The Aqualife Story

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Aqualife Swimming was founded by Penny Watkins in 2012.

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As a child, Penny was a naturally gifted swimmer, swam competitively and felt very at home in the water. In 1999 she gave up her career in a City law firm and packed her rucksack, heading off for water-based adventures around Europe, Africa and Asia. 

Whilst managing and teaching at a Scuba Diving centre in the Canary Islands, Penny got her first taste of the joy of teaching others about the aquatic world. Penny returned to the UK in 2006 and decided to follow her heart and pursue a career in swimming teaching. Crucially, she was determined to offer something in addition to swimming skills; she would take a holistic approach to her teaching and ensure that all her swimmers grew to love the water and have an understanding and respect for the aquatic world.

In 2012 she was offered the opportunity to take over the running of a small local swimming school  . . . And Aqualife Swimming was born.

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The swim school now employs 16 swimming instructors and provides high quality and fun swimming lessons to hundreds of individuals every week, at three venues in Sevenoaks, Kent. Classes include Adult Aquafit, Aquanatal, Parent and Baby/Toddler classes, STA accredited children's lessons and a special Junior Lifeguard programme, and all are designed to develop ability, confidence and a love of all things aquatic.

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Class sizes are small which enables all swimmers to have the space and time to learn at their own pace. Key to the Aqualife ethos is teaching all swimmers to understand their own natural buoyancy in the water and thus become confident independent swimmers. You will never use use armbands or buoyancy controls in an Aqualife classes. ​ All of the Aqualife team follow Penny’s original vision of teaching swimming skills in a holistic natural environment, whilst also helping babies, children and adults develop a love of water and a respect and understanding of the aquatic world.