Winter Swimming

During the winter many of families decide to have a break.

The idea of swimming is always great during summer, however the cooler months – even with pools heated to 27 and 32 degrees and an ambient temperature of 26, many New Zealanders think it’s too cold to swim – but ironically it’s ok to play rugby, netball, or soccer in the frost!

We’re an island nation –  we love surfing, waterskiing, boating, playing at the beach and in rivers, fishing, snorkeling, etc. To be safe taking part in all of these activities we need to be able to swim!

So what are some of the benefits of swimming all year round?

Boost Immunity

While some parents might think children who take swimming classes in winter are more like to get sick, the opposite is actually the case. One of the benefits of swimming lessons in winter is that regular exercise will help strengthen the immune system and keep children fitter and healthier.

It’s a myth that you’ll get a cold from a wet head. Colds are contracted via a virus, so although your head might feel a bit cold after a swim, you won’t actually get a cold from it. The easy fix is to keep warm and wear a beanie when heading home.

Maintain and build on current skills and get Summer ready!

One of the benefits of swimming lessons in winter is that your children will be able to practice consistently throughout the year and once summer arrives they’ll be ready to use these skills and will be able to enjoy water activities so much more.

If children take a break during winter they usually have to re-learn many of the skills they worked so hard to learn previously. It’s always a shame for you as a parent to be paying for lessons simply for a child to ‘catch up’ to where they were – we want to teach them new skills!

Increase fitness for other sports

There’s nothing quite like swimming for building a solid aerobic base. You’ll be surprised how fit your child actually is for other sports such as rugby, netball, soccer, hockey once they are a regular swimmer – they’ll be able to run around the field much longer than their teammates!

So, come on! What’s stopping you? It can be a blizzard outside – but it doesn’t matter to us – it’s tropical here at our pool!