Sink or Swim School – Making Swimming Fun For Everyone
Sink or Swim is Charleston’s premier swim school. We are a dedicated team of professional swimming instructors, passionate about teaching the important skills that can keep you and your children safe around water. With our drowning prevention and self-rescue swimming lessons, we help all ages gain confidence in a fun, engaging environment. We also offer stroke, dive lessons, and swim team prep.
Our certified swim instructors teach students breath control, face down swimming, roll back to float, and how to confidently repeat the swim-float-swim sequence to the edge of the pool. Each lesson builds confidence in an encouraging environment that lets each child progress at a pace they are comfortable with.
The perfect way to introduce your child to swimming
Enjoy the benefits of swimming for you and your child.
Your child will learn valuable skills that can save their lives and parents benefits as well
Plenty of eye contact that boosts baby bonding.
Your child will show increase confidence around water.
A fun and relaxing social experience with other parents.
We work with children with special needs!
From that first time in the water to our dedicated drowning prevention lessons, your child will build the skills and confidence to be safe around water while having fun.
Why choose Sink or Swim?
Developed by experts in baby and child swimming education, we create a fun environment that encourages learning, parent/child bonding and safety in everything we do. We are Charleston’s number one swim school, consistently valued by parents including in 2017, 2019 and 2021 being voted as the Lowcountry Parent Mom’s Choice winner of Best Swim School in Charleston.
From solo lessons to our group education, we provide whatever you need for your child to learn valuable swimming skills.
PAYMENT
When you first register with Sink or Swim, you will be required to pay a one-time registration fee, as well as the cost of the first week of lessons up front as a deposit. We recommend signing up for as many classes as you are able to at this point, since we fill up fast. After lessons start you will be emailed an invoice weekly. Invoices are emailed Thursday prior to your next week’s lessons, which must be paid for prior to lessons starting. If a package of lessons was purchased, full payment is required before the lessons begin.
SIBLING & MILITARY DISCOUNT
Students will receive a 10% discount on swim lessons for each ADDITIONAL enrollment after the first child is registered. We also offer a 15% Military Discount.
ROOKIE SWIM LESSONS- REGISTRATION FEES ALSO APPLIES (SEE BELOW)
$33
Per Lesson
Private lesson, approximately 15 minutes each. Intended for new students ages 8 months to 3 years. They will learn self rescue swimming skills which involves proper breath control, roll to a float and also swim-float-swim which is dependent on child and how quickly they catch on.
For best results we recommend signing up for 20-30 swim lessons at least 2-3x’s per week. We offer a package below with 20.
BIG ROOKIE- REGISTRATION FEE ALSO APPLIES (SEE BELOW)
$54
Per Lesson
Private Swim lessons, approximately 30 minutes each. Intended for ages 4 year to adult. These lessons include survival swimming (swim-float-swim) and stroke.
GROUP SWIM LESSONS- REGISTRATION FEE ALSO APPLIES (SEE BELOW)
$28
Per Lesson
Children ages 4 & older. Swim Lessons are approximately 30 minutes with ONLY 4 students per instructor.
Level 1 is for new students with little to no swimming skills. They will learn basic swimming (going under water, floating, and swimming to side of pool are some of the skills they learn)
Level 2 is for students that enjoy going under water and have some skills.
Level 3 is for students with swimming skills looking to define their strokes. The will also learn to dive off a 12ft diving board into the deep end.
20 private swim lessons at $30 each. Approximately 15 minutes each. Intended for new students ages 8 months to 3 years. They will learn self rescue swimming skills which involves proper breath control, roll to a float and also swim-float-swim which is dependent on the child and how quickly they catch on.
BIG ROOKIE- REGISTRATION FEE ALSO APPLIES (SEE BELOW)
$600
12 private swim lessons at $50 each. Approximately 30 minutes. Intended for ages 4 year to adult. These lessons include survival swimming (swim-float-swim) and stroke.
A $40.00 annual, non-refundable registration fee is due at sign-up. This one time fee paid every swimming year is in addition to lessons fees and covers all administrative changes required to a family’s account for 12 months. With enrollment you will receive one SinkorSwim t-shirt.
FAMILY REGISTRATION FEE $80
A $80.00 annual, non-refundable registration fee is due at sign-up. This one time fee paid every swimming year is in addition to lessons fees and covers all administrative changes required to a family’s account for 12 months. With enrollment you will receive a max of 3 SinkorSwim t-shirts per family.
See why so many families love taking their kids to sink or swim school!
Highly recommend this program for every child. You cannot put a price on life-saving techniques. Amazing instructors who are very skilled at what they do. Not enrolling your children is a disservice to their safety.
Danielle Findley
We started lessons in 2012 and over the years, all 4 of our children have become proficient swimmers. There were tears in the beginning which is common when learning a new skill at a young age. The instructors were all fabulous and our kids love the water and I have the peace of mind knowing that (under supervision of course) they are safe. We still return yearly for a handful of stroke refreshers. Highly recommend Sink or Swim!
Sean Brooks
What lovely people and the children really trust the instructors! Nice and clean for open swim too!
Elizabeth Connell
These are SURVIVAL swim lessons which aren’t particularly natural for a 20 month old yet, but Clint is so very good with Caroline! They take hug breaks, give high fives and she always says yes when he asks if she wants to try again! She is in the process of perfecting her technique but we have a floater!!! I can tell you as a DD, there is no better feeling than that!
I trust the process but more importantly, I trust Clint. These aren’t swim lessons, they’re drowning prevention, life saving techniques and I’m so thankful we found Sink or Swim!!!
Dena Davis Bailey
We absolutely love it! Our Daughter Loves Mrs Trish and has learned so much in a short time. I truly trust Her in the water with our little one. She’s very calm and makes sure they know how proud she is of them! Our daughter is 3 and will be ready to rock the pool come summer! Trish and Clint are such amazing instructors , I cannot say enough about them!
Holly Culp
We LOVE Sink or Swim! It is truly worth every penny. Ms. Trish was amazing to work with- she has a wonderful balance of focusing on safety and learning, but also makes it super fun. My son, JR, loved going to each and every lesson!