North Shore Swimming Lessons & Swim Squads Guide

Is it time for your child to learn to swim, master the basic strokes or become a stronger lap swimmer? Confidence in the water is a vital life skill for all Australian kids. Whether you want your child to be confident in the water or to win the swimming carnival, our North Shore Swimming Lessons & Squads Guide features many local swim schools around Sydney’s North Shore.

Swimming is an invaluable life skill that offers numerous benefits, from building self-confidence to promoting water safety. The most challenging part is selecting the right swim school for your child. Our North Shore Swimming Lessons & Swim Squad Guide showcases some of the best local swim schools.

Look at the Quicklinks below to see the options for swimming lessons and swim squad programs on the North Shore. Grab those goggles and dive in!

• Aqua Culture Swim (Brookvale & Macquarie Park)
• Aquabliss (Pymble)
• Barker Swimming (Hornsby)
• Carlile Swimming (Castle Cove, Cromer, Freshwater, Killarney Heights, Lane Cove West and Ryde)
• Loreto Normanhurst (Normanhurst)
• Swimtastic (Hornsby)
• Turramurra Learn to Swim (Turramurra)
• United Swimming (Wahroonga, Epping & Top Ryde)

Aquabliss Pymble

North Shores Mums Offer: Free trial lesson, make-up lessons available and generous multi-child and multi-lesson discounts.

Aquabliss Pymble is conveniently located on the grounds of Sacred Heart Primary School.

They offer lessons 7 days a week, starting from 6 months of age right through to Adults, including before-school squad training.

Their friendly teachers are fully qualified and deliver an exceptional ability-based swim lesson program with care to ensure children feel safe and confident in the water.

Aquabliss Pymble also offers a popular School Holiday Intensive Program each school holiday, where your child swims daily for one week. Anyone is welcome to enrol!

The purpose-built 18m indoor pool is heated to 32 degrees year-round. The pool has a consistent depth, with swim platforms in place to ensure lessons are stress-free and comfortable for all.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction course
• Squad Program
• Aqua Aerobics

Facilities: Female, male and disabled bathrooms onsite with changerooms and hot showers right by the pool

• Locations: 1 Bobbin Head Road, Pymble
• Suitable for:  6 months+
• Fees: Babies: $24 per lesson | Learn to Swim: $26 per lesson | Stroke development/squads: $24.50 per lesson
• Website: aquabliss.com.au
• Active Kids and Creative Kids Vouchers accepted

Aqua Culture Swim, Brookvale & Macquarie Park

Aqua Culture Swim’s vision is to deliver specialised coaching and teaching tailored to the individual’s needs. At Aqua Culture Swim, they have revolutionised a purposeful teaching philosophy founded on three key elements: Water Safety, Kinesthetic awareness, and Body position.

Learning appropriate water safety, survival, and swimming skills drastically enhances a child’s safety around water, especially in their formative years. Through effective teaching strategies, consistency in swimming lessons and the appropriate use of teaching aids, the learning process can be rapidly accelerated.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction course
• Squad Program
• Ocean swimming

Facilities: At Brookvale, they have two purpose-built pools – a 5-lane, 25m pool and a specialised Learn to Swim pool heated to 33 degrees. At Macquarie Park, they will have a 5-lane, 25m pool heated to 33 degrees. All their pools have ramp entry to make it easy for parents and kids. 

• Locations: 127b Old Pittwater Road, Brookvale | Macquarie Park pool under construction to open mid 2026
• Suitable for: 6 months+
• Fees: Learn to Swim Lessons start at $25.50
• Website: Aqua Culture Swim
• Active Kids and First Lap Vouchers accepted

Carlile (Castle Cove, Cromer, Freshwater, Killarney Heights, Lane Cove West and Ryde) 

North Shore Mums Offer: 1st lesson free 

If you’re looking for a fun, safe, and caring environment for swimming lessons where your child can learn to swim well and develop a love for the water, welcome to Carlile Swim. Teaching swimming for more than 75 years, Carlile pioneered baby swimming in Australia and opened Sydney’s first indoor learn-to-swim school.

Their indoor heated pools are purpose-built with world-class air handling, water treatment, variable depths, and safety ledges to help children feel safe and confident as they learn. Carlile offers swimming lessons and coaching for babies right through to Olympians. Indeed, they produced yet another Olympic gold medalist in 2024. Olivia Wunsch started at Carlile as a three-year-old, progressing through learn-to-swim and onto Carlile’s squad and competitive program.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction
• Squads

Facilities: Family and baby change rooms, as well as male and female bathrooms on site

• Locations: 14 Tralee Ave, Killarney Heights | 2b Holly Street, Castle Cove | Harbord Diggers 88 Evans Street, Freshwater | 4-8 Inman Road, Cromer, 4 Sirius Road Lane Cove West | 16 Cross Street, Ryde
• Suitable for: 4 months+
• Fees: Single Lesson – $30.75 | Monthly Fee – $133.25 (Babies)
• $32.25 | Monthly Fee – $139.75 (Penguin to Orca)
• Website: carlile.com.au
• Creative & Active Kids and First Lap Vouchers accepted

Turramurra Learn to Swim (Turramurra)

Turramurra Learn to Swim has been running a Learn-to-Swim program for babies, preschoolers, school-aged children, and adults since 1981. Each class is half an hour in duration, with only one lesson running in the pool at a time. The small children feel secure, and the older children can develop their strokes and techniques with a teacher in the water who provides encouragement and correction.

