each other to keep trying, especially during more difficult or challenging lessons.

  3. Friendly Competition: Siblings may naturally compete with each other in a healthy way, which can drive them to improve and excel in their swimming skills. This can make the lessons more engaging and fun.

  4. Safety and Comfort: For younger siblings, having an older sibling in the same class can provide a sense of safety and comfort, making them feel more at ease in the water and during lessons.

  5. Shared Achievement: When siblings complete their swimming lessons together and achieve their goals, they can celebrate their success together, reinforcing their bond and sense of accomplishment.

  6. Life-long Skill: Learning to swim is a life-long skill that can benefit siblings throughout their lives. Doing it together can create a shared appreciation for the importance of water safety and swimming proficiency.

As siblings progress through their swimming lessons together, they not only improve their swimming skills but also deepen their bond and create lasting memories while following their own customized swimming lesson plan. Whether they're cheering each other on, playfully competing, or simply enjoying each other's company in the water, the experience of swimming lessons can strengthen the sibling relationship in unique and meaningful ways. So, if you're considering enrolling your siblings in swimming lessons, know that you're not just investing in their swimming abilities but also in their relationship with each other.

We currently have lessons year round at our pools in Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford. For more information on our programs, how to register, and much more, head over to our website! Come swim with Swim Fins: https://www.swimfins.ca/register

Pre-Swim Nutrition Tips

Swimming is a fantastic full-body workout, but just like any physical activity, it's important to fuel your body with the right foods beforehand. Eating the right foods can help you perform better in the pool and feel more energized throughout your swimming lessons. Here's what you should consider before you hit the water:

1. Timing Is Key: Try to eat a meal or snack 1-2 hours before your swimming lesson. This will give your body enough time to digest the food so that you don't feel uncomfortable in the water.

2. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water before your lesson to stay hydrated. Avoid sugary drinks and opt for water or electrolyte-rich beverages instead.

3. What to Eat: 

    • Complex Carbohydrates: Opt for foods like whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. They provide a steady release of energy, which is perfect for a swim session.

    • Lean Protein: Include lean protein sources like chicken, fish, beans, or tofu. Protein helps repair muscles and keeps you feeling full longer.

    • Healthy Fats: Foods like nuts, seeds and avocados can provide sustained energy and keep you feeling satisfied.

4. Pre-Swim Meal Ideas: 

    • Smoothie made with spinach, banana, almond milk, and protein powderWhole grain toast with peanut butter and banana slices

    • Greek yogurt with berries and a drizzle of honey

    • Oatmeal topped with nuts, seeds, and fruit

    • Grilled chicken with quinoa and vegetables

4. Foods to Avoid: 

    • Heavy Meals: Avoid large, heavy meals right before swimming, as they can make you feel sluggish.

    • Fatty Foods: Steer clear of high-fat foods, as they can be hard to digest and may cause discomfort in the water.

    • Sugary Snacks: While a small amount of sugar can provide a quick energy boost, too much can lead to a crash later on.

Eating a balanced meal or snack before your swimming lesson can help you perform better and feel more energized in the pool. Remember to stay hydrated and choose foods that provide sustained energy. With the right nutrition, you'll be ready to make a splash in your swimming lessons! We currently have lessons year round at our pools in Richmond, Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford. For more information on our programs, how to register, and much more, head over to our website! Come swim with Swim Fins: https://www.swimfins.ca/register

How to Become a Swim Fins Coach

Wherever there is an athlete, there is an instructor. 

1. Why Be A Swim Instructor:

Becoming a swim instructor can be a rewarding and fulfilling career choice for several reasons:

  • Promote Water Safety: As a swim instructor, you have the opportunity to teach individuals of all ages how to swim, which is a crucial life skill. You help prevent drowning incidents by imparting water safety knowledge and skills.

  • Make a Positive Impact: Teaching someone to swim can be a life-changing experience. You may help individuals overcome their fears, gain confidence in the water, and improve their physical fitness. Knowing you've played a part in someone's personal growth and safety can be immensely gratifying.

