It’s important you feel comfortable and confident when making decisions that affect your child’s future.

This is why I want to share my story briefly with you. It’s so you know who I am and where I come from, and so you know I can help your child be confident around water – no matter how much they may be scared of it now.

My name is Dean Hawkins and I run Deano’s Nemos Swim School and we teach private swimming lessons. I help children of all ages and abilities to survive in the water through or specialised learn to swim programs individually tailored to every child. This approach creates a love for the water and a confidence that will rub off on all other aspects of their lives.

Swim Teaching is not something I fell into though. I have not always loved the water myself…

At a young age I was scared to go to swimming lessons and had a number of bad experiences with water. Once I remember walking near a river with my Dad and saw a puddle on the side of the path so I decided to jump in it to make a splash. Little did I know that this puddle was a massive hole. Instantly I disappeared below the water. Luckily my Dad saw it and reached in to drag me out by my collar… not a good experience.

Even when doing swimming lessons at school I resisted and did not like them. I was with a group of other children, some who were crying, and I spent a lot of time waiting for the instructor. I distinctly remember being left to struggle sometimes when she was distracted by other children, and feeling like I was going to drown.

So it may seem surprising that I ended up being an Autism Swim and Austswim qualified Instructor. I guess as I learnt to swim and become confident around water, the more I enjoyed it.

After teaching for a few years I noticed the normal swim school environment was not ideal. The children were in a place out of their comfort zone, in an unfamiliar and noisy environment, with other children who were also stressed out. While we were all in there doing our best as instructors, things could be done better by thinking about the child’s environment first.

So I asked myself, “How could we do this in a way that reduces the child’s stress, quickly teaches them to swim, and instils a lifelong love and confidence around water”?

And one day it happened… Deano’s Nemos Private Swim School was born – one on one private swimming lessons in an exclusive indoor heated pool or swimming lessons taught at your home.

By teaching in a quiet and familiar setting, we minimise the stress around water. Having one-on-one lessons has two other major benefits: firstly, stress is again minimised without other crying or misbehaving children around. Secondly, your child is not ignored and receives the instructor’s full attention.

Imagine how your child will feel…

• eagerly wanting to get into the water
• wanting to go to their friend’s pool party, rather than saying they are not interested in it
• Being confident in and around the water

Imagine how you will feel…

• knowing you have helped your child to be able to survive around water
• when you can leave them alone in the pool with confidence
• knowing you have set your child up with one of the best skills in life

So if this is something that resonates with you and you would like your child to experience it also, then contact us on 0478 001 225 or dean@homeswimminglessons.com.au.