About Starfish Academy

Starfish Academy offers lessons for swimmers of every age and level. New classes start every month. Members and nonmembers welcome. Group, semi-private, and private lessons are available.

The prerequisite for each level is the successful demonstration of skills from the preceding level, except for Learn to Swim Level 1, which has no prerequisites. It’s common for children to repeat levels while they are learning skills.

Cancellation Policy: The Aquatics department must receive cancellation notice at least 24 hours in advance to receive a refund.

Monthly Prices: $86 members/$112 nonmembers for 8 classes (30 minutes each, meeting twice per week). Prices are prorated for shorter months or for classes meeting once per week. Swim Team Prep and Adult Lessons prices vary.

Monthly prices will increase to $96 members/$128 nonmembers effective October 1st, 2022. New pricing applies to all October lessons.

Nonmember Registrants: Nonmember parents and children are welcome to arrive 15 minutes prior to swim lesson start time to utilize locker rooms to change before lessons. We ask that families remain off the pool deck until 10 minutes prior to class start time.

November Swim Lesson Dates & Times

November 1 – 20: Registration opens 10/15.

No classes Thanksgiving Week November 21-27.

South Registration | East Registration | Eagle River Registration

Fairbanks South Registration | Wasilla Registration

Swim Lessons

Little Ones with a Parent

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Parent and Child Aquatics, Ages 6-36 months

Builds basic water safety skills for both parents and children, helping infants and young children ages 6 months to about 3 years become comfortable in the water so they are willing and ready to learn. Parents or caregivers are in the water with their child and are encouraged to take the class until their child feels comfortable.

This level introduces basic skills to parents and children, including safety topics.

Parents - How to enter/exit the water and hold a baby in the water
Blowing bubbles
Underwater exploration
Submersion
Front and back floats and glides
Rolling from front to back and back to front
Bobbing and drafting while breathing
Good beginning swim habits

Preschool Level 1 Preschool Aquatics 1 (Pre-K)

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

This level helps participants feel comfortable in the water and enjoy the water safely.

Blowing bubbles
Face submersion
Navigating the wading pool
Back and front floating and gliding basics
Open eyes underwater and retrieve submerged objects
Treading with arm and hand actions
Alternating and simultaneous arm and leg actions on front and back
Class etiquette and terminology
Pool Safety

Preschool Aquatics 2 (Pre-K)

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Gives participants success with fundamental skills, such as floating and basic locomotion, and improves participants’ coordination of simultaneous and alternating arm and leg actions.

Bobbing
Front and back floats and glides
Recover from a front and back float or glide to a vertical position
Tread water using arm and leg actions
Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
Finning arm action on back
Fully submerging and holding breath
Front, jellyfish and tuck floats
Back float and glide
Change direction of travel while swimming on front or back
Pool Safety

Preschool Aquatics 3 (Pre-K)

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Builds on the skills in Preschool Aquatics 2 through additional guided practice in deeper water.

Jumping and headfirst entry into the water
Bobbing while moving toward safety
Rotary breathing
Change from vertical to horizontal position on front and back
Tread water
Push off in a streamlined position then begin flutter kicks
Front crawl
Scissor kick
Water Safety

Learn to Swim 1: Introduction to Water Skills

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Helps participants feel comfortable in the water.

Blowing bubbles
Bobbing
Open eyes underwater and retrieve submerged objects
Gliding and floating
Recover to a vertical position from a glide or float
Roll from front to back and back to front
Tread water using arm and hand action
Alternating and simultaneous arm and leg actions on front and back
Combined arm and leg actions on front and back
Water Safety

Learn to Swim 2: Fundamental Aquatic Skills

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Gives participants success with fundamental skills.

Fully submerge and hold breath
Front, jellyfish and tuck floats
Recover from a front and back float or glide to a vertical position
Change the direction of travel while swimming on front or back
Tread water using arm and leg actions
Finning arm action on back
Water Safety

Learn to Swim 3: Stroke Development

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Builds on the skills in Level 2 through additional guided practice in deeper water.

Jumping and headfirst entry into the water
Bobbing while moving toward safety
Rotary breathing
Survival and back float
Change from vertical to horizontal position on front and back
Tread water
Push off in a streamlined position then begin flutter and dolphin kicks on front
Front crawl and elementary backstroke
Scissors kick
Water Safety

Learn to Swim 4: Stroke Improvement

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Develops confidence in the skills learned and improves other aquatic skills.

Headfirst entry from the side in compact and stride positions
Swim under water
Feet first surface dive
Survival swimming
Front crawl and backstroke open turns
Tread water using 2 different kicks
Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly
Push off in a streamlined position then begin flutter and dolphin kicks on back
Water safety

Learn to Swim 5: Stroke Refinement

Dates, time, and prices:

South | East | Eagle River | Wasilla | Fairbanks

Provides further coordination and refinement of strokes.

Shallow angle dive from the side then glide and begin a front stroke
Tuck and pike surface dives
Front flip turn and backstroke flip turn while swimming
Front and back crawl, elementary backstroke, breaststroke, sidestroke and butterfly
Standard scull
Water safety

Swim Team Prep, Ages 9-16

Dates, time, and prices: South | East | Wasilla

This level focuses on increasing swimming distances and the specifics of the four competitive swimming strokes.

Full one-hour workout
Stroke refinement
Increase endurance

Adult: Beginner/Intermediate, Ages 16+

Dates, time, and prices: East | Eagle River | Wasilla

This level builds on the basic movements of swimming with strong assistance from instructors.

Individual attention
Increasing Endurance
Stroke Refinement
One-hour long swim workouts

Starfish Academy Swim Lessons

About Starfish Academy

November Swim Lesson Dates & Times

Swim Lessons

Additional information:

Little Ones with a Parent

Get More Information