Equip your child with a highly enjoyable and essential life skill.
With the days getting longer and hotter again, chances are you’ll be spending more time at the beach and the pool with your young ones. So we’ve rounded up some of Hong Kong’s best swimming schools to help your kids become happy and confident in the water. Whether you’re aspiring to groom a future Olympian, or you’re simply looking to get them afloat, there’s a place for everyone.
Read more: Our Ultimate Guide To The Best Swimming Pools In Hong Kong
Editor’s note: This article was written by Esther Bland, a part-time instructor with FloatPlus.
Based at the Kennedy Town Swimming Pool, Alison Tam Swimming offers classes for babies, toddlers and young children. For those wanting to start early, she offers an introductory course for parents to introduce babies as young as four months old to the water. She also has a very helpful online FAQ section detailing what new parents should expect on baby’s first trip to the pool.
Where: Kennedy Town Swimming Pool, 2 Sai Cheung Street North, Kennedy Town, Hong Kong
How much: 30-minute group drop-in classes for babies and toddlers for $250. Group lessons for two months start at $200 per class
Contact: [email protected], www.alisontamswimming.com
Hosted by the English Schools Foundation (ESF), the Sharks swimming programme is open to both ESF and non-ESF students. It runs a comprehensive development course incorporating water safety, games and activities, and also competitive swimming techniques for kids that want to challenge themselves in the pool.
Where: various locations across Hong Kong
How much: $235 per 30-minute lesson, conducted once a week in term sessions (special condensed swimming clinics are also available over the holidays)
Contact: 2711 1280, [email protected], www.esf.org.hk
With over 40 years of combined experience coaching and competing in swimming at a national level, FloatPlus is one of the most established swim schools in Hong Kong. It offers a wide range of group, semi-private and private classes with a clear emphasis on technique and progression. The syllabus starts with the parent assisted “Water Babies” and “Tadpoles” classes for babies from six months up. Older and more accomplished swimmers can develop their stroke technique, tumble turns and race prep with its more demanding “Dolphin” and “Orca” levels.
Where: various locations across Hong Kong Island
How much: 30-minute group classes start at $195. Semi-private and private classes start at $300 and $600 respectively for a 30-minute session
Contact: 6504 8283, [email protected], www.floatplus.hk
Boasting accomplished alumni, including ex-Olympians and Hong Kong record holders, Harry Wright International has a long track record of training competitive swimmers from a young age. Dedicated students who complete the “Learn to Swim Programme” can enrol in the “Competitive Programme”. This is a rigorous schedule of land and water drills designed to help your kids speed past their rivals.
Where: various locations across Hong Kong
How much: weekly after-school classes range from $3,00o to $4,000 per term
Contact: 2575 6279, [email protected], www.harrywright.com.hk
The Hong Kong Hurricanes programme is the sister program to the ESF Sharks, and is based out of the Australian International School (AISHK) in Kowloon Tong, but is open to all students. The internationally certified instructors follow the same carefully structured training method as the ESF Sharks coaches.
Where: Australian International School, 3A Norfolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
How much: $235 for a 30-minute lesson (special condensed swimming clinics are also available over the holidays)
Contact: 2711 1280, [email protected], www.hkhurricanes.com
The Stingrays offers a variety of swimming programmes for kids, geared to both beginners and competition-level swimmers. Its “Learn to Swim Sharks” programme, for children aged 3 to 5 years, helps build confidence in the water and a solid swimming foundation. This is offered at the swimming pools of Hong Kong International School (HKIS) in Tai Tam and French International School (FIS) in Jardine’s Lookout. Advanced Stingrays swimmers are encouraged to compete in meets in both Hong Kong and all over Asia.
Where: Hong Kong International School, High School Swimming Pool, Tai Tam Campus, No. 1, Red Hill Road, Tai Tam, Hong Kong; French International School, 34 Price Road, Jardine’s Lookout, Hong Kong
How much: Learn to Swim packages start at $240 per lesson (11 to 16 classes per term)
Contact: 3149 7171, [email protected], www.teamunify.com
Featured image courtesy of Marc Richards via Pexels, image 1 courtesy of Alison Tam Swimming, image 2 courtesy of ESF Sharks, image 3 courtesy of Derek Thomson via Unsplash, image 4 courtesy of Marcus Ng via Unsplash, image 4 courtesy of Hong Kong Hurricanes, image 6 courtesy of Stingrays
