Swimming is one of the most important life skills that anyone can learn.
All enrolments must be completed through our online portal. If you do not have an Envibe login, please click on the following link New Enrolment | Bay of Isles Leisure Centre or follow the instructions to create your account.
All enrolments are made by Direct Debit only. Direct Debit is by credit card, debit card, or bank account, and will occur every two weeks. It is important your financial institution has enough funds to cover your Direct debit amount. All direct Debit fees are absorbed by the Shire of Esperance, with the exception of failed payment fees. Missed or failed payments will incur a failed payment fee, charged directly by Ezidebit. Direct Debits are deducted fortnightly on a Monday and will run fortnightly until enrolment is cancelled. Lesson fees are subject to change at any time per the Shire of Esperance Scheduled fees and Charges.
Enrol through the online portal and set up a Direct Debit. Once you receive the email with the voucher code please forward to swimschool@esperance.wa.gov.au. The voucher amount will be applied to your swim school account as a credit for future direct debits.
Infant Ducks - 6 months to 3 years
| Program |
Age |
| Ducks 1: |
6 – 12 months |
| Ducks 2: |
12 – 18 months |
| Ducks 3: |
18 months - 2 years |
| Ducks 4: |
2 years - 2.5 years |
| Ducks 5: |
2.5 years - 3 years |
Our infant aquatics program provides a unique opportunity for your child to develop socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically in a safe and structured environment. Through this program, your child will have the chance to create, explore and practice essential skills while building self confidence and self-esteem.
These lessons are designed to be a fun and engaging learning environment, offering opportunities to experience:
Is about entering the water safely using different entries appropriate for each motor development stage progressing towards
Develops confidence in getting the face wet, blowing bubbles and learning to submerge. Fun activities promote relaxation and breath control.
Is a gradual process encouraged as each child shows readiness to participate and initiate the skill themselves. Using simple cue words, action and songs, this will create a fun and non-threatening environment to support the learning skill.
Activities focus on experiencing floating on the front and back. Learning to float is an important skill not only to progress to propulsion but is an essential survival skill for every child.
Provides experiences of body orientation and rotation skills which are vital for developing survival and mobility skills.
- Basic kicking and arm actions
Activities promote kicking and paddling to develop basic propulsion skills. Initially, these skills will be rudimentary but as crawling, walking and running skills are gained on land, coordination of kicking and paddling skills will develop and become stronger.
- Learning basic water safety
Water Safety is encouraged through emphasising the message 'always swim with an adult'. Introducing young children to a simple safety message early in their aquatic education establishes a positive attitude towards safe behaviour.
Parents and carers remain in the water during infant lessons, ensuring a supportive and interactive experience. Each class has a maximum of eight participants to maintain a focused and personalizes approach.
Our instructors look forward to helping your child build a strong foundation for water confidence and safety!
Ducks 6 - 3 to 5 years
Our Ducks 6 lessons are designed specifically for students who have not previously attended swimming lessons and are not yet confident or ready to transition away from having a parent or carer in the water.
In these classes, parents and carers support their child in the water under the guidance of the instructor. Once the child becomes competent in submerging independently, floating on their back with a 10-second release, and floating on their front while blowing bubbles, they can then progress into our Nemo 1 class, where they will work independently with their instructor.
Preschoolers - 3 to 5 years old
The preschool program builds and develops the basic foundation skills in swimming, survival and water safety and encourages a positive attitude towards learning the required skills.
- Nemo 1
- Nemo 2
- Nemo 3
- Nemo 4
- Nemo 5
- Nemo 6
Entry and Exits Skills: Teach children to safely and confidently enter and exit the water using a range of basic techniques.
Breathing and Underwater Skills: Develop breath control and relaxation when submerging the face and body in the water, which in turn builds confidence.
Survival Skills: Include initial experiences using flotation aids for support in deep water whilst demonstrating personal survival and self-preservation skills required for an emergency situation.
Floating and Sculling Skills: Encourage independent floating on the front and back and basic sculling skills to propel the body in a range of directions.
