where you can go from terror to joy in shallow and deep water—even doing triathlons, SCUBA diving, and playing with the grandkids in the ocean. It’s Miracle Swimming. Continue onward to strokes, snorkeling, paddleboarding and all you’ve dreamt about. Learning at your own pace with all the steps, you cannot fail.
Anyone who is afraid in deep water needs to overcome their fear—no matter what technical skills they have—to be safe
*Unless you prefer one of our short introductory courses first
Local residents’ Intro: 2.5 hours
Success is inevitable when you start at the beginning and skip no steps!
The full Essentials 1 course description is here.
Cynthia knew she was deeply afraid in water. She had a feeling Essentials 1 SloMo would be a relief to her but it would save time and travel costs to take Essentials 1. If she chose SloMo and it was the wrong choice, she’d feel as though she wasted the time as well as money. She went to E1.
It turned out that she didn’t make as much progress as others because she needed more time to learn to put her face in and feel safe letting go of the wall. She felt behind the others all week. If she’d taken SloMo, she would’ve gained more confidence and been more comfortable and successful. If SloMo had been too slow for her, she would not have been held back from the progress she’s capable of in 5 days. Take the course that fits best. Call us if you’re unsure.
Essentials 1 and SloMo have the same course content except SloMo doesn’t go to deep water.
We want you to be dazzled.
This course is exactly like our Essentials 1 Course (see description) except that it goes more slowly and we don’t enter deep water. 6 feet is usually the maximum depth of the pool. Spend more time learning to let the water support you in a pool where you can place your hands on the bottom. Learn in standard-depth water, as well. Be with your swimming people!
Prerequisite: you must be afraid. Some SloMo candidates say, “I don’t know what to do with the water.”
If you have any questions about the suitability of this course for you, please call. If this is the right course for you, it would be a mistake to take Essentials 1.
24-hour course, 5 days
Sarasota FL
Start at the beginning with essentials you won’t find elsewhere. All the basics that no one ever told you plus early skills. Begin to learn how to be at ease in the deep, too.
Prerequisite: uncomfortable in water over your head.
The goal of this course is to finish what you began in Essentials 1: mastering shallow water and becoming calm in water over your head. When you’ve mastered this course, you can rest and play in deep water without getting tired for 10 or 15 minutes. You’ll say, “I can swim.”
Prerequisites: Miracle Swimming Essentials 1 or Essentials 1 SloMo course. You can float and unfloat, roll over, and do reversals in shallow water peacefully. You’ve learned to use the 5 Circles.
Become proficient in the deep end! Learn to use the water to pick up the keys you dropped in the deep, find a nose clip, play games, swim along the bottom, do tricks. This solidifies your confidence to say, “I can swim.”
Sarasota FL, 24 hour course, 7 days
Prerequisites: you can rest and bob and swim around the deep end peacefully for at least 5 minutes away from the wall when you arrive for Deep Water Play. Essentials 2 course is recommended until you can do that.
Sarasota FL
This class takes place at the Lido and Siesta Beaches. Learn how to enter the ocean by navigating waves and breakers. Learn how your pool skills transfer to the ocean and how to take care of yourself in beach water conditions, rip currents, critters, and salt water.
Prerequisites: you must be an Essentials 1 or Essentials 1 SloMo graduate able to float, unfloat, do reversals, and roll over peacefully.
Sarasota FL
There are times when you want to be at ease jumping off a boat. In this course, we start by jumping into a deep pool. We end up jumping off a boat out in the open waters of the beautiful Gulf of Mexico!
Prerequisites: you have completed our Essentials 2 course. Ocean 101 is also recommended, but not required.
Sarasota FL
May 24-25, 2026
Advanced courses are offered for our graduates who have overcome their fear. They now have attention to spare for things other than survival. This includes:
*Ocean 202:
2 Strokes (Back & Breast, Breast & Fly, and turns)
Courses without links: unscheduled at this time or, if you see dates, the registration page is coming