Swim Schools International Debuts at DEMA 2010

(Dive Travel Business News - December 6, 2010) -- There's money in your pool, and Scuba Schools International (SSI) wants to help you get it all. With the debut of sister company Swim Schools International, SSI  is helping dive centers to turn their dive facilities into an aquatic destination for all ages, use their pools around the clock, and gain clients at the beginning of the underwater sports lifecycle.

Launched at the DEMA Show 2010 in Las Vegas (Nov 17-20, 2010), Swim Schools International is a swim teacher training program that piggy-backs onto existing scuba school offerings. Dealers from around the industry and around the world took a strong interest in the new program, which offers an unparalleled swim teacher certification program to create a complete Aquatic Training Facility. By offering a swim school in the same way a dive center offers a scuba school, dive stores can use existing infrastructure to maximize their return on their pool investment. 

According to Colin Davidson, Director of Swim Schools International, "If you are a dive business with a pool on-site and you are not currently teaching swimming, you are leaving money on the table. By following a Swim, Snorkel, Scuba model you can make the most of your pool facilities and turn your dive store into a true Aquatic Training Facility  that creates additional streams of income."

The swim school and scuba training programs complement each other and allow a dive facility to introduce swimmers to the underwater world of scuba diving at an early age. Early adopters of the Swim School International program have seen an increased interest in both scuba and swim, due to customers moving on to scuba diving after swim lessons and divers spreading the word about the swim school to their family and friends.  Many families are looking for quality trips led by competent travel professionals. Dive Centers already using the program are expanding their travel offerings as demand and clientele grow - family trips, snorkeling trips, scuba trips, cruises, live-aboards and more. 

Swim Schools International follows the same standards-based tried and tested process of Swim Teacher training used by Scuba Schools International for decades: a combination of at-home study, classroom instruction, and in-water training to certify qualified Swim Teachers.

The training provides a dive center with a knowledgeable staff of teachers able to offer ongoing swim instruction to all ages that takes place year-round. Swim lessons can start at six months of age; children can start scuba diving as early as seven with the Scuba Rangers program. Teenager and adult offerings can include both swim and scuba diving lessons when a swim program is added to the mix. Certified Trainers can also teach adults to become Swim School International Teachers.
 
Swim Schools International grew out of the passion of a few avid aquatic professionals in both the swimming and scuba diving worlds. They were intent on creating a worldwide, standards-based training program for swim instruction, open to anyone that wanted to better their abilities and level of swim training in their facilities.

Swim Schools International provide educational materials, swim teacher training and certification for Swim Teachers, Trainers, and Aquatic Training Centers around the world. While Swim Schools International is a sister company to Scuba Schools International, dive centers don't need to be an SSI dealer to offer the swim program.

The new SSI swim program is open to all aquatic facilities, regardless of their scuba agency affiliation. Dealers from SSI, PADI, NAUI, and other scuba diving agencies are able to sign on and begin offering a complete swim component to their existing dive offerings.

"Swimming has become more than 50% of our gross income, and by far the most profitable component of our business" said Cari Duffin of Midwest Aquatics in Overland Park, Kansas. "During our busy time (April/May) we have had over 1,000 kids in our program, during our slow time (January) we have 400 +/- kids" Duffin continued.

For more information about swim Teacher training visit Swim Schools International or call  970-491-9730. For more information about future trade shows presented by the Diving Equipment and Marketing Association visit the DEMA Show.

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