Survival swimming teaches babies and toddlers critical life-saving skills, like rolling onto their backs to float and wait for help if they fall into water. Unlike regular swim lessons, which focus on learning strokes and water play, survival swimming prioritizes safety and self-rescue techniques. The goal is water safety, equipping littles to survive an accidental fall into water.

Babies can start survival swimming as early as six months old, as long as they can roll over well from belly to back (face down to face up) and begin to sit up independently. This ensures they have the core strength needed to learn self rescue techniques.

Lessons are scheduled in 15-minute blocks and focus on teaching vital survival skills, such as breath control, rolling onto their backs to breathe, rest and relax, and swimming toward safety. This lays the groundwork for joining our Dolphin Program for future swim stroke development.

Each child’s progress is closely monitored, with lessons tailored to their pace to ensure they are developing the necessary skills safely.

Ten minutes are spent on instruction, and five minutes are reserved to talk with parents after each lesson.

Every child is different, but most students begin showing progress within the first few lessons. Our program is based on the proven Swim-Float-Swim method:

• Floaters (infants) focus on learning to independently roll onto their back to breathe, rest, and remain calm. This takes about 16 lessons over four weeks.

• The full Swim-Float-Swim program, where children learn to swim, float to breathe, then swim again to safety, generally takes around 24 lessons.

At the end of your child’s program, we test them fully clothed (both summer and winter attire) to simulate real-world conditions — and results are guaranteed.

Infants (6–12 months): Typically, it takes about 4 weeks (around 16 lessons or 160 minutes) to learn how to float independently.

Toddlers (1–4 years): On average, it takes 6 weeks (around 24 lessons or 240 minutes) to master the SWIM-FLOAT-SWIM technique.

Children (4.5 years and older): Usually, it takes 3 to 4 weeks to develop essential skills, depending on individual progress and comfort in the water.

Your child will learn essential survival swim skills designed to help them stay safe in the water. These include how to hold their breath underwater, float calmly on their back to breathe, how to move through the water independently, and how to navigate toward safety.

Absolutely. At Shrimply the Best, your child’s safety is our top priority. Our instructors are trained and certified through the rigorous Infant Aquatics program, which emphasizes both safety and technique. Lessons are always one-on-one, taught in warm water, and carefully paced to match your child’s needs. We also collect medical history during enrollment so we can approach each lesson with an understanding of your child’s unique circumstances and ensure a safe, supportive experience.

When taught by a certified instructor, the risks are minimal. However, as with any activity, there is always some risk. That’s why we ensure each child progresses at their own pace, and we closely monitor their emotional and physical responses during lessons.

We take safety very seriously and would never put your child in harm’s way! We’ll let the experts explain this one. Here’s an article from Dr. Michael Daignault.

Studies show that children with survival swimming skills have a higher chance of surviving a drowning accident. While active supervision is the best way to prevent drowning, these techniques teach babies to self-rescue, providing an added layer of protection and giving parents peace of mind.

While your kiddo will have essential survival skills, it’s still crucial to always supervise them around water. Water safety should be a part of your everyday routine, and you should always follow the “touch supervision” rule: stay within arm’s reach of your child at all times. And be sure to enroll in our weekly Dolphin Enhancement program lessons, so your child doesn’t lose the important skills they’ve learned!

A four-year study by Australia’s Griffith University for Educational Research found that young children who participate in early-years swimming achieve a wide range of skills earlier than the normal population. Studies also show that children with survival swimming skills have a higher chance of surviving a drowning accident.

Swimming isn’t a “one and done” skill—regular practice is key to keeping water skills strong! After completing a New Student program, we highly recommend enrolling in our weekly Dolphin Enhancement program. This helps reinforce essential survival skills, build confidence, and continue your child’s swimming development in a fun and supportive environment.