  • Flexibility: Many swim instructors have flexible schedules, allowing them to work part-time, full-time, or seasonally. This flexibility can be advantageous for those with other commitments, such as students, parents, or people pursuing other interests.

2. Why work for Swim Fins?

Some of our current coaches shared some reasons why they love working for Swim Fins:

  • Competitive wages ($25 -$30 per hour).

  • 30+ hours of paid training.

  • Small, family business where you feel appreciated.

  • Ready-made lesson plans are provided by our Head Coach that have been tried and tested.

  • Flexible scheduling of shifts that work around school schedules and volunteering. 

  • Multiple locations to work at, across the Lower Mainland: White Rock, Cloverdale, Walnut Grove, Richmond, and Abbotsford.

3. The Certification Process

The process of becoming a certified swim instructor can start as young as 13 years old with only a few prerequisites and some hard work. Let's explore the journey to becoming a certified swim coach! See diagram below.

  1. The first step (we recommend) to becoming certified is completing the Canadian Swim Patrol. After you’ve completed the Canadian Swim Patrol to their highest levels (Star Patrol) you can then do your Bronze Star which develops swimming proficiency, lifesaving skills and personal fitness. 

  2. Completing that moves you through the Bronze exams, which is the next step: completing your Bronze Medallion. This course works your judgment, knowledge, skill and fitness – the four components of water rescue. 

  3. Once passing that exam, you can do your Bronze Cross which begins the transition from lifesaving to lifeguarding and prepares candidates for responsibilities as lifeguards. 

  4. After this point, there are many different paths, careers, and opportunities for you! Any future jobs will see these accomplishments as a large amount of skill and responsibility. 

To teach with us at Swim Fins we also need you certified in your NL, SI, and SFA.

  • NL - National Lifeguard is your lifeguarding certification. This means that you are able to provide effective safety supervision in swimming pool environments.

  • SI - Swim for Life Instructor is your certification, so you can effectively teach the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program properly with the tools given.  

  • SFA - Standard First Aid and CPR-C is your most commonly used certification for how to properly respond to emergency situations. 

All these certifications are required to be current and recertified when expired so that you have the most up to date knowledge possible. If you have any questions about certifications, please don’t hesitate to contact us, or the Lifesaving Society

https://www.swimfins.ca/instructor-application-form 

Benefits of Swimming Lessons for Kids

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When you enrol your child in swim lessons, you’re probably focused on water safety, as well as providing them with regular exercise and teaching them new skills. But have you considered all the extra ways swimming lessons can benefit your child? Feeling comfortable in the water and being able to swim can help your kiddo by boosting their confidence at a pool party or at the beach, but the additional benefits can far outlast the days of swim lessons. Here are just a few:


Recreation

Kids are known for their playfulness and enthusiasm and, as parents, we can only hope to encourage this zest for life as they grow. When they’re little, simply splashing around in a bathtub or pool can bring loads of fun. As they get older, knowing how to swim can enable them to feel comfortable taking part in activities like snorkeling, fishing, and jet skiing. Their confidence in their swim skills will help them enjoy fun activities without worrying about how to swim.

Sporting Opportunities

Some kids love swimming as a standalone sport, but others want to branch out into different water-centred activities. If your child has strong swim skills, they can participate in a variety of other sports easily and naturally, such as water polo, paddle boarding, or surfing. If your child is especially ambitious, they might be interested in competitive swimming. Building a strong swimming foundation throughout childhood will serve them very well as they engage in water-based sports in their future.

Aquatic Careers

Beyond fun and sports, there are plenty of real-life opportunities for little swimmers as they grow up. Many professions involve working with water, such as underwater videography, scuba instruction, or marine biology. Kids love to dream big, and exposure to the water at a young age can lay the foundation for a lifelong passion.

Set your kids up for future success with our swim lessons at our pools in Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford!


