Inklets
Our Philosophy
The Inklets program provides a gentle, respectful, and developmentally appropriate introduction to the water for babies and young children.
Our focus is on building trust, confidence, and lifelong water familiarity through positive, child-led experiences and supportive parent involvement. Each child is encouraged to explore the water at their own pace, developing water safety skills, body awareness, independence, and a genuine connection with the aquatic environment.
Designed around early childhood development, Inklets helps little swimmers discover movement, buoyancy, and confidence in a safe and nurturing environment. We believe in “monkey see, monkey do” learning — children learn best when trusted adults join in, model confidence, and share the experience alongside them (yes, that includes getting your hair wet too!).
Important: Squids-Approved Swim Nappy Required
For the health and hygiene of all our little Squids,
all Inklets participants must wear a Squids-approved Splash About Happy Nappy Duo™. Disposable swim nappies alone are not permitted.
We stock the Happy Nappy Duo™ at South Coast Squids, so you can easily purchase one from us before your first lesson.
Biscuit Sea Stars
4 Months - 10 Months
Parent-assisted | In-water
Biscuit Sea Stars is your baby’s very first swim experience, designed for infants aged 4–10 months and their parent or carer. No prior water experience is needed — just a calm, ready-to-explore little one and a supportive adult.
In this gentle introductory class, you’ll learn how to safely hold and support your baby in the water while they are introduced to floating, movement, and natural water reflexes. The focus is on building comfort, strengthening bonding, and helping you recognise your baby’s cues for comfort, fatigue, and overstimulation.
Babies will begin to explore supported floats, gentle movements, songs, and sensory play in a warm, nurturing environment. Parents also gain confidence in how our swim program progresses and how to support early aquatic development.
For safety and learning outcomes, parents are required to wear a loose-fitting shirt in the water to encourage natural reach-and-grab reflexes and correct in-water support techniques.
This class is a beautiful first step into swimming — focused on connection, calm water confidence, and positive early experiences in the pool.
Max 6 Students
30 Minute Class
$26 per class
Southern Dumpling Squid
10 Months - 18 Months
Parent-assisted | In-water
Southern Dumpling Squid is where your child’s aquatic journey truly begins for ages 10–18 months. This playful, structured class is designed for little ones who are ready to explore the water with growing confidence alongside their parent.
Children must be comfortable entering the water with parent support and able to participate in a group setting. In this level, babies begin to develop safe water entry skills, supported floating on both their front and back, and early movement through paddling, reaching, and grasping.
We also gently introduce breath preparation cues, with some children beginning to explore assisted submersions when ready. Every activity is designed to build trust, coordination, and water confidence through songs, games, and sensory exploration.
Parents are required to wear a loose-fitting shirt in the water to support natural reflex development and safe in-water handling techniques.
This level is ideal for confident beginners ready to take their first real steps toward independent movement in the water.
Max 6 Students
30 Minute Class
$26 per class
Leafy Sea Dragon
18 Months - 2.5 Years
Parent-assisted | In-water
Leafy Sea Dragon is designed for confident little swimmers aged 18 months to 2.5 years who are ready to build independence in the water while still learning alongside their parent.
To join this level, children should already be comfortable with assisted submersions and able to participate in structured, instruction-based activities. In this class, swimmers begin developing stronger coordination through kicking and paddling, along with early understanding of water safety cues.
We also work on important safety skills such as turning to a safe position, holding the pool edge or mat independently, and completing short supported swims between parent and instructor. Activities are fun, repetitive, and confidence-building to support strong skill development.
Parents are required to wear a loose-fitting shirt in the water to support correct in-water handling and encourage natural reach-and-grab reflexes.
This level is an important bridge between early water familiarity and more independent swimming skills.
Max 6 Students
30 Minute Class
$26 per class
Southern Rock Lobster
2.5 Years - 3 Years
Parent-assisted | In-water
Southern Rock Lobster is the final stage in our Inklets program for children aged 2.5 to 3 years. At this level, little swimmers are developing stronger movement, growing independence, and the confidence needed for the next stage of their swimming journey.
To participate in this class, children should already be comfortable in structured lessons, able to complete controlled submersions, and begin demonstrating early water safety behaviours such as returning to a wall or safe point with support.
In this level, swimmers build stronger propulsion through coordinated arm and leg movements, begin developing breath control awareness, and work towards more independent floating with minimal assistance. Submersions become more confident and controlled, and children participate actively in structured instructor-led activities.
Parents are required to wear a loose-fitting shirt in the water to support safe handling techniques and encourage natural reflex development.
This level is an important milestone and is the final step before transitioning into our independent swimmer foundation classes.
Max 6 Students
30 Minute Class
$26 per class
FAQs
Have another question about our Inklets program? Our team is always happy to help — there are no silly questions here! Feel free to send us an email and we’ll gladly support you and your little swimmer.
