faq
You can find our 2025 calendar information here. You may also visit the live calendar on our homepage to learn more about upcoming special events, promotions, and more.
The best time is now! You’re never too young or too old to learn how to swim. We teach students from birth through adulthood the life-saving skills they need to thrive in the water. Our mission is to grow a community full of safer swimmers and reduce the risks while increasing confidence in and around water.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for kids ages 1-4 and the second leading cause for those aged 5-14. Hillsborough County leads the state in drowning deaths in children under 4. We believe drowning is preventable. Formal, continuous swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%. Swim lessons save lives!
We base our level placement on swimming ability and age. If your child is:
• Under 6 months old, our Water Babies lessons are right for them.
• Under 18 months old, we recommend our Parent Tot lessons.
• Over the age of 18 months and a beginner swimmer, they would start in Level 1.
• 7 years or older and a beginner swimmer, the 7&Up Group classes are for them.
If your child has had prior formal swimming lessons or other swimming experience without a flotation device, please contact our customer service team to determine the right level for your child.
Yes!
Our upper-level classes (Levels 6-9) are designed to work progressively on mastery of Freestyle, Backstroke, Breaststroke, and Butterfly, as well as proper competitive turns. Once all four competitive strokes are learned, we offer a non-competitive stroke development class called Swim Team Prep to get students ready to try out for swim team or keep students conditioned through the off-season.
Please call to speak to a Customer Service Representative about which level would be best for your child based on their previous swim experience. Classes for levels 7-9 and Swim Team Prep are not offered at our South Tampa location.
Absolutely!
We teach children and adults with both physical and mental disabilities the swimming, safety and survival skills they need to develop a love of the water. We get to know each student’s unique learning style to determine if group or private classes are the best fit. We know encouraging and challenging our students appropriately is key to their success, so we work with each student (and parents or guardians if applicable) to set attainable goals and achieve extraordinary results.
Please reach out to one of our highly trained Customer Service Representatives at 813.229.7946 for more information and for a link to our Students with Disabilities application. We look forward to providing extraordinary results for your family!
We do! It’s never too late to learn the swimming, safety, and survival skills necessary to develop a love of the water.
To best serve the needs of our adult swimmers, we conduct classes one day each week. This allows adults to swim in our pools without the distractions of younger swimmers. We tailor the class to your needs and goals, whether that is working on basic swimming skills, balance, buoyancy, breath control, or more advanced techniques.
• Water Babies – 10:1 ratio with a caregiver in the pool
• Parent Tot 1 & 2 – 6:1 ratio with a caregiver in the pool
• Learn to Swim (Levels 1-6) – 4:1 ratio
• Upper Levels (Levels 7-9) – 6:1 ratio
• Swim Team Prep – 10:1 ratio
• Adult Classes – 6:1 ratio
• Private Classes – 1:1 ratio
We consider students fully potty trained once they are consistently accident-free, day and night, for 6 months. If your student is not fully potty trained, we require him/her to wear one of the reusable, Happy Nappy Duo swim diapers by SplashAbout.
These can be purchased at any Watermelon Swim location. No disposable diapers or alternate brands are permitted. We have tested multiple brands and found the SplashAbout Happy Nappy diapers have superior results and help keep our pools clean and swimmers and instructors healthy.
Our instructors are highly trained and child-approved! They are certified in CPR, First Aid/AED, Water Safety Instruction, and Lifeguarding. Our Parent Tot instructors and instructors for our Students with Disabilities program have completed additional specialized Watermelon Swim training courses. All instructors have continuous access to additional training resources from the United States Swim School Association.
All Watermelon Swim team members undergo a 3-step interview process and background checks. Instructors complete more than 100 hours of in and out-of-water training prior to teaching on their own and are required to attend continuous education training courses each year.
Each student develops swimming skills at their own pace. Progress depends both on what your personal goals are for your student (what swimming means to you) and what comfort level the student starts out with. Different levels of mastery require different timelines and we don’t all start in the same place. Just as each child physically develops at different rates, they also learn to swim at their own pace. It takes time, consistency and repetition. At Watermelon Swim, we teach swimming, safety, and survival simultaneously, starting with the most basic skills and building on each skill progressively to work toward mastery.
