Swim Academy
Pacific swim academy Milestones
Whether you’re a top level competitive swimmer looking to fine tune your technique, or a novice looking for a fun and challenging environment, the Pacific Swim Academy is the place for you. Swim purposefully and consciously surrounded by likeminded peers and supported by high-level coaching.
As part of its three-pillar approach, PSA has always believed in serving the larger community by developing Life Saving skills among all its members. As a framework for development we believe that almost ALL children, properly motivated, can learn to be:
Water safe
By Grade 3
Survive in the water
Private lessons at your pool
Developmental swim meets
Working toward entry to group lessons - Green Level
Water Strong
By Grade 5
Swim a mile
Junior lifeguard Club
Lifesaving sport
School Swim clubs
Green, Blue, Silver and Gold Training Groups
Water Smart
By Grade 7
Save a life
Learn to instruct
Become a junior life guard
Lifesaving skills and first aid
Prepare for High School Swimming Clubs
Consider Competitive Swim Clubs
Water Stars
Grade 8+
Advanced lifesaving skills and first aid.
Working toward National Lifesaving and Instructor certification
Training for national lifesaving and swimming competitions and events.
start on the path to swimming excellence.
The Academy coaching staff has decades of competitive and coaching experience at all levels from Olympic swimmers and record setters to the youngest of new swimmers.
Our senior coaches are either parent-coaches or experienced professional coaches with a love for aquatic sports and a joy for coaching. They choose to invest their time, knowledge and experiences into the next generation of swimmers and coaches.
Indoor Programs
training cohorts
As we return to the pools, we will practice in training cohorts that remain small and stable throughout the season. We are dividing the team up into two training cohorts we are calling the Senior and Junior Cohorts. The Senior cohort is further divided into sub-cohorts called Gold and Silver. The Junior Cohort is divided into Blue and Green sub-cohorts. Here are the cohort criteria:
Gold:
Ability to swim 600m continuously under 12:00 or 50 free under 40 seconds and familiarity with training skills/principles.
Silver:
Ability to swim all strokes, turns and dives correctly; swim 400m continuously under 12:00 or 50 free under 50 seconds
Blue:
Ability to follow instruction in a large group setting; swim 50m continuously and independently in either shallow or deep water.
Green:
Bubbles and Stars - the ability to perform a back float, place face in the water and blow bubbles in the water for 10 seconds.
Protocol
Swimmers will need to arrive with their bathing suits on, under their clothes.
NOTE: Parents are allowed on deck to watch. Parents are also encouraged to register as a Masters swimmer. Contact Phil for more details.
fees - general Structure*
We structure fees to encourage swimmers to register for more practices. The more they swim – the faster they learn. The total price is based on the number of weekly practices plus an annual insurance/registration fee ($100 for either pool or ocean programs and an extra $50 for both). The first practice hour works out to $30/week and every subsequent practice hour is $10/week more.
There are discounts for multiple children. Please contact us for more details.
*Fees for Special, Spring, Summer and Winter Clinics/Programs/Camps may be different.
LATE STARTS, MAKE-UPS and DROP-IN’S
SPACE PERMITTING (coach approval required in advance)
Late starts: We will pro-rate the session fees and term program fees but not the annual registration/insurance fee.
Make-ups: We allow make-up practices at other days and times within the same training cohort and term but not carried over into the next term. No charge.
Drop-in’s: Drop-in's are allowed but not encouraged since we cannot plan coaching/pool rentals if people did this regularly). Cost: $20/hr for swimmers already registered in the term; $40/hr for those not registered.
adding additional practice sessions or equipment to your order
please follow these instructions:
Find your confirmation email entitled ‘Registration confirmation for…’.
Scroll down to where the email provides you a link to your ‘Swim Portal’ and click on the link.
On the new page you will see ‘Add-on product’.
Click on that link and you'll be taken to the ‘Additional purchases’ page of your registration.
You can order what you want from that point on and you will only get charged for what you order.
Practice Schedules
Note: ALSO DEPICTED ON our CALENDAR
The SEPT-Nov term is 10 weeks long and practices are subdivided into technique, training and Lifesaving focussed sessions.
if they are able, swimmers are encouraged to attend as many as possibLE*
Green level swimmers are provided Saturday and Sunday morning options.
Silver/Blue level swimmers are encouraged to train once during the week and AT LEAST once on the weekend.
High Blue swimmers and above are encouraged to register for Lifesaving Sport Practices Saturday afternoons.
We are adding ocean training/instruction in surfski kayaking and prone paddle boarding this year. Try it out!
Gold level swimmers interested in improving their skills/speed should consider training 2-3 times during the week and 2-3 times on the weekend, especially on the buildup to High School Championships (Zones - late October and Provincials - 3rd week in November)
Swimmers from established clubs seeking technical feedback often augment their club practices with one/two PSA/PLC practices
This year is going to be a big year in that we want to prepare all our Gold level swimmers for multiple competitions (High School meets (2), PSA development meets (2), Training Camps (1-2) and Lifesaving Competition - June 2024).
*Lifesaving practices are not available for green group swimmers
kerrisdale pool
Mondays & Wednesdays:
6:15 - 7:30 pm - Blues and Silver (Grades 1-7)
7:15 - 8:30 pm - Silvers and Golds (High School)
Thursdays: 6:00 - 7:15 pm - Low Blue Special - swimmers recently transitioning from Green.
Saturdays: 7-8 am - Masters, Golds & High School
Saturdays: 7:45-9 am - Silvers, Blues and Greens*
Vancouver aquatic centre
Tuesdays and Thursday mornings: 7-8am - Gold training session.
Saturdays:
10:15 - 11:30 am - Silvers and high Blues (widths setup).
11:15 - 12:30 am - Blues
lord byng pool
Sundays:
7:15 - 8:30 am - Golds
8:15 - 9:15 am - Greens & Low Blues (45 water session)
8:45 - 10 am - High Blues & Silvers
Lifesaving sport FoCUS - WINTER program
Junior lifesaving sport team
Focus: - Local/inter-Provincial competitions
Saturdays: 1:45 - 3:30 pm - VAC pool - Blues and Silvers
Senior lifesaving sport team
focus: BC/national/international competitions
Saturdays: 3:15 - 5:00 pm - VAC - Gold’s only
SURF SKI KAYAKING AND PRONE PADDLE BOARDING (Mar-Oct)
Introductory clinics and training:
TUESDAYS AND THURSDAY TRAINING NIGHTS AT JERICHO SAILING CENTRE - OUR OCEAN HOME BASE (Various times based on sunset). (Sept to end of Oct)
SUNDAYS - 1-4PM (INTRODUCTORY CLINICS)
Lifesaving sport - Surf program (summer only)
PROGRAMS:
Introductory Lifesaving Sport Camps
Advanced Lifesaving Sport Training
Open Water Swim Training
Paddle Board Training
Surf-Ski Kayaking Training
Lifesaving Sport Includes: open water swimming, paddle boarding, sand racing, rescue races, competitive skills and strategies.
Calendar
Key
Locations
KER - Kerrisdale Rec Centre Pool
VAC - Vancouver Aquatic Centre
LB - Lord Byng Pool
SG - Saint George’s School Pool
COHORTS
G - Gold
S - Silver
B - Blue
Gr - Green
Other
LS - Lifesaving Sport Practice
Locations
KERRISDALE POOL
BRITANNIA POOL
St. George’s School
LORD BYNG POOL
VANCOUVER AQUATIC CENTRE
renfrew pool
Locarno Beach – AT THE END OF DISCOVERY ST.
See our Links page for more resources.
