Skip to main content

Adult Swim Lessons

 

Recreation & Wellbeing offers adult classes for beginning, intermediate and advanced swimmers. No matter what your level, all of our classes are taught in a comfortable, supportive environment.

Learn more about Recreation & Wellbeing’s adult swim lessons below. For youth swim lessons offered in the summer and fall, please visit our Youth Swim Programs pages.

Beginner

Learn freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke techniques in a shallow pool. Gain confidence in strokes in a comfortable and encouraging environment. Basic water safety skills, breathing, body positioning, and stroke techniques will be introduced. Designed for people with little or no previous swimming experience.

Price: Six-week Session: Student price – $70 / Non-Student price – $85 / Four-week Session: Student price – $45/ Non-Student price – $60
Instructor: Philip Huang – Sunday classes / Helen Bobell – Saturday classes

Dates Days Times Location Register
Fall 2024: Oct 6th – Nov 10th (6-week session) Sundays 11:00am-12:00pm

Golden Bear Pool

REGISTER 
  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

Intermediate

Expert instructors will improve your freestyle and backstroke. Learn the breaststroke, butterfly, and basic flip turns. Gain confidence in all your strokes in a comfortable, encouraging environment. This course is a great preparation course to take your swimming technique to the next level. Participants must be able to swim the length of the pool. This is an Intermediate Class.

Price: Six-week Session: Student price – $70 / Non-Student price – $85 / Four-week Session: Student price – $45/ Non-Student price – $60
Instructor: Philip Huang – Sunday classes / Helen Bobell – Saturday classes

Dates Days Times Location Register
Fall 2024: Oct 6th – Nov 10th (6-week session) Sundays 10:00am -11:00am Golden Bear Pool REGISTER 
  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Swim Clinics

Swim clinics are one-day offerings that provide assistance with specific strokes or techniques.

Freestyle Swim Clinic

This class is designed for swimmers who want to improve the power and finesse of their freestyle by learning the correct form, technique and the fundamental aspects such as proper breathing, head position, leg position, arm extension and motion.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

Conquer Your Fear

It’s time to get your face underwater. If you’ve been meaning to learn how to swim, but have not been able to overcome your fear of water, then this class is for you! Learn basic breathing techniques and how to float and feel comfortable in a shallow pool. We’ll help you conquer your fear of water in a safe, supportive and encouraging environment.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor:  Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Saturday, October 12th Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

 

  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Side Breathing Clinic

Learn to breathe easily & efficiently during your freestyle! One of the most common beginner mistakes is holding one’s breath while swimming.
Take this clinic to develop the proper body rotation and timing so that your air exchange is effortless and increases your stamina.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Saturday, November 9th Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

 

  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

Breaststroke Clinic

Take your breaststroke to the next level with this focused clinic.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Backstroke Clinic

Take your backstroke to the next level with this focused clinic.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here 

  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Butterfly Clinic

Take your butterfly to the next level with this focused clinic.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Flipturn Clinic

Do you want to learn or refine your flip-turn? This class is designed for novice level swimmers who need to learn the turn from scratch. It will also help intermediate to advanced level swimmers who need to clean up various fundamental aspects of the turn such as proper line of rotation, proper push off alignment or streamlining. By the end of class, you’ll be swimming like a pro.

Price: Student price – $30 / Non-Student price – $35
Instructor: Helen Bobell

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool

Register here

 

Zen Swim Clinic

Zen Swim Clinic is an integrated approach to swimming which cultivates a balance between power, grace and efficiency. Each stroke is broken down into a series of progressive movements, enabling participants to work on the essential elements of the stroke and to unlearn unhelpful habits. Whatever your ability, Zen Swim Clinic offers a unique opportunity to develop core swimming skills and explore aquatic movement in a positive learning environment. General body awareness is developed, promoting good alignment while minimizing the risk of strain or injury.

Price: $30
Instructor: Philip Huang

Dates Days Times Location
Spring 2025 Saturday 9:30am-11:00am Golden Bear Pool
  • Adult (must be 17 years or older) classes for all levels and clinics designed to improve specific strokes or styles
  • For more information on our summer youth swim lessons, please visit: Year Round Youth Swim Programs

 

Register here

Private Swim Lessons

Private lessons can be purchased and scheduled through a RecWell Mindbody Online account. Check availability below, or log in to your account. Lessons are scheduled at Golden Bear Pool.

Offering (60 minutes) Member Price Non-Member Price
One Individual Lesson $55 $60
Four Individual Lessons $210 $220
Eight Individual Lessons $400 $420

 

Schedule a Private Swimming Lesson

Staff availability typically occurs on weekends following our adult swim lessons and clinics.

Thank you to our sponsors


  • Cal Alumni Association logo
  • Naked Juice logo
  • asuc student union logo
  • Xfinity logo
  • graduate berkeley logo
  • safeway community markets logo
  • Columbia logo
  • Cal Athletics Logo
  • CheddarU Logo
  • Berkeley City Club logo
  • Peet's Coffee logo