Swimming Lessons

In order to align with local programming and lifesaving courses, Banook offers the National Lifesaving Society’s Swim for Life program. Swim for Life® is a complete learn-to-swim program from introduction to water through to Leadership.

Local facilities, such as the Zatzman Sportsplex and the Canada Games Centre, have been successfully operating within the Swim for Life program for many years. Another important advantage is that this program aligns with the National Lifeguarding programming such as Bronze Medallion and Bronze Cross, which are the cornerstones to lifeguarding.

Program content is stroke and skill driven: entries and exits; surface support; underwater skills; Swim to Survive® skills; movement / swimming skills; fitness, and Water Smart® education. A fun program with achievable content is enjoyable for both participants and instructors.

For more information, please refer to the Swim for Life program at-a-glance, provided by the Lifesaving Society.

You've been enrolled - What to know¶

If you've received a confirmation of enrollment here are few things to keep in mind:

Please make sure your child is ready for class (wearing a bathing suit, has on sunscreen, etc.)
Please note that a child can receive an 'incomplete' for a class for many different reasons, including not attending the minimum class time or not completing all the skills.
The schedule, once established, cannot be changed. We apologize, however, we are a small club with limited resources and may not be able to adjust schedules once finalized.
Swimming runs for 3 consecutive weeks Monday through Thursday between 9:15am and 1:45pm.
Your child will have the same instructor everyday unless the instructor is sick.
Report cards typically go out on on the last day of lessons, if you need it sooner because of an absence please let your instructor or the Head Lifeguard know in advance.
Our goal is not only for your child to learn to swim but also for them to have a positive and fun experience in the water! Feel free to let the Head Lifeguard know if your child's needs or expectations are not being met by their instructor.

Summer Details¶

Banook offers two sessions of swimming lessons each summer. Each session runs Monday-Thursday for three weeks.

We offer the following lessons:

Swimmer 1-6
Canadian Swim Patrol (Rookie, Ranger, Star)

To register, you will receive an email with a link to enter our waitlist. The waitlist will open approximately two weeks prior to each session. Places will be limited and offered on a first come, first served basis. Lesson schedules will be released the week prior to the start of each session.

IMPORTANT¶

Banook aims to align our swim programming around the paddling schedule to enable children to participate in all club activities. We will make every reasonable effort to resolve conflict between swim programming and paddling where it occurs.
Swim lessons are organized on a first come, first serve basis. We reserve the right to NOT OFFER certain levels, if the need is not there. We are a small club with limited resources and may not be able to offer all levels in one or both sessions.
Due to continued registration, the numbers of participants and lesson class sizes change frequently. For this reason, the swim lesson schedule will not be available until the week prior to the start of each session.

BRONZE AWARD PROGRAM (Pre-Lifeguard)¶

Please note: Unfortunately, the Bronze Award (Star, Medallion, Cross) courses will not be running at Banook during Summer 2023. We are facing a shortage of instructors and instructor training opportunities which has restricted us from offering this program in-house.

However, Bronze Award courses run frequently at pools across HRM.

To see courses near you

Visit https://www.halifax.ca/parks-recreation/programs-activities/program-registration
Navigate to “Search for Programs”
In the “Program name” field, type “Bronze” and then click Search

If you have any questions about enrolling in the Bronze Award program, email the Head Lifeguard.