Register here: https://www.swimclo.com/register

Why Swimming is a Good Form of Physical Activity for Kids

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On average, school-aged children need 60 minutes of physical activity per day. While your child’s daily routine undoubtedly provides some exercise, you may have struggled in the past to find an activity for your child that keeps them happy, healthy, and having fun. The answer is simple: swimming lessons with Swim Clo in one of our Lower Mainland locations! 

Swimming lessons are not only a fun way to get your child moving, but the benefits they provide are unparalleled. Not only does swimming improve respiratory and cardiovascular health, strength and stamina, it can even teach your child better balance. Knowing that your child is a confident swimmer will lend you peace of mind on the next family trip to the beach or pool. It also opens up a world of other activities for your child, such as kayaking, surfing, or boating. 

If you have considered enrolling your child in swimming lessons before but were worried about the time commitment, Swim Clo offers flexible booking with time slots available on a long-term basis - no more scheduling nightmares! On top of that, we use our specialized program to teach kids to swim in ¼ of the time, producing stronger swimmers faster than traditional lesson formats. 

Our programs provide children with fun challenges and the tools to succeed, building their self-esteem and confidence while they learn. We offer swimming lessons in a variety of locations, including Abbotsford, Surrey, Langley, Cloverdale, and White Rock. They also are free from distractions so that your child can get the most out of every lesson. 

Our coaches are highly trained and create personalized lesson plans to improve the swimming skills of each individual student, as we understand that not every child will begin lessons with the same strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, Swim Clo has ensured that our pool areas will follow COVID protocols in all locations. 

If you’re looking for a way to get your child more active while teaching them valuable safety skills, register today!

Source: click here

How Our Swimming Lessons Help You Learn:

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Everyone knows how much fun playing can be! At any age, time spent playing is also a time for learning! Did you know that playful physical movement is essential to learning, especially at a young age? In the past few decades scientists have been proving there is an amazing link between movement and learning. It starts all the way back in infancy; as babies begin to learn and grow, their inner ear systems and motor function systems are the first to mature. We can use this information to make a fun environment full of motion! Classes and play dates that involve movements like rocking, rolling, spinning, and later on, somersaulting and swinging can stimulate the brain’s capacity for improved learning. These actions are building blocks for how to expand a child’s knowledge of themselves and their surroundings. We want to activate pathways in the brain early so that kids can prime their nervous systems for more complex things like reading, writing, attention skills, speech, and social interactions!


Now, you are probably asking yourself which classes are best for learning these movements? The most useful ones that get your kids up and moving are swimming lessons, gymnastics, and dance! These types of classes work the brain's natural bi-lateral cross patterning by using all four lobes because of how much focus it takes. For instance, in our Surrey swimming lessons, the act of holding your breath, closing your eyes, and putting your head underwater takes a lot of concentration and skill for someone so young. The more cross patterning, means the more nerves firing from one side of the brain to the other. This results in heightened cognition, improved body coordination, and increased learning. Who wouldn’t want a little more of all of that? It’s a good thing the Lower Mainland offers many of these wonderful classes stretching all the way out from Abbotsford, Langley, Cloverdale, Surrey, and White Rock. Make sure to check out your own neighbourhood for incredible classes such as these!

Our Winter swim lessons start January 2nd at our pools in Surrey, White Rock, Langley, Cloverdale, and Abbotsford. Lessons run from January to April.. 

Register here: https://www.swimclo.com/register

Source: Movement - The Key To Early Learning by Lana Whitehead (SwimKids USA)

New Photoshoot for Swim Clo's Little Mascot

New Photoshoot for Swim Clo's Little Mascot

Swim Clo's mascot turned 4 this year and he can now swim 20 meters front crawl, back swim and tread water for 5 minutes! He's really a testament to how our proprietary approach to teaching kids how to swim really works! We reduce the time it takes to progress by 1/4! That's great news for kids' water safety.