Yes! We offer makeup tokens for missed classes if you are actively enrolled in a tuition-paying class. Absences must be reported before the class begins by emailing your location’s front desk to notify us of your absence. Tokens are issued within 48 hours after the missed class and cannot be scheduled until after the class is missed. Once a makeup class is scheduled, it cannot be rescheduled, made up if missed, or replaced with a new token. Makeup tokens expire 30 days from the date they are issued. There is a maximum of 12 make-up tokens per 12-month period, per enrollment.
Private lessons are available with one-on-one instruction from our highly trained instructors for ages 6 months through adulthood. If you would like your child to swim under 18 months of age, but do not have a caregiver available to get in the water, private lessons are a great option. Private lessons are also a great option for children who have prior water trauma or are uncomfortable in group situations. Please contact our customer service team to determine the best option for your child.
We offer Private Lessons starting at 6 months old. Private lessons are one on one with the baby and the instructor and do not require a parent/caregiver in the water. These lessons teach the same swimming, safety, and survival skills taught in the Parent Tot classes. Children are able to enter our Level 1 group classes starting at 18 months old.
Our classes are billed monthly per the pricing chart located on our Swim Classes Page. We offer discounts for swimming multiple times a week and for multiple swimmers per family! For our beginning swimmers, we always recommend starting with 2 classes per week—continuity and repetition are key to learning, especially for new swimmers! Tuition is processed monthly to your card on file, and auto-debit runs on the 15th of each month for the following month. We are not session-based; when you enroll it is a continuous monthly enrollment, and you are enrolled until you tell us that you want to stop. Read more on our Swim Classes Page.
We have lessons to accommodate almost any schedule!
Our 4 established locations, Lutz, South Tampa, Wesley Chapel, and Riverview are open for lessons:
• Monday and Thursday mornings from 8:30 am-1pm,
• Monday through Thursday evenings from 3pm-8pm,
• Saturdays from 7:15am-2pm, and Sundays from 7:30am-2pm.
Our new Brooksville location is open for lessons on Monday and Thursday from 9am – 7pm, and Saturdays from 7:15am – 1pm.
Our Brooksville location is open for tours Monday-Friday from 9am-6pm and Saturday from 8:00am-1:00pm. Our Brooksville location is currently closed on Sundays.
Please visit our current clients page, select the location you swim in and log into your parent portal or download the Watermelon Swim App, available on the Apple App Store and Google Play.
If you need help, you can call 813.229.7946 or email info@watermelonswim.com. Be sure to include the primary contact’s name, the swimmer’s name, location you swim in, and phone number on the account. Your client portal can also help you view billing information, policies and procedures, request make-up classes, and more.
We accept cancellations on or before the 1st of the last month that you want to swim. Example: If you no longer want to swim in February, you must notify us by January 1st. If you notify us any time after January 1st, you will be registered to swim until March 1st.
Cancellation requests are only accepted online through your parent portal account, accessible from the current client page on our website or the Watermelon Swim app. Please understand, once you place a cancellation request your swimmer forfeits his/her spot in class and when you are ready to re-enroll, a new class day and time will need to be selected. When you return, a registration fee may also be due.
If you would like to take a break rather than stopping classes, contact our Customer Service Representatives for information on how to place your account on hold and keep your student’s current class day and time.
Lutz, Wesley Chapel, Riverview and Brooksville are fully indoors and grounded and are able to remain open during thunderstorms. Due to facility differences, South Tampa does close when lightning is in close proximity. Management monitors the weather closely and does everything possible to ensure children are able to swim safely. Any closures for weather will be communicated via text message as decisions are made.
All Watermelon Swim Schools are bright, warm, and inviting!
Our pools and surrounding environment are heated to between 88-92 degrees year-round. Our chlorinated pools are protected by a double filtration system of sand and UV, which is proven to eliminate 99.99% of bacteria in the pool water. Our facilities are professionally cleaned each evening and spot-cleaned throughout the day by our team members.
Each location has an open lobby area with two-way glass so parents/caregivers can see classes and children can see their families while they swim. Each location includes a retail area and snack bar for rewards and treats after swim class.
Our Brooksville location is now enrolling students! Locations in Brandon and Zephyrhills are slated to open in 2026.
