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118 North Lincoln Avenue, Hastings, NE 68901Monday and Wednesday: 4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m. · Tuesday and Thursday: 12:10 p.m. to 12:50 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. · Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. · Friday and Sunday: ClosedMonday and Wednesday: 4:00 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.(402) 555-0115
Raft Swim Lessons
Book a placement visit
Book a placement visit
CallBook a placement visit

Five levels

Find your swimmer's cap color

Each level has a cap color, an age range and a short list of what swimmers practice. A placement visit tells us where to start, and the instructor decides when a swimmer moves up.

  1. 01

    Water comfort

    Yellow cap, ages 4 to 6
    Skills

    • Walking in by the steps

    • Blowing bubbles at the surface

    • Wetting the face when ready

    • Holding the wall and the instructor's hands

    Moving up

    When the steps, the bubbles and holding the wall feel easy, the instructor suggests Floating and kicking.

  2. 02

    Floating and kicking

    Orange cap, ages 5 to 7
    Skills

    • Floating on the front and back with support

    • Kicking with a kickboard

    • Putting the face in and blowing out

    • Reaching for the wall

    Moving up

    When floating with support and kicking with a board are steady, the instructor suggests Strokes.

  3. 03

    Strokes

    Green cap, ages 6 to 9
    Skills

    • Freestyle arms with a turn of the head to breathe

    • Back crawl arms

    • Kicking on the front and back

    • Swimming across the width of the pool

    Moving up

    When freestyle and back crawl reach across the width of the pool, the instructor suggests Stroke combinations.

  4. 04

    Stroke combinations

    Blue cap, ages 8 to 12
    Skills

    • Freestyle and back crawl linked together

    • Breaststroke kick

    • Swimming a length of the pool

    • Treading water near the wall

    Moving up

    There is no level after this one; the instructor sets new goals with each swimmer every session.

  5. 05

    Adult beginners

    Purple cap, ages 18 and up
    Skills

    • Getting in and out of the water comfortably

    • Floating with support

    • Kicking and breathing out

    • Moving along the wall

    Moving up

    When floating and kicking feel steady, the instructor builds the next class around the strokes.

Where to startBook a placement visit

Sample levels.

Every swimmer moves at their own pace.

In the water

What a class looks like

Every class follows the same plan: a short talk on the step, time with the instructor for the skills of the level, and a few minutes of play at the end. An instructor is in the water or on the step beside every swimmer.

  • A short talk on the step

  • Skills for the level, with the instructor close

  • A few minutes of play to finish

Swimmers and instructors in a bright indoor teaching pool, seen from across the water

Moving up

How a swimmer moves up a level

There is no test and no calendar. The instructor watches each class and tells you when the next level fits.

  • The instructor decides

    When the skills of a level feel steady, the instructor suggests the next one and finds you a class on the schedule.

  • Ages are a guide

    A seven-year-old who is new to the water starts in Water comfort, and an older swimmer can start at the level where they fit.

  • The pool can change

    Moving up sometimes means a different pool, because each level meets at certain pools. We help you pick the day.

Not sure of the level?

A placement visit tells us where to start.

Book a placement visitSee the schedule