Local Guides World
Reviews — 8
I take my children here regularly for lessons and group swims
My 18th month old does lessons here and he loves it so much. The teachers are lovely and the classes are inclusive and fun. Highly recommend!
Excellent school focused on perfecting technique with the opportunity to swim in their Friday Night Races for practice with distance. My kids have been in since 6 months old and are now placing with confidence in their school swim carnivals. Cannot recommend this school and their staff enough.
I have 7 months old and 3,5 years old, both love swimming lessons and have been enjoying them since they were 4 months old. Swimming lessons are amazing for babies, not only for physical health but also for mental development. Teachers are true professionals, very patient and bubbly. Bella loves lessons with Giovanni:) and Judy is the legend, I couldn’t imagine babies lessons without her:)
We’ve had our kids coming to Billabong for years. A great family atmosphere where everyone is welcome and swimming safety is always at the forefront of the classes.
Judit is great and the swimming class they have for babies and toddler is brilliant. It helps the kids building confidence while playing and having fun.
I visited Billabong for a week long trip to observe the lessons. As my family friends, John and Judy invited me as soon as they found out I started my own private swim teaching business in Sydney. I didn't hesitate to come because they taught me how to swim and turned me into a school swimming champion at 8 years old. I only attended one lesson a week plus Friday night races.
Their operation is fantastic all the way from babies (especially babies) to mini-squads. They have a great teaching program but more importantly phenomenal teachers. They have managed to assemble a loyal staff base, most of whom have worked at Billabong for multiple years. Which is unbelievable considering the high staff turnover rates in the industry. They are knowledgeable, take pride in teaching and have a nurturing approach.
The most inexperienced baby teacher at Billabong has taught for 5 years and is a mother herself. I observed baby classes and some two year olds were already paddling for meters independently, which is vital when you consider most drownings among minors occur to children under 4. They have initiatives such as "swimmer of the month" where the receptionist comes to class with a cowbell and a certificate to publicly recognise students who are improving in either ability or confidence. They also have a public board to recognise children who have achieved ribbons at their school carnival.
The owners are passionate about teaching and also have integrity. They keep the pools well heated above 30 degrees and if a class is spoilt because the heater is broken, they offer a credit for that class. Over the winter they offer a second lesson in the same week for $9. I asked the owner John why he would offer that price because it's hardly profitable and he said 'outside of lessons, kids don't swim during the winter'. He wants to see progression and improvement in swimming during the winter, which sets up the swimmers to have safer summers.
I was really happy I came to Billabong. As someone who has taught swimming for 5 years, even I developed a couple of new insights which will help me grow my business in Sydney.
Their operation is fantastic all the way from babies (especially babies) to mini-squads. They have a great teaching program but more importantly phenomenal teachers. They have managed to assemble a loyal staff base, most of whom have worked at Billabong for multiple years. Which is unbelievable considering the high staff turnover rates in the industry. They are knowledgeable, take pride in teaching and have a nurturing approach.
The most inexperienced baby teacher at Billabong has taught for 5 years and is a mother herself. I observed baby classes and some two year olds were already paddling for meters independently, which is vital when you consider most drownings among minors occur to children under 4. They have initiatives such as "swimmer of the month" where the receptionist comes to class with a cowbell and a certificate to publicly recognise students who are improving in either ability or confidence. They also have a public board to recognise children who have achieved ribbons at their school carnival.
The owners are passionate about teaching and also have integrity. They keep the pools well heated above 30 degrees and if a class is spoilt because the heater is broken, they offer a credit for that class. Over the winter they offer a second lesson in the same week for $9. I asked the owner John why he would offer that price because it's hardly profitable and he said 'outside of lessons, kids don't swim during the winter'. He wants to see progression and improvement in swimming during the winter, which sets up the swimmers to have safer summers.
I was really happy I came to Billabong. As someone who has taught swimming for 5 years, even I developed a couple of new insights which will help me grow my business in Sydney.
Great place for the kids to learn to swim. Our 2 have gone from nothing to being able to swim in a short amount of time. The teachers are great and know how to get the best out of the children to make hem succeed.