We will continue to keep you all updated regarding new locations and opening dates.
Yes, we do! If you have more than one student in your household, we offer a 5% discount on each additional student after the first.
Each student who swims 2 or more days a week will receive a 10% discount on the total tuition; for additional swimmers in a household this is a total discount of 15% off for multi-day swimming. Beginner swimmers are encouraged to swim multiple times a week – consistency and repetition are the keys to success in swimming!
For absences of 1-4 months, you are able to place your account on hold!
To request an account hold, please speak to a Watermelon Swim Customer Service Representative and they will send you an email with details and the required form to complete. The request must be received by the 1st day of the last month of active enrollment. Fees will be charged monthly to hold the account; $50 for Group classes, per enrollment, and $100 for Private classes, per enrollment.
No discounts are offered for account hold fees.
We’re excited to have you join the Watermelon Swim family!
Please complete the Enroll Now form and a Customer Service Representative will contact you to answer any questions and complete your enrollment. You may also contact us directly by phone, 813-229-7946, or email, info@watermelonswim.com.
Consistency and repetition are the keys to success in learning a new skill. Just as a child must practice reading or math to grow their skills, swimming must be consistently practiced for mastery.
The more time in the pool, the faster your student will become a safer swimmer.
Of course! The more time in the pool, the faster your student will become a safer swimmer. Single day enrollments are available for currently enrolled students at a cost of $40 for a group class and $80 for a private class. Please contact a Customer Service Representative at 813-229-7946 or stop by the Front Desk when you are in the location, and we will find a class the best fits your schedule.
Watermelon Swim knows that summer swimmers are made in the winter! Formal, continuous, year-round swim lessons reduce the risk of drowning by 88%.
Swimmers have more access to pools, beaches, and water parks in the summer – more access equals more practice. If you do need to take a break, we suggest taking a break in the summer when your student can continue to practice their swim skills outside of Watermelon Swim.
All students should come to class prepared to swim – with a swimsuit and towel, ready to learn and have fun! Swim caps are recommended but not required.
For the student’s safety, goggles are not permitted until the student completes the first four levels of our program, unless medically required. This is to reduce goggle dependency and ensure students can open their eyes in the water in an emergency. Nose plugs and flotation devices are not permitted. Changing rooms are available to change into dry clothes after class. We look forward to meeting you!
We are looking forward to meeting you!
Please arrive a minimum of 10-15 minutes early on your first day. Our Customer Service Representatives will greet you, give you a tour of the facility, show you how to check in, present your welcome gift, and answer any questions you may have. If your student is not potty trained, please plan to arrive 15-20 minutes early so your student can be fitted for their swim diaper.
The first day of any new experience can be difficult, especially for our younger students (and their parents or guardians)! We are happy to answer any of your questions and reassure you through the process. Thank you for swimming with us!
Students are ready to level up when they can consistently perform all the benchmark skills in their current level. Your student’s instructor will give you a brief overview of the class when they are dropping students off at the end of each class.
You are always welcome to leave an instructor-gram, available at the Front Desk, if you have additional questions and the instructor or another team member will contact you to further discuss progress.
Student progress is regularly monitored and recorded in the student’s skill tree by our Deck Supervisors and Managers. Your student’s skill tree can be viewed in your parent portal account, accessible through the current client page of our website or the Watermelon Swim App. If you need assistance accessing the skill tree or have any questions about your student’s progress, our Customer Service Representatives are always available to assist in connecting you with a Deck Supervisor or Manager.
Students are ready to level up when they can consistently perform all the benchmark skills in their current level. Your student’s instructor will give you a brief overview of the class when they are dropping students off at the end of each class.
You are always welcome to leave an instructor-gram, available at the Front Desk, if you have additional questions and the instructor or another team member will contact you to further discuss progress.
Student progress is regularly monitored and recorded in the student’s skill tree by our Deck Supervisors and Managers. Your student’s skill tree can be viewed in your parent portal account, accessible through the current client page of our website or the Watermelon Swim App.
If you need assistance accessing the skill tree or have any questions about your student’s progress, our Customer Service Representatives are always available to assist in connecting you with a Deck Supervisor or Manager.