Find information about swimming lessons in Surrey.
Swimming lessons
The City of Surrey offers Lifesaving Society’s Swim for Life program. Learn more about which skill level to register your child in, and how we're making everyone feel safe in the water with swimming lessons. Registration is required.
View the lessons transition grid
Find out which level your child should be in
If you are currently in swim lessons, including our swim adapted program, review the lessons transition grid to see what level you will be in for the Swim for Life program. All adapted programs will now be integrated into our Swim for Life program with 1:1 support as required.
What level should I register my child in when we transition to the Swim for Life program?
View the swim transition grid. Find out what level they are in with the Red Cross swim kids' program and follow the guide to the new Swim for Life level.
Why is the City switching from the Red Cross to the Lifesaving Society program?
In January 2022 the Red Cross announced that they will no longer be offering a learn to swim program. The City of Surrey conducted research on available learn to swim programs and chose the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim program.
Why is the cost different?
The cost is different for a few reasons and depends on the level of the participant, the length of the Swim for Life program is slightly different, the number of participants in the class, and the cost of materials. We have tried to keep the costs as close to our existing prices as possible.
What is the difference between the Red Cross program and the Lifesaving Society’s Swim for Life program?
Both programs offer a strong foundational learn to swim program. The Swim for Life program really focuses on water safety and making sure that participants of all ages are water smart whether it will be at a pool, lake, or the ocean.
Children will still learn strokes like front crawl, back crawl and breaststroke but some less used strokes like butterfly and sidestroke are not taught in the Swim for Life program.
What training have the instructors received in this program?
All City of Surrey swim instructors are fully trained as water safety instructors. In preparation for this transition all staff have completed a Swim for Life transition course that has been sanctioned by the Red Cross and the Lifesaving Society.
In addition to the transition course all Instructors have participated in extensive in-service training designed to prepare staff to deliver a high quality learn to swim program.
Is this a new program?
No, this program has been run extensively nationwide for over a decade. When developing the program, the Lifesaving Society did extensive global research on water safety and drowning prevention and used that research to develop this excellent learn to swim program.
How will my child be supported in their adapted swimming lessons?
Your child will still receive one-to-one support provided by Surrey Association for Community Living staff as they have in the past. The difference will be that in your child’s lesson there will only be one child receiving support rather than all three.
Register
Learning to swim is an important life skill. It’s fun, great for your health and puts you on a path to an active lifestyle.
Sign up your children for swimming lessons or a pool activity at Surrey's indoor pools. Youth and adult swim lessons are running and also available for registration.
Register by phone
Registration by phone is available. Call 604-501-5100, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm and a customer service representative will be happy to help you.
Register in person
In person registration is available at any Surrey Parks, Recreation & Culture facility during hours of operation. Bring your recreation passcard when you visit.
Cancelling a registration
If you need to cancel your registration, log in to your account and follow our How to Cancel Your Activity video.
Alternatively, you can call 604-501-5100, Monday to Friday from 8:30am to 4:30pm and a customer service representative can cancel your registration for you.
If you no longer want to use your Recreation Pass, learn how to receive a refund.
Waitlist
Waitlist spots are offered to people in the order they joined.
If we have a cancellation, we will contact those on the waitlist in the order that they were added. If the contacted person does not respond by the deadline provided or answer the call in the shorter timeframes leading up to the activity, we will move onto the next person on the waitlist.
Waiting at the facility may not guarantee space in the activity.
Registration tips
Swim lessons are very popular and always in high demand. While we recommend using the tips below, we cannot guarantee that you will secure a spot.
- Ensure you are using Chrome as your browser or courses may not show up properly.
- It is faster to book online vs. phone as the phone queue will contain callers registering for all courses (not just swimming lessons).
- For existing customers, it is faster to login to your MySurrey account first (prior to 9pm), then select your course(s). For new customers, create a MySurrey account prior to registration day.
- Have course page open.
- Refresh your browser right at 9pm (PRCMS system will not automatically refresh when registration opens).
- Select courses for all family members first, then pay for all courses at once.
- Keep Credit Card info on file so that you don’t have to take the time to enter it each time. Information is completely secure.
- Join the waitlist. If we have a cancellation, then we will call those on the waitlist in the order that they joined.
For everyone's safety
- Patrons who are sick will not be allowed entry.
- Lockers are available but we recommend leaving valuables at home.
We will actively monitor our procedures and may adjust as necessary.