Examples of the ease and capabilities
students gained after they'd overcome
much of their fear.
The Introductory Half-day class is an opportunity to try our work and see how beautifully you learn in a setting designed for you. Breakthroughs in understanding and skill guaranteed. It's not a prerequisite for any class.
The Beginning class teaches the basic knowledge everyone must have to swim. It teaches control and comfort in the water. It's the prerequisite for our other classes.
The Next Step class is a continuation of the Beginning class. Its purpose is to bring you the rest of the way to total freedom in deep water. Everyone goes at his/her own pace. Read our book first, or during class.
Learn the Freestyle so you can lap swim. Flip turns, too. The Freestyle class may be taken by graduates of the Beginning class once they're fully comfortable in at least shallow water (for the shallow water classes).
Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly. 42 hour course, 11 days. The Beginning class is a pre-requisite. It's very helpful if you've already learned freestyle.
Ocean 101: Learn how to get into the ocean, be comfortable with breakers, float in salt water, jump waves and enjoy it!
Ocean 202: Review Ocean 101's confidence. Then take lessons in sea-kayaking, boogie boarding, body-surfing, and if the visibility is good, snorkeling. Same format as Ocean 101.
"I'm having a fantastic time in class. I have done things in the deep end of the pool that I only imagined. As long as I can remember, I have feared being thrown or pushed into water over my head. On Sunday, I actually voluntarily, of my own free will and with glee, jumped in. You have a truly transformative and fun program and I'm glad to have the opportunity to try it on."
—Francoise Spaulding-Keller, Berkeley, CA
Snorkeling may be taken by graduates of the Beginning class. It's a good predecessor to the Freestyle class. Minimum requirement: you can float and come out of a float on your front and back. The Snorkeling Next Step class advances you to sea kayaking, snorkeling with manta rays (Hawaii), night snorkeling, and if we're lucky, swimming with dolphins.
MSI's SCUBA is a PADI dive certification course that provides what no other diving class provides: control and calm in the ocean while diving. Get certified and graduate as the safest, most confident new diver you can be.
Open Swim is play and practice time available to anyone who has taken at least the Introductory Half-day class. Sundays, 4:30-5:45 p.m. in Berkeley, CA.
Buff up your freestyle now that you've been out on your own. Share what you've been learning and get answers to your current questions. In the pool, review balance, kick, breathing, efficiency, drills, and keeping workouts fun.
It takes a total of 4 months of "class" time to go from being terrified in water to becoming a masters swimmer. See the timetable.
Choose the Level of Achievement You Wish to Reach
If you wish to:
Simply take the edge off your fear so you can walk around or float in a pool, put your face in, and cool off on a hot day, then take our Introductory Half-day class. This is a typical level of comfort most people attain in this class.
Be at ease in shallow water so you can play with children or move back and forth for exercise and freedom in deep water is not an a priority, then take just our Beginning class.
Be free in deep water in a pool and have the freedom to move anywhere in the pool to get exercise or just have fun, then take our Beginning and Next Step classes.
Be able to swim laps for exercise using an efficient stroke, then take classes up through our Freestyle class or 3 Strokes class.
Become a Masters Swimmer, then take classes up through our Freestyle class and 3 Strokes class.
Be comfortable getting into the ocean to cool off and play, then take Ocean 101; to cool off and enjoy "sports" then take Ocean 101 and 202.
Be able to snorkel confidently on vacations, then take Snorkeling.
SCUBA dive on vacation, then take SCUBA.
Become an open water swimmer (triathlete or non-competitive open water swimmer), then take classes up through Freestyle and Ocean 202.
The order of classes is:
Beginning
Next Step OR Beginning Snorkeling, OR Ocean 101 OR possibly Freestyle
SCUBA OR Ocean 202 OR 3 Strokes
The Introductory Half-day class is not a pre-requisite: it's to give you a very good taste of what Miracle Swimming is about if you want a sample before committing to a full course.
