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About Puggles Swim Course

The Puggles Swim online course has been developed in partnership with Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia (SCTA), AUSTSWIM, leading swim instructors and course developers.

It will up-skill swim teachers, arming them with key Auslan signs and increasing their deaf awareness. It delivers the tools and skills to overlay current learn-to-swim classes with deaf-friendly tactics, allowing you and your swim school to include deaf or hard of hearing children in your swim classes.

The course takes a minimum of 3 hours and must be completed within three months. On completing the course, a swim teacher will receive a certificate recognising their new skills, earning them 3 Professional Development Points. Your pool will also be eligible for a range of Puggles Swim assets so you can promote your new skills.

Puggles Swim has a specially designed swim kit to complement the course learnings. It includes cute floating characters, kickboards, stories, and waterproof Flashcard packs, featuring Auslan signs.

A swim teacher using Auslan signs with a child in the pool
Latest News

Royal Life Saving Society, Australia Has Endorsed Puggles Swim!

We're excited to announce Royal Life Saving Society – Australia has endorsed Puggles Swim! We will be collaborating with RLSSA on a new Puggles Swim program.

Learning Objectives

Become a Puggles Skipper

Upon completing the course you will become a Puggles Skipper and be able to:

  • Confidently include a deaf or hard of hearing child in your current learn-to-swim lessons.
  • Understand the difference between being deaf or hard of hearing, and the types of hearing loss.
  • Be ‘deaf aware’ – understand what it means to be deaf and how to connect with deaf people.
  • Develop a basic library of Auslan signs for swim relevant words.
  • Join a skilled community of deaf-aware swim teachers creating inclusive communities.
Pricing

Puggles Swim Course, Regular Rate

$72

per individual enrolment

Enroll Now

$408

per 6 enrolments

Enroll Now

$650

per 10 enrolments

Enroll Now
To contact the team directly please email:
pugglesswim@deafchildren.org.au
Hear from the Skippers

What Swim Teachers Are Saying

Denise, Telethon Superfins Learn to Swim

I completed the Puggles course through Superfins. I found it very informative, I developed a better understanding of the types of hearing loss and the impacts on daily life of the deaf and hard of hearing. Working in special needs in a primary school I spend much of my time using visual aids and other devices to aid communication with students. The Puggles course reinforced some key ideas such as the use of a multi-faceted approach to lessons, incorporating preparing the student prior to the lesson, demonstration, visual aids, and communication which can include Auslan but also other forms such as hand gestures and facial expression. I found this a valuable course and am grateful for Superfins having given me the opportunity to participate in the course.

Leigh, Swim Teacher

I just did the course and it's awesome. I have started using it and my kids are loving it whether they are hearing impaired or not. They are even trying to do the signs back to me. The kids I have with ADHD and autism have really taken to it and have been more attentive in class.

Karina, Telethon Superfins Learn to Swim

I was given the opportunity to complete the Puggles course through Superfins, and it has been an incredibly valuable professional learning experience. Having worked in special needs education for over 15 years, I already had foundational knowledge of Auslan signing, which I use daily in my role. However, completing this course and gaining a formal qualification has significantly expanded my knowledge and, most importantly, strengthened my confidence when supporting students who are hard of hearing or deaf, both in the pool environment and in everyday school contexts. The course reinforced the importance of clear, inclusive communication strategies and provided practical, structured tools that are immediately transferable into practice, benefiting ESL learners, non-speaking or non-verbal students, and those who use AAC systems. I strongly recommend that the Puggles course continue to be offered to all new staff.

Thank You

Our Partners

We'd like to thank our partners, AUSTSWIM and Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia, who have both endorsed Puggles Swim and helped us develop the program. We're also excited to announce our most recent endorsement, Royal Life Saving Society – Australia.

AUSTSWIM
Swim Coaches and Teachers Australia
Royal Life Saving Society Australia