The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a series of five Adult Learn to Swim lessons that will be offered free of charge during the month of November at the Upcountry Pool in Pukalani.

The County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation is sponsoring a series of five Adult Learn to Swim lessons that will be offered free of charge during the month of November at the Upcountry Pool in Pukalani.

The free lessons will be led by volunteers from Maui Masters Swim Club, including Adult Learn to Swim Certified Instructors. The lessons will take place in a heated pool from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. on five Saturdays – Nov. 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30.

“More than a third of adults in the United States can’t swim the length of a pool, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which puts them at risk of being one of the 10 people who drown every day in this country,” said Anne Rillero, President of Maui Masters Swim Club. “We aren’t born knowing how to swim. It’s a skill that we need to be taught.”

“Maui adults who weren’t taught as children will now have the opportunity to learn to swim in a safe, supportive program with a ratio of 1 instructor for every 2-3 swimmers in the heated Upcountry Pool,” Rillero says. “Our instructors and volunteers will be in the water with you, and will work with you from wherever you are at – even if you are just setting foot into the pool for the first time.”

“We thank the County of Maui Department of Parks and Recreation for sponsoring this free program for the adults in our community. Swimming is an important skill for Maui residents, as so many gatherings of family and friends take place at the beach and pool, and water sports are so popular,” Rillero says.

Thanks to a grant from USA Swimming Foundation awarded to Maui Masters Swim Club, the Adult Learn-to-Swim Instructor Certification Program from U.S. Masters Swimming was offered at no charge in September to coaches and swimmers from throughout Hawaii. The Instructor Certification program educated swim instructors in the methods and techniques that work best for adult learners.

Class size will be limited and participants are asked to attend all five Saturday lessons. To sign up for the free Adult Learn to Swim program, please visit https://bit.ly/AdultSwimClass and enroll before Oct. 28.