2023 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why book an appointment to register for lessons?
In 2022 with the shortage of lessons in the lower mainland, there was a panic to register and everyone showed up on the first day. Line ups were 8+ hours long and were outside on a cold, rainy day. By booking a registration time, you will not need to stand in line and can either show up at your booked time, or receive a call from the staff at your reserved time.
The phone system is not able to keep up with the volume of calls with the 50 messages spots being filled within 1 minute at Sunnyside. Booking your time online allows you to know when we will call you back and you can pick a date and time that is convenient for you.
Concerned you didn’t get an appointment on the 17th?
We know it may be tough, but don’t be concerned! Since the registrations are being scheduled this year they will be much more spread out, it will likely take a couple weeks to get through the initial rush. We expect people that have a registration time before June should be able to register for the lessons dates that work best for them. That is a estimate based on how lessons filled up in 2022.
In 2022 some specific class times did fill up quickly, but lessons sets as a whole did not begin to fill up entirely until weeks after registrations began. For 2023 we will also offering more lessons than 2022. If you don’t manage to book a registation time for May 17th, or even during the first week don’t panic! There are lots of lessons to be offered.
Why is there a cancelation fee?
Before 2022, Tide’s Out did not charge a cancellation fee for lessons. Unfortunately, we found that this policy was being abused (badly) in 2021. Tide’s Out has always tried to accommodate, as best as possible, that peoples/families plans can change. Unfortunately, in 2021 there were a large number or people booking 8+ weeks of lessons at the start of summer in order to hold spots and then refunding some or all of their classes as other day camps and vacations opened up for the summer. Lifeguards were told many times by parents they were surprised we did not charge a cancelation fee and that they would call back once they had confirmed bike camps and camping trips to cancel some of their classes.
For 2023, there will be a $25.00 cancellation/refund fee.
This applies per child per set of lessons
The pool must be informed and remaining refund processed no later than the Wednesday evening prior to the start of the set of swimming lessons, otherwise no refund will be given.
If more than 2 weeks notice is given from the start of the set, the lesson may be transferred to another date with no fee, provided there is availability in the correct level(s).
We hope that a cancellation fee will result in:
Classes are only being booked by people who intend on swimming
Reduce the need for waitlists to fill spots at the last second
More families have a chance to plan and book lessons in advance rather than classes being prematurely filled only to have spots open at the last second
Reduce work for staff signing people up only to need to refund them and then try to fill spots from waitlists
Not losing money. Credit card companies take a percentage of every transaction which is how they pay for rewards like cash back and travel points. Every time a refund is issued at full price, we lose a percentage of that transaction with no recourse.
Why is the Red Cross no longer offering swimming lessons?
The Canadian Red Cross is discontinuing their Water Safety and Swimming Lessons program at the end of 2022 to focus on Humanitarian Causes. We have transitioned to the Lifesaving Society’s Swim for Life program. The Swim for Life Program is the same program the City of Surrey Indoor Pools and most other municipalities in BC have transitioned to.
Why not just register for lessons online?
We have looked at moving to online registrations. With the change to the Lifesaving Society Program from the Red Cross program, it was decided it is best to have staff involved in the process still to ensure children are being registered in the correct levels.
A strength of our lessons is our experienced Head Lifeguards and staff who know what level your children should be in. They can help you with the conversion to the new program, give your child(ren) a swim evaluation to confirm which level they should be in, and help you register for classes and times that work best for you.
Additionally, there has been issues at some lower mainland pools this spring with parents registering their children for classes regardless of the level just to get them swimming. Not only is this a potential safety concern, it takes away from the learning of all the students in the class. By overseeing the registration process, our staff are able to prevent situations like this.