How do you approach submersion?
We approach submersion in a gentle, child-led way, supporting each swimmer to build confidence and trust in the water at their own pace. Children are gradually introduced to breath control techniques and water cues, beginning with gentle pouring and water familiarisation over the face and head. As confidence, comfort, and readiness develop, submersion is introduced slowly through positive, staged experiences in a safe and nurturing environment.
Do you teach Infant Survival Techniques?
No. We are a trauma-informed and child-centred swim school that believes young children learn best through trust, connection, and positive experiences. Our approach focuses on building confidence, water familiarity, and safety skills in a gentle and supportive environment, with each child progressing at their own pace through child-led learning experiences.
We also believe that as caregivers and guardians of young people, our role is to create safe environments, active supervision practices, and strong water awareness so that infants are never placed in a situation where they would need to rely on a survival response.
Do you use floaties or backpacks?
We do not use arm floaties within our program, as our focus is on helping children develop confidence, body awareness, and natural buoyancy in the water rather than relying on flotation devices.
From time to time, we may use specially selected swim backpacks during very limited activities to support independence and help children build confidence moving away from their parent or caregiver. These are used intentionally and only for short periods, as our priority is always developing natural swimming movement patterns, effective propulsion, and safe body positioning in the water.
Do you encourage infants to wear goggles?
From our Leafy Sea Dragon level onwards, we do encourage children to begin becoming comfortable wearing goggles in the water. While goggles are not compulsory in the early levels, they do become a requirement by our Southern Rock Lobster level as skills and underwater confidence progress.
When children learn they can safely and comfortably open their eyes underwater, it often sparks greater curiosity and confidence to further explore their aquatic environment. This increased comfort and awareness in the water commonly leads to more focused participation, stronger engagement during lessons, and improved swimming outcomes over time.
We recommend “Squid Approved” goggles that fit securely, comfortably, and allow children to focus on learning without constantly adjusting or removing them. After extensive experience with a wide range of leading brands, we have found the Speedo Biofuse range to be one of the best options for young swimmers, as they fit even very young children well and tend to stay comfortable and secure throughout lessons. We also stock these within our swim school for families who would like guidance with fitting and selection.
Does a parent or carer need to be in the water with my baby?
Yes! Our baby and infant classes are parent-assisted, which means a parent or carer must be in the water and actively participating in every lesson.
This includes getting comfortable putting your face in the water and going underwater with your baby. Babies learn by watching the adults around them — monkey see, monkey do!
Our instructors will guide you through exactly what to do and help you build your confidence as you learn how to safely support your baby in the water. You don't need to be a confident swimmer to participate, but you do need to be prepared to get wet!
If you're not yet comfortable in the water yourself, our Adult Learn to Swim program is a great place to build your confidence and swimming skills.
What should my baby and I wear for an Inklets class?
For your baby: All babies participating in Inklets must wear a Squids-approved reusable swim nappy — the Splash About Happy Nappy Duo™. The Happy Nappy Duo uses a double-layer design and antimicrobial silver technology to provide an additional level of hygiene protection in the pool.
We have chosen this nappy specifically because water hygiene is incredibly important to us. We want to maintain the cleanest possible swimming environment for all of our little Squids and their families.
For parents/carers: We recommend wearing a loose-fitting T-shirt or rash vest over your swimwear while participating in the lesson.
This isn't just about keeping you comfortable and maintaining your dignity while you're moving around in the water — it also supports an important part of your baby's learning.
Throughout our lessons, we actively encourage babies to develop their reach-and-grab reflex — learning to reach for and hold onto a parent, the pool wall or another safe point of support. We want to encourage your baby to make that reach themselves, rather than automatically being scooped up by a parent or carer.
Don't worry — this takes time! 🦑 Our goal is to gradually build your baby's instinct to reach for safety and become more confident in the water.
Aqua Playgroup
Aqua Playgroup is a relaxed, 30-minute, unstructured and play-based session designed for little squids to explore, play and build confidence in the water at their own pace. We’ll set up a fun range of equipment and activities for you and your little one to discover together, with sessions separated into two age groups: Periwinkles and Hermit Crabs.
Whilst the sessions are not instructor-led, one of our friendly instructors will be floating around in the background to offer tips, advice and ideas to keep little squids engaged.
Aqua Playgroup runs Monday–Friday from 11am–1pm, with additional sessions available during school holidays. Join us casually with a Punch Pass, or book an ongoing place and make it part of your regular parents’ group.
Part of a local parenting group?
We love being part of your parenting village! If you’re part of a local parenting group, connect with us to explore group options, share the Squid experience together, and make swimming lessons or aqua playgroup a fun part of your weekly routine.
