Swimming No Stroke of Luck

California’s coastal residents aren’t legally required to know how to swim, but for many it comes with the territory. Consider the heat of summer, the high level of health awareness and the proximity of an ocean and countless pools, and the sport is hard to resist.

Not only does the water beckon swimmers, it also has a nasty ability to beckon nonswimmers--particularly children. So knowing how to swim can be a lifesaving skill as well as a recreational one. If you or your children need lessons, there are several places to turn: park and recreation departments, swim schools and YMCAs among them. Some offer lessons year round; others have summer programs.

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Members of the Ventura YMCA have access to swim lessons as part of club membership. But private and group lessons are also available to the general public. Classes are divided by age group and ability level. Group lessons lasting 45 minutes are offered twice a week for five weeks, for a $48 fee; classes meeting once a week for five weeks are $24. Length and cost of private lessons vary with the needs of students, but a basic program of three half-hour lessons is $35. Call 642-2131.

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The Conejo Valley YMCA offers swim lessons year round, with special summer hours starting June 21. Group sessions for children will run weekdays for two weeks at $35 per session. Youth groups are divided by age and then subdivided by ability level. For adults, group lessons are offered Tuesday and Thursday evenings for $30 per month.

Private lessons are available either Monday, Wednesday and Friday for $60 a month; or Tuesday and Thursday for a $40 monthly fee.

Registration for summer classes is underway. Call 523-7613.

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The Pleasant Valley Park and Recreation Department in Camarillo will begin its summer session June 21 at the Pleasant Valley Pool. Group classes are available for all youths, beginning with infant-parent and toddler-parent classes. There are eight levels of ability for youth classes, with the best--the barracuda class--invited to join the Pleasant Valley Swim Team. Cost is $40 for a two-week, Monday through Friday session.

Adults are welcome to join the youth groups, but many opt for private lessons. A two-week, Monday through Friday session of 25-minute classes costs $60. Call 987-8198.

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The Conejo Valley Recreation and Park District offers private and group lessons for tots to adults, covering a variety of ability levels. Summer sessions will run in two-week increments, between June 21 and Aug. 27.

Group sessions are $38 for 10 half-hour morning lessons, or $31 for eight half-hour afternoon lessons. Private sessions are $85 for 10 in the morning or $68 for eight in the afternoon. Registration is by mail through June 4 with applications available at Conejo Valley community centers and at the park district’s Web site. Walk-in registration will begin June 14 at the Crowley House, 2522 Pleasant Way, in Thousand Oaks. Classes are held at the Newbury Park and Thousand Oaks high school pools. Call 495-4674.

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At Daland Swim School in Thousand Oaks, monthlong sessions begin the first of each month with group and private lessons once or twice a week, year round. Over the summer, more classes are offered to let students complete the full sessions in just two weeks.

Baby and Me group sessions, for parents and their children up to 30 months old, are $40 per month, with one class a week; other group sessions, offering once-a-week classes, are $50 a month. Private sessions, for adults ages 18 and older, are $150 for eight lessons.

Along with general instruction, the school offers a clinic for swimmers of all ages who know the four basic strokes--freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and breast stroke--and simply want to improve their skills.

The cost is $15 per session. Call 495-5210.