Movement and Swimming Strokes: Encourage the development of kicking and arm movement skills, basic independent mobility and working towards elementary swimming strokes.
Water Safety Education: Focuses on the simple messages of never swimming alone, calling for help if in trouble and understanding basic pool rules to support water safety.
School Age - 5 years and up
Learning to Swim and Survive Level is a vital life skill that all Western Australian children need to safely participate on, in and around water. The Swim and Survive program identifies 16 critical stages in a child’s development. The lower stages focus on teaching efficient support and movement in the water. The higher stages include skill and knowledge in safety, survival and rescue, all while developing a strong and effective swimming technique.
Swim and Survive is a swimming and water safety program that is aligned to the National Swimming and Water Safety Framework and develops skills across the following areas:
- Entries and exits skills teach children to determine the safest entry and exit method for a range of aquatic environments.
- Sculling and body orientation enable children to gain mobility in the aquatic environment and are vital skills for developing swimming and survival skills.
- Underwater skills This strand aims to provide the student with the skills that may enable them to escape from dangers or search for a submerged object
- Swimming strokes develops efficient and effective stroke technique and the ability to adapt the strokes to suit the conditions of the environment. Fitness and endurance increases through the progression of levels.
- Survival skills includes the teaching of survival techniques and strategies for a range of emergency situations, including the use of lifejackets.
- Rescue skills equip children with the required skills to perform a range of rescues depending on the emergency situation, the environment and prevailing conditions.
- Water safety knowledge develops an understanding of a range of swimming and water safety issues that underpins safety in and around the water.
Stages
There are 16 stages within the Swim and Survive program:
Stage 1 — Beginner
Beginner is about safe entry and exit from the water.
Stage 2 — Water Discovery
Water Discovery is about being pulled to safety and the development of the freestyle stroke.
Stage 3 — Preliminary
Preliminary includes performing a survival sculling on your back float and learning freestyle breathing
Stage 4 — Water Awareness
Water Awareness is about the importance of water safety and learning survival backstroke.
Stage 5 — Water Sense
Water Sense develops an understanding of the elements in being water safe while extending your backstroke skills.
Stage 6 — Junior
Junior means you can complete a competitive swimming dive as well as gain the ability to swim 50 m freestyle.
Stage 7 — Intermediate
Intermediate includes the skill of egg-beater kick used in water polo while extending swimming and survival abilities.
Stage 8 — Water Wise
Water Wise develops good judgement in water safety while learning the skill of sidestroke.
Stage 9 — Senior
Senior includes the skill of competitive tumble-turns and learning basic principles of resuscitation.
Survival Strand (Stages 10–12)
Stage 10 — Junior Swim and Survive
Junior Swim and Survive links the skills of swimming, diving and treading water needed when in open water. Having gained these skills give surfing a try.
Stage 11 — Swim and Survive
Swim and Survive included the use of a personal flotation device while extending swimming and survival abilities. Having gained this skill give canoeing a try.
Stage 12 — Senior Swim and Survive
Senior Swim and Survive includes what to do when escaping from a capsized boat while extending swimming and survival abilities. Having gained these skills give sailing a try.
Bronze Rescue Strand (Stages 13–16)
Dry Rescue (Optional)
Rescue skills for non - swimmers
Stage 13 Wade Rescue - To introduce skills and knowledge of safe water rescue and survival.
Stage 14 Accompanied Rescue - To develop skills and knowledge of safe water rescue and survival.
Stage 15 Bronze Star - To develop skills and knowledge of safe water rescue and survival.
Private Lessons
Private lessons provide personalised 1:1 or 1:2 instruction tailored to each swimmer's individual needs, ability and confidence level.
These lessons are ideal for all ages who would benefit from extra support, accelerated learning, skill refinement, or building water confidence in a quieter environment. Our instructors work closely with each student to create achievable goals while developing water safety, technique. and independence at their own pace.
Private lessons are suitable for beginners through to advanced swimmers and can be customised to focus on specific swimming skills and outcomes.
