Emerging Swim Teachers Dive into a Day of Learning at the 2026 Swimposium

Swim teachers from across New South Wales came together last week for the Emerging Swim Teachers Swimposium, a hands-on day designed to build confidence, practical teaching skills and knowledge to support safe, engaging swimming and water safety education.

Held at Murray Rose Aquatic Centre at Cranbrook School in Bellevue Hill on Wednesday 30 September, the Swimposium provided emerging swim teachers with an opportunity to learn, practise and strengthen their skills in a supportive environment, while connecting with others working in the aquatic industry.

The full-day program combined classroom learning with practical pool-based activities, giving participants the chance to explore not only what to teach, but how to create positive and effective learning experiences for children.

Building confident and capable swim teachers



Throughout the day, participants explored the foundations of quality swimming and water safety instruction, including how children learn to swim, effective communication techniques and ways to create safe, positive and engaging learning environments.

Sessions also focus on adapting activities to suit different learners, recognising that every child enters the water with different abilities, experiences and levels of confidence.

The afternoon moved into the pool, where participants had the opportunity to put their learning into practice through water-based activities and skill-development workshops.

Practical sessions explored the development of swimming strokes and survival skills, with a strong focus on activities that progressively build learners’ skills, confidence and independence in the water.

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Strengthening the aquatic workforce

Supporting emerging swim teachers to develop their skills and confidence is an important part of building a strong aquatic workforce and ensuring communities have access to quality swimming and water safety education.

Opportunities such as the Swimposium allow teachers to build on their initial training, ask questions, practise their skills and learn directly from experienced industry professionals. Participants can then take these ideas and practical techniques back to their own lessons and aquatic facilities.

The day concluded with a workshop recap and open question session, giving participants the opportunity to reflect on what they had learned and discuss how they could apply their new knowledge and skills in their own teaching. To recognise their participation and support their ongoing involvement in aquatic education, each participant also received a Speedo swim backpack filled with a towel, reusable mug and other goodies to take home.

A special thank you to our fantastic presenters Bernadette Neal, Nina Nyitrai, Deny Zancanaro and Julie Zancanaro, who generously shared their knowledge, experience and practical advice throughout the Swimposium. Their enthusiasm and willingness to share their expertise helped create an engaging and supportive learning experience for everyone involved.

Royal Life Saving NSW also thanks all of those who attended and embraced the opportunity to learn, connect and develop their skills.

We look forward to seeing participants continue to build their confidence as swim teachers and use what they learned at the Swimposium to create positive, safe and engaging experiences for their students.