Swimming

SAFE & CONFIDENT SWIMMERS: SWIM LESSONS, SWIM TEAM AND MORE!

The YMCA swim lessons have earned international acclaim and have been proven to be effective. From swim lessons in our Swim Academy and private swim lessons to Masters swim for adults and Water Wise for children with intellectual disabilities, the best swim school at the YMCA of the North Shore has a swim option for you!

Our swim experts can assist you in achieving your swimming goals. They can help you learn how to swim, join a top-ranked team, stay fit, or improve your stroke technique.

We offer more for the North Shore aquatic life with lifeguard, CPR, first aid and swim Instructor certifications. Click here to learn more>>

Fall Session: September 9 – December 1
Winter Session: December 2 – March 16

Parent-Child & Preschool Swim

Parent/Child classes assist with water acclimation and provide children with swim readiness skills for being near a body of water. Children develop comfort and build confidence in the water while parents learn about water safety, the benefits of swimming, and the importance of supervision for drowning prevention. Songs and games make learning these lifetime skills with a group of new friends fun. Preschool swim lessons focus on water comfort, forward movement and basic self rescue skills reinforced through the use of games. Distances increase as students progress through each level until independent swimming is achieved. 

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Youth Swim Lessons

The YMCA is America’s favorite swim instructor with proven success in swim class. Progressive curriculum throughout our swimming lessons for kids work through water safety skills such as float and tread in water. Further swimming instruction in stroke technique to proficiency in 100 yards of endurance swimming with good form. Whether you are a beginner or rising swim team athlete, professional instructors at our children’s swimming lessons guide you to the next level in a fun environment. We also offer private swim lessons and Water Wise, a program designed for children with intellectual disabilities.

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Sharks Swim Team

The YMCA of the North Shore Sharks Swim team strives to teach, train and motivate children to achieve their potential and knowledge around competitive swimming. Our direction and philosophy applies to the novice as well as the national caliber athlete. Our highly specialized coaching staff emphasizes effective swimmer-to-coach ratios, educates swimmers on muscle groups during swim training with this year-round program and ability-based practice groups. The team offers practice groups in Marblehead, Salem, Beverly, Gloucester, Ipswich and Haverhill.

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Frequently Asked Questions

With parent child swim lessons and swim academy, Children from infant to teens enjoy swim lessons that focus on progression and learning the skills necessary to be safe around water.

Swim lessons help children and adults develop swim readiness skills through experiences that improve water safety and build confidence.

Through our Water Wise program, children on the autism spectrum learn to swim. This unique program combines the expertise of Northeast Arc and our YMCA swim lesson program.

North Shore Sharks Swim team strives to teach, train and motivate children to achieve their potential in competitive swimming. Experienced coaches, national competitions and positive team experiences make this swim program one of the best.

The swim curriculum is designed for swimmers to reach certain milestones. From water discovery and exploration to acclimation, movement, stamina , and stroke instruction, the curriculum will help all levels of swimmers improve their abilities.

Certifications include Lifeguard, CPR/AED, Pediatric and Adult First Aid

According to national statistics, drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for kids ages 1 to 14. Teaching children how to be safe around water is one of the most important life skills parents can help provide. It not only saves lives, it builds confidence.  

Once the fundamentals are mastered, swimmers learn stroke techniques in front and back crawl, breastroke kick and butterfly kick.

With adult swim lessons, and programs like Masters Swim, a competitive swim program for adults, there are many ways adults can improve their swim techniques at the Y.

As “America’s swim instructor,” the YMCA teaches children of all ages and from all backgrounds that water should be fun, not feared, if you know how to stay safe in and around water. Each year, the Ys across the country teach more than one million kids life-saving swimming and safety around water skills. The Y offers a excellent progressive swim program with experienced instructors who are committed to helping people be safe around the water.

“Excellent program. Great teachers who have good rapport with children and interpersonal skills. Progressive swim program introduces and reinforces skills as children progress.”