Mini Squad
Mini Squad is for students who can complete the following with no stops.
- 25 metres of freestyle
- 25 metres of backstroke
Mini Squad is a transitional level designed to bridge the gap between learning to swim and exploring the exciting world of competitive swimming.
The main focus of mini squad is to develop essential skills while fostering a love for learning and growth in the water. Some of the key benefits include:
- Team Building: Encouraging camaraderie and cooperation among peers.
- Fitness and endurance: Building strength and agility, stamina, speed, and overall health.
- Self-Discipline: Cultivating responsibility and commitment.
- Confidence and technique: Refining skills while boosting self-esteem.
- Commitment: Encouraging students to set and achieve their own goals.
Mini Squad is all about having fun, improving technique, and enjoying the process of becoming a stronger swimmer.
We recommend that Mini Squad swimmers bring their own flippers to each session.
Squad
Squad is for students who are confident in swimming multiple laps.
Our Squad program goes beyond swimming basics to help students develop advanced skills and foster a strong sense of teamwork. Key areas of focus include.
- Enhancing Strength and Speed: Building power and improving swimming efficiency.
- Improving Stroke Technique: refining skills for greater precision and performance.
- Achieving Personal Bests: Encouraging students to set and achieve their own goals
- Having Fun: Ensuring the environment remains supportive and enjoyable.
- Push-Offs. Finishes and Turns: mastering essential techniques for competitive swimming.
- Dives and Clockwork: Improving entry techniques and using timing clocks to help swimmers learn pace and track progress.
- Equipment Use: To support skill development and ensure effective training, we use kickboards, pull buoys, flippers, hand paddles and cups.
- Endurance and Commitment: Encouraging dedication to practice and goal-setting.
- Racing and teamwork: Building confidence in competition while promoting team spirit.
Squad is perfect for swimmers eager to enhance their technique, strength, and racing abilities in a supportive and fun Environment.
We recommend that Squad swimmers bring their own flippers to each session.
Adults
Adult 1 (introduction to water) - Designed for adults new to swimming and building confidence in the Water. Focuses on basic breathing, floating, gliding, kicking, water safety, and developing comfort and confidence in a supportive environment.
- Breathing
- Blow bubbles with face submerged
- Take a breath and repeat the sequence
- Back Float
- Building to a 10 second release
- Recover
- Front Float
- Exhalation-bubbles
- Extended release
- Recover
- Forward Glide, no kick
- Exhalation-bubbles
- Streamline body position
- Recover
- Backward Glide, no kick
- Streamline body position
- Recover
- Forward Glide, with kick
- Exhalation-bubbles
- Streamline body position
- Effective kick
- Recover
- Backward Glide, with kick
- Streamline body position
- Effective kick
- Recover
- Freestyle – 2m (no breathing)
- Exhalation-bubbles
- Streamline body position
- Arms clear of the water
- Effective kick
- Reach to Rescue
Adult 2 – Introduces fundamental swimming skills and stroke development while continuing to build confidence and water safety awareness. Focuses on freestyle, backstroke, survival backstroke, sculling and basic rescue techniques.
- Freestyle - 5m (no breathing)
- Exhalation-bubbles
- Streamline body position
- Arms clear of the water
- Effective kick
- Backstroke -5m (catch up acceptable)
- Near horizontal body position
- Effective kick
- Straight arm recovery
- Survival Backstroke Legs - 5m (aided)
- Circular movement of feet
- Flexed feet
- Scull/Tread Water
- Outward and inward scull
- Ability to gain support
- Alternating leg action
- Throw and Wade
Adult 3 - Designed for adults to develop confidence and improve technique in freestyle, backstroke, survival backstroke, and basic breaststroke. Focuses on body position, propulsion, breathing, leg action, and confidence swimming in the shallow lap.
