FLEMING ISLAND - A new swim school opened on Fleming Island last weekend. 

Located on Village Square Parkway, AQUAfin Swim School plans to make a "splash" in the lives of everyone in the community.

Nim Shapira, a two-time Olympic swimmer, founded the swimming school with nine locations throughout Florida and is the largest private swim school in the state.

 Shapira, a former student at The Bolles School, is happy to bring his swimming expertise to the area.

When Shapira was just 7, he needed to be resuscitated after nearly drowning after accidentally falling into a pool at a birthday party. After that experience, Shapira began taking swimming lessons. From there, he gained an excellent knowledge of swimming, which he said he hoped to bring to all his swimmers. 

Shapira said that there are more than 10 drownings in the United States every single day. And, the leading cause of death for kids under 4 years old is drowning. 

“There needs to be just more opportunities for kids and people of all ages to learn how to swim,” Shapira said. “Especially here in Florida.”

The school is open to all ages. Shapira said they have taught children as young as two months old and as old as 70 years old. 

Each 30-minute swim lesson takes place in the school’s indoor-heated pool, which Shapira said allows the school to offer swimming lessons no matter the weather. Using the 'fin method’, approved by the state of Florida and equivalent to the Red Cross, Shapira said swimmers are taught seven progression-based swim levels.

Shapira said it starts at level one, which is swim safety, and goes all the way to level seven, which is becoming a serious swimmer. He added that the school aims to not just teach the basics but delve into the intricacies of the activity. 

“We don’t just teach you how to float. That’s not our philosophy. Since I come from [being] an Olympic swimmer and my wife was a World Championship swimmer, we come from [a] very competitive swimming background,” Shapira said. 

Shapira said that this deeper dive allows the swimmer to join a swim team in the future. However, he noted that they don’t push the children unless they choose to. 

“We don’t tell them they have to. That’s why we don’t do competitive swimming. But, if they want to after our swim school when they graduate, they can go and join any swim team,” Shapira said. 

Shapira said the new school will feature 25 to 30 employees to help teach. 

How long does it take to learn? Shapira calls this the "million dollar question." He says the answer isn’t linear; it just all depends on the swimmer. 

“We don’t promise someone that within eight lessons or 10 lessons, or one session you learn how to swim,” Shapira said. “We believe this is a lifelong process.” 

Shapira said he recalled a time after his second Olympics when he almost drowned again. When Shapira said he found his way into the ocean, he and his friends were celebrating with a barbecue and a few beers.

“From my life experience, [I’m] teaching to our swimmers and our parents, you are never safe,” Shapira said.

Shapira said that he is excited to open up on the island, as many local students travel long distances to the school’s other locations. He said he and his staff listened to their customers and took note of their wishes. 

“Our Mandarin location was the first location we built here back in 2017,” Shapira said. “And we kept hearing from all the families that ‘hey we need something in Clay County, we need something in this area.’”

After spending about a year and a half building the Fleming location, Shapira said he and his team are happy to be there and serve the community in the best way they can.

“We don’t see them just as customers. For us, they’re part of our family,” Shapira said. “And, we’re here to help you through that journey and make it very fun.” 

The school is currently open for enrollment. To sign up or for more information, visit aquafinswimschool.com/.