Their swimming lessons provide your child with lifelong skills and water safety techniques, giving you and your child confidence around the water. Their pool water is crystal clear, and their reception area is air-conditioned for your comfort. Weekly swimming lessons are offered during school terms, as well as Holiday Intensive Swimming Programs, throughout the year.

The enclosed, specially designed teaching pool is heated to a minimum of 32.5 °C throughout the year. This provides an ideal environment and pool space for teaching swimming. Warm water is vital for parent and baby classes, as it relaxes children who may not be confident.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction course

Facilities: The facility features changing rooms and bathrooms with baby change tables, allowing parents to safely manage their babies before and after lessons.

• Location: 48 Tennyson Ave, Turramurra
• Suitable for: From 6+ months
• Website: turramurralearntoswim.com.au
• Creative/Active Kids vouchers accepted

United Swimming (Wahroonga, Epping, Top Ryde)

United Swimming offers swimming and aquatic training programs for individuals of all ages and skill levels. They take pride in the relationships they’ve built with their families, and their loyalty is one reason why many new families join them.

At United Swimming, all its pools are indoor and heated year-round. Its Wahroonga Centre consists of a larger competition pool (25m or 50m in length) for more advanced swimmers (squads) and a 32-degree heated learn-to-swim pool with custom depths and ledges specifically for the United Swimming programs.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction course
• Squad Program

Facilities: The pool features a world-class ultra-fine filtration system, chlorine for bacterial control, and an ultraviolet disinfection system. There are baby change areas, showers, and change rooms. Devoted parking is available at the pool, and comfortable seating is available for parents and carers to watch lessons.

• Location: Wahroonga, Epping & Top Ryde
• Suitable for: 3-14 years
• Fees: All their learn-to-swim classes are 45 minutes and cost $34.00 per lesson. Family and multi-lesson discounts are available.
• Website: unitedswimming.com
• Active Kids Vouchers are accepted

Loreto Normanhurst

Loreto offers a year-round, six-day squad program for male and female swimmers from the local community. The squad program provides options for swimmers at all levels and aims to support the development of each swimmer.

Their purpose-built swim development facility, located on the beautiful grounds of Loreto Normanhurst, consists of a 25m heated, indoor eight-lane swimming pool.

Lessons Offered

• Development Stream: Their stroke development squads take swimmers from ‘Learn to Swim’ and guide them to becoming confident squad members.
• Competitive Stream: For those competing or aiming to compete, their competitive stream squads prepare swimmers for school swimming through to national-level events.
• Fitness Stream: Fitness Squads are the ideal choice for individuals seeking to maintain their fitness without competing.

Facilities: Change rooms with showers, an on-site fitness centre, and an oval for land training sessions incorporating strength and conditioning.

• Location: Loreto Normanhurst Aquatic Centre
• Suitable for: Squad
• Website: loretonh.nsw.edu.au

Barker Swimming (Hornsby)

The Barker Aquatics Centre is located on the beautiful campus of Barker College.

At Swim@Barker, they develop confident, healthy, and independent swimmers who can build on a solid foundation to reach their full potential in and out of the pool.

They offer a fully integrated, all-year-round swimming coaching and training program. All levels are skill and technique-focused, and are conducted by Nationally Accredited Teachers and Coaches.

• Indoor, heated, 17m learn to swim program pool (31°C).
• Indoor, heated eight-lane 25m pool (27°C).
• Outdoor, heated eight-lane 50m pool (27°C) at Hornsby Aquatic Centre.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming lessons for babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private swimming lessons
• Stroke correction course
• Squad Program

Facilities: Change and toilet facilities are available within the Centre.

• Location: Barker College, entrance to Barker Aquatic Centre via College Crescent, Hornsby
• Suitable for: From 6 months – adults
• Fees: Learn-to-Swim lessons start at $22/lesson. See the website for fees.
• Website: barker.college
• Active Kids Vouchers accepted

Swimtastic (Hornsby)

North Shore Mums offer: Book a free trial today!

Swimtastic is a boutique, family-owned swim school in Hornsby offering premium lessons for babies, children, and adults. Their supportive programs focus on water confidence, survival skills, and strong stroke techniques.

With qualified instructors and small classes, every swimmer gets the attention they deserve. Families also enjoy exclusive discounts on entry to the nearby Funtastic Kids Indoor Play Centre and offers on party bookings.

Their purpose-built indoor pool is heated to a comfortable 32° year-round, perfect for babies through to adults. Designed specifically for learn-to-swim lessons, it provides a safe and supportive environment without the distractions of recreational pools. A state-of-the-art Brauer water filtration system, using ozone and UV-C technology, ensures crystal-clear water with minimal chlorine.

Lessons Offered

• Swimming Lessons for Babies
• Learn to Swim – Children
• Learn to Swim – Adults
• Private Swimming Lessons

Facilities: Spacious change rooms with pram access, male, female, and accessible toilets, rinse-off showers, and nappy change tables are conveniently located near the pool. Families can also enjoy the small kids’ play area and vending machine.

• Location: 2/9 Salisbury Road, Hornsby (behind Pizza Hut)
• Exclusive Offers 
  • Free Trial Lesson – New families can book a complimentary trial class (valid until 30 November 2025), $10 after that date.
  • Play Centre Discount – Swimtastic families enjoy exclusive discounts on entry to Funtastic Kids Indoor Play Centre, located 2 blocks down the road.
  • Party Booking Offers – Receive special discounts on birthday party packages at Funtastic Kids.
• Suitable for: 4 months and above
• Fees: From $25 per lesson
• Website: swimtastic.com.au
• Active Kids and First Lap Vouchers are accepted

Plus, there are plenty more local swimming lessons & squad programs!

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