- Freestyle - 10m
- Near horizontal body position
- Effective kick
- Regular breathing pattern
- Backstroke - 10m
- Near horizontal body position
- Effective leg action
- Straight arm recovery
- Survival Backstroke – 10m
- Circular leg action
- Feet turned out
- Breaststroke - 10m (basic)
- Circular leg action
- Feet turned out
- Swim in lap pool (shallow end)
- Confidence
- Ability to submerge and surface
- Vertical and horizontal body positions
Adult 4 - Designed for adults wanting to refine stroke technique, improve deep water confidence, and develop water safety skills. Focuses on freestyle, survival backstroke, breaststroke, treading water, dolphin kick, rescue skills, and safe water entries.
- Freestyle – 15m
- Near horizontal body position
- Effective propulsion
- Regular breathing-can introduce bilateral
- Survival Backstroke - 15m
- Circular leg action
- Feet turned out
- Breaststroke - 15m
- Effective leg action
- Feet turned out
- Hands recover in front of shoulders
- Swim in Deep Water
- Confidence
- Ability to submerge and surface
- Vertical and horizontal body positions
- Scull/Tread Water
- Outward and inward scull
- Ability to gain support
- Alternating leg action
- Dolphin Kick (basic)
- Paired leg action
- Undulating body action
- Egg Beater Kick
- Alternate leg action
- Effective support
- Non-Contact Rescues (talk, reach, throw, wade)
- Entries (seated dive, kneel dive, accidental fall in)
- Dive-headfirst entry
- Confidence
Adult 5 – Designed for confident adult swimmers looking to further develop advanced swimming skills, endurance, and water safety skills. Focuses on stroke refinement, survival swimming, rescues, CPR awareness, water entries, butterfly, tumble turns, and continuous swimming in deep water
Prerequisite:
Participants should be able to swim continuously and confidently in deep water. This level is ideal for adults wanting to strengthen their swimming ability for fitness, safety, or personal confidence, while developing practical skills applicable to real-life aquatic situations.
- Sidestroke
- Horizontal body position
- Scissor kick
- Alternating arm actions
- Advance water rescues (row, swim, tow)
- Entries (compact, stride, standing dive)
- Dive-headfirst entry
- Confidence
- CPR (basic - CPR, primary survey, 30:2 ratio)
- Check for signs of life
- Place casualty in recovery position
- Monitor airway and breathing
- Clothes Swim
- Swim 100m wearing clothes (50m freestyle, 50m survival)
- Float for 2 minutes with aid
- Ensure safe and efficient removal of clothing while in water
- Ensure correct and efficient survival stroke technique
- Escape Technique
- Keep a safe distance
- Adopt the defensive position
- Pass a flotation aid
- Accompany the person to safety while keeping a safe distance from the person in difficulty
- Butterfly – 5m
- Dolphin kick
- Paired arm action
- Demonstrate a Tumble Turn (basic)
- Somersault
- Push off wall with feet
- Continuous Swim - 100m (correct technique)
- Freestyle - 25m
- Backstroke – 25m
- Breaststroke – 25m
- Survival Backstroke – 25m
Bronze Medallion and Requalification
Bronze Medallion Stage 16 (8hr) - The Royal Life Saving Society Bronze Medallion is recognised as the minimum standard for a qualified lifesaver. This course will enhance your personal survival skills while providing you with the knowledge and skills to develop the level of judgement, technique and physical ability required to safely carry out water rescues.
This training course is suitable for anyone turning 14 years with a reasonable level of fitness and swimming ability.
Bronze Medallion Requalification (4hr) - This training course is suitable for a previous holder of a Bronze Medallion award. If you need to update or requalify your Bronze Medallion certificate.
For enquiries regarding the next available course, please contact the Swim School directly on 9083 1708. Our team will be happy to assist you with further information.
Contact Information and Enrolment
Swim School: (08) 9083 1722
Reception: (08) 9083 1700
Email: swimschool@esperance.wa.gov.au
Enrolment Portal: https://envibe.esperance.wa.gov.au
VacSwim
The Bay of Isles Leisure Centre hosts the Education Department's VacSwim program during the school holidays.
Enrolment into the program is directly through the Education Department.
VAC Swim
When you come for your VacSwim lesson, students and spectators must pay pool entry.