What this level looks like
Swimmers who have finished the Water Safety Foundation and are ready to cover distance on their own.
Otter runs as a 30-minute group lesson with a maximum of five swimmers per instructor, or as a private one-on-one lesson, in a teaching pool kept above 90 degrees.
Otter is usually where the 20 to 30 lesson mark lands: floating, kicking and swimming 5 to 10 meters without help.
Otter is complete when a swimmer launches from the wall, uses Swim-Float-Swim to reach the side, gets to a destination unassisted and swims independently.
Parent questions
What comes before Otter?
Octopus, Squid or Starfish, depending on the age your swimmer started.
How many swimmers are in a group lesson?
Group lessons are capped at five swimmers to one instructor for 30 minutes.
What does Otter build toward?
Puffin, where swimmers move into the training pool and begin shaping freestyle and backstroke.
Skills in Otter
Check them off as your swimmer earns them, one skill at a time, before moving up the Journey.
Where Otter sits
Ten levels across three milestones. Tap any level to open its page.
