Water Safety First

11/11/2025

Mark your calendars! Registration opens on November 20 at 9pm for lessons taking place between January 1st to March 13, 2026! Ask Santa to buy you something useful this year!

Coach Elianna will be continuing on throughout the New Year! She will be offering Wednesdays and Fridays between 3:30-7:45pm!

Coach Jessica will be offering lessons Tuesday to Friday between 9-1:40pm.

We instruct the Lifesaving Society’s Learn to Swim Program, and offer progress reports (report cards), and stickers and badges, just like the local City Pools. Water Safety First is a registered and licensed affiliate of the Lifesaving Society.

Any age and ability level is welcome to register, although it’s preferable to start lessons at 6 months of age. It’s never too late to learn this important life skill!
Facts:
✅71 % of the Earth’s surface is covered in water
✅Canada has the most lakes than any other country in the world
✅Children under 5 AND men aged 18-49 are at the highest risk of drowning
✅67% of drownings in BC and the Yukon occur between May through September
✅78% of people who drown in BC and the Yukon are male
✅55% of drownings in BC and the Yukon occur while using a powerboat

Learn to swim with the best of the best!

11/07/2025

Proud moment for this family yesterday. They travel a long distance to come for swim lessons. She has a very hard time every lesson. She has Autism and is mostly non verbal. Her tears, screams and genuine look of fear is undoubtedly real. She tries to grasp to my neck and hold on for dear life every lesson, but yesterday we finally pushed through her fear and she found peace in this position. She even smiled and nearly fell asleep. Dad was also in the water helping, and took these pictures and videos to show her and her Mom later.

We tried singing different songs, using a mirror overhead so she could see herself, removing the swim cap, holding on to various size toys- some offering buoyancy and some not. We stopped and took breaks and gave BIG hugs. All of my tactics came out but nothing seemed to work, until magically she surrendered to calm. We stayed here for about 5 minutes. She stopped crying, she experimented with breathing deeply, and she let it all go. I was nearly in tears myself watching this happen. It truly is special.

It’s mentally exhausting to argue with your child about partaking in an activity they don’t naturally enjoy- I get it! However, I believe it’s worth the battle when it comes to being water competent, and knowing how to float to save your life.

Keep on going. Every lesson counts. You never know when that light switch is going to turn on. You can do it. Your future self will thank you.

10/28/2025

Post cold water exposure water safety chat! I’m out of breath from trying to swim 25metres in very cold water! Madelyn was most bothered by how cold her feet got, but we warmed up quickly, thanks to the supports in place from the team working with us!

As we drove to the lake this morning, we passed over the Veddar River, where many people were fishing. Yesterday, a 41 year old man from Langley, drowned in the river. He was thought to be fishing, based on his attire. Please remember to wear a lifejacket, even if fishing from the edge of the river. The recent heavy rainfalls have impacted the water levels in the lakes and rivers. Water speed, levels, and temperature can change incredibly fast. The conditions you experience today may not be the same tomorrow.

10/28/2025

Today my oldest daughter and I got to work with the Canuck Autism Network and the Lifesaving Society to create video content for a special project they are working on. This project is funded by the Government of 🇨🇦 and will help neurodivergent individuals learn to complete the Swim to Survive challenge- roll into deep water, tread water for 1 minute, and swim 50 metres. This is what the Lifesaving Society has deemed as the minimum swimming skills needed to increase your chance of survival in a water related incident.

We filmed at Cultus Lake, in Chilliwack, B.C.
The water temperature was 55 degrees Fahrenheit. There was snow on the mountains from last night, and it was COLD! We wore full body wetsuits under our clothes, but it was still chilly! There was an abundance of Canadian geese and a shocking amount of salmon in the lake! Apparently they are only there for a week or so out of the year?! (Info from the camera crew). It was a day to remember, and a reminder for Madelyn and I that it takes minutes to become stiff in cold water!

Thanks to and for inviting us to work on this special project with you! We can’t wait to see the final edits!

10/13/2025

10/12/2025

Why did the mermaid swim across the ocean?
To get to the other tide. 😎😂

Have you considered booking a session just for play? Water-based play benefits children through improved motor skills, cognitive development, sensory stimulation, and social and emotional growth. It enhances both fine motor skills (pouring, squeezing) and gross motor skills (splashing, jumping, running). The sensory-rich nature of water is both calming and invigorating, encouraging creativity, problem-solving, and emotional regulation.

Sometimes when you remove the pressures of passing a level, or achieving a specific goal, it can ease the mind. This can allow the body to move more freely, allowing a person to organically explore their relationship with water. I am happy to explore what these sessions may look like for you and your family!

10/06/2025

Pop up lessons THIS SATURDAY October 11 from 9-1pm with Coach Elianna! She teaches 30 min lessons. All ages and abilities are welcome. One lesson is better than none. Taking a private lesson can greatly improve a person’s ability to achieve a specific skill that they are working on. We are registered affiliates of the and are able to pass people through the Learn to Swim Program, meaning we issue the Lifesaving Society report cards and badges. Last week we had a student who had taken Swimmer 6 FIVE times and only needed one item checked off. In 35 minutes we were able to accomplish that skill, pass her through the level, and hand her the Swimmer 6 badge!
Time is money and money is time. We can guarantee your money is well invested while learning with us!

09/26/2025

Giveaway time! Guess the total number of chocolates in the jar and win one 35-minute swimming lesson for up to 2 swimmers with Coach Jessica, at Water Safety First. Valued at $77 before taxes.
One guess per person (yes the kids all get a chance to guess too!). Feel free to share and qualify for a second guess! 😎
The winner will be announced on Wednesday October 1st at 9pm. Place your guesses all the way up until then.

09/22/2025

Registration for November 15 until end of the year will open this Thursday at 9pm! Currently sessions are open from now until November 14.

I’m happy to report that Coach Elianna is enjoying the school/work life balance, so she will be continuing to work on Mondays, from 9-1:15pm, for the month of October! Yay! 😁 She will be taking this on a month to month basis. Click the link to book! https://watersafety.janeapp.com

We will be transitioning to our Fall/Winter set up over the next couple of weekends, which will include our inflatable hot tub, our natural gas patio heater, and the custom plastic walls to surround the pool AND the waiting area. This cuts down on the draft and keeps a little warmth in. Please still dress for the weather.

Lessons run rain, shine, or snow and are only cancelled if the Surrey School district cancels school due to weather, or if there’s a thunder and lightning storm. The pool temperature is increased from 92 to 95 on the cooler days, and I promise you, that no swimmer will ever be cold while learning to swim. 🤗

09/10/2025

7 year old me, cleaning my Aunty Carol and Uncle Mikes outdoor pool in Summerland, BC. This was one of my favourite places to visit when I was a kid. They lived on over 40 acres of farmland, with horses, buffalo, cats, dogs, and chickens. My favourite part about visiting was getting to swim in the pool. Despite it being freezing most of the time, I would jump in and spend hours in the pool. Every morning I would wake up and check the skimmer baskets for frogs or whatever else landed in the pool (once we found a bat still alive! Another time we found a dead rat).

I’ve always loved the water, and I owe that to my parents and family for giving me the exposure to water from a young age. Thanks Mom and Dad, and Aunty Carol and Uncle Mike!

I know not everyone shares the same excitement about the idea of swimming, but I promise, with exposure, it will get easier, and you’ll be on your way to a healthier and safer person!