We believe passionately in bringing people — of all generations — together, through the wonders of being in the water. The water is all we need to create community.
In The Deep teaches kids to become confident, relaxed swimmers so that, they too can participate in and grow up to love, respect and feel at ease in the water.
Our vision.
We want to pass down our nation’s favourite past-time and see families and communities share in the joy of swimming with the next generation.
The water is all we need to feel connected to ourselves and one another, to experience togetherness in an increasingly lonely society, to slow down and spend time in a wonderfully magical place.
By teaching the small to swim we're creating communities that love life, together.
Our mission.
It’s our daily calling to guide kids to learn to love, respect and feel confidently at ease in the water.
We create the space for kids to overcome their stress and fears by delivering a culture of high standards, within a relaxed and fun vibe so that families feel at ease, understood and empowered to find success on their swimming journey.
We do this with our structured, thorough approach to teaching, breaking down a complex skill into an easier-to-grasp, personal experience, making it simple, accessible and achievable for children.
We reveal the wonders of the water by engaging with kids at their level, with lots of imagination, humour and play to make a challenging skill, much more fun.
We guide kids of all ages, abilities and backgrounds towards a positive relationship with the water, so they too can one day, choose to play, relax, surf, dive, stay active or chase the gold.
What we believe.
Small classes provide kids with the attention they need to develop, practice and improve their swimming skills. We have only two children per class in all of our learn to swim levels.
Learning to float and relax in the water is key to gaining the confidence needed when learning how to swim. You won't see us pushing children to rush in the water in our program.
We don't use floatation devices when teaching. This removes the beauty and sensation of the water from the learn to swim experience and hinders progress.
Kids need to learn how to swim BEFORE learning competitive strokes. You won't see children do over arms until they can swim the length of our 25 metre pool. Over arms causes us to go under water and is unsafe for young children learning how to swim.
Consistency and repetition is key when learning a new skill. All of our teachers are trained in and follow the same program in all levels.
Quality technique and skill take time to develop. You can't rush the process and become a graceful, relaxed swimmer. We take our time to get things right for amazing long term results.
Practice makes permanent! We make sure that we have our technique right before we do lots and lots of laps.
Our bias may be showing but, learning to swim is the best thing children can do!
What makes us different?
1. We believe water is there to flourish in, not just survive in!
2. Our pool is free of toxic chlorine by-products.
3. Unlike other schools, all of our teachers teach the exact same thing.
4. Kids respond to our fun, creative ways. No dry teaching methods in our pool!
5. We slow things down so it's easier to grasp and master a skill.
6. We want to lift all boats! We aspire to teach everyone how to swim.
Our values.
Ease
In a world of increasing pressure we want to offer an environment where kids are allowed to be themselves and not be overwhelmed by the process of learning a complex skill. By always striving to make the complex simple, we are intentionally teaching kids that being at ease in the water, opens them up to a positive relationship beyond survival; to a world of wonder and connection.
Fun
We take our work seriously, but never ourselves. Having fun is our way of connecting to kids with their language because they thrive in a play-based environment when learning new ideas.
We want to win the hearts, minds and smiles of every child we teach. We want to tell cute jokes and be so beautifully silly it makes little kids giggle. We want to put a smile on all faces, and bring the whole school together to have fun. We want to be completely uplifting and light people up, even if they’re having a really terrible day.
Creativity
We love to move to our own beat, rhythms and heart. To stand out, we don’t go with the flow. As big dreamers, we question the status quo, and use creativity and innovation to make the swimming journey as easeful and empowering as it can be. Also, life is just better with colour, music and imagination!
Empowerment
Empowering kids to trust their own skills and become independent in the water is a big part of why we do what we do. Our approach teaches children to relax and thrive in the water, rather than it be a source of fear and stress, setting them up for a life-long positive relationship with the water.
We want kids to be their individual selves; to let loose, be brave and explore their abilities in a safe and supportive environment. We know that a little love, swims a long way!
Say hello to our director.
Sasha Hanic began her swimming journey at the age of 5 in Sydney, just down the road in the UNSW swimming pool, then home to the well known ‘Wales Swim Club’. Sasha went on to win State titles in Freestyle, Butterfly and compete in many National events.
Returning to the pool after a break, Sasha worked as a swim teacher in her early twenties for a friend who ran a swim school in Bondi Beach. She re-fell in love with swimming and found joy in teaching people how to swim. To this day, the water has become her calling.
In 2007, Sasha became the director of In The Deep. She has since developed the school's program, over many years of research, valuable input from world-class coaches, teachers, and a philosophy that simplifies the complex skill of swimming so that anyone can learn from the In The Deep program.
From babies through to adults, Sasha is commited to crafting a unique experience at In The Deep to create graceful, relaxed swimmers that find joy and awe in the wonders of the water.
As part of the Swim Australia swiminfo community, under Sasha's direction, In The Deep has become an industry leader, helping to provide development opportunities to other Australian swim schools. She presents her knowledge and techniques annually at various development days in states across Australia.
In 2019, Sasha presented at both the Swim Australia and the Australian Swim Schools Association Conferences, on some of her favourite topics; creating a rock-star culture and In The Deep’s vision and values.
