Aquatics

Skill Development

Team Building

Sportsmanship

Fun & Fitness

Friendship

We offer a wide range of aquatics programs for all ages and skill levels—including swim lessons, lifeguard training, swim team, and more!

Our main campus features a heated, six-lane indoor pool that hosts lessons, team practices, water aerobics, and special aquatic events. During the summer, we also operate the Walhalla City Pool in partnership with the City of Walhalla, which includes an outdoor pool and a fun splash pad—perfect for families.

Swim Lessons

Our certified swim instructors offer progressive, skills-based lessons for all ages—from infants to seniors—available as private, semi-private, or group sessions. With a strong focus on water safety, our lessons build swim readiness, develop strokes, and promote a lifelong, healthy relationship with water, fitness, and fun.

Swim Team

The focus on the Summer Swim League is to introduce swimmers to the wonderful world of swimming in a relaxed and fun environment and includes swimmer evaluations.

The Masters Swim program offers participants coached water workouts designed to improve technique, build stamina, and help achieve health and fitness goals.

YMCA Competitive Swimming programs provide a supportive community for youth in which participants build relationships, feel a sense of belonging and realize achievements in and out of the pool. For more information on our swim team, please visit faymca.org/swim-team/.

Water Fitness

Water aerobics classes offer a fun way to stay active and support fitness goals, while lap swim and family swim times provide additional opportunities for exercise and recreation. Classes range from basic workouts to gain strength and improve balance, to challenging workouts that include running and jumping. Click here to explore and sign up for a water fitness class today.

Lifeguarding

We offer American Red Cross lifeguard certification and recertification courses. Successful participants earn a 2-year certification in Lifeguarding, First Aid, CPR/AED, and Bloodborne Pathogens Training.

Water Safety

SDOC Safety & Survival Swimming Program: Each fall, we partner with the School District of Oconee County to provide this program to all third graders in the county. The goal of this program is to teach students self-rescue skills and basic water safety. For more information on this program, please visit the program page.

YMCA’s Safety Around Water program is an eight-lesson series that teaches kids essential water safety skills, builds confidence, and helps prevent drowning through guided instruction, practical techniques, and fun, skill-reinforcing activities.

Pool Safety & Age Guidelines

Our pool is home to many activities, and safety is our number one priority. Lifeguards ensure safety by addressing unsafe behavior, enforcing rules, conducting swim tests, and asking anyone not following guidelines to leave the pool area.

Pool Safety

  • WALK. Don’t run.
  • NO diving below 8.5 feet.
  • NO food, drink, gum, or glass.
  • NO horseplay, dunking, pushing, jumping towards side of the pool.
  • No inflatables; only Coast Guard-approved flotation devices allowed.
  • Stay off lane lines and lifelines.
  • NO basketball shorts, sports bras, cotton apparel, etc. Wear family-appropriate swimwear.
  • NO spitting, spouting water, nose-blowing, or body waste in the pool.
  • NO pool use with open wounds or bandages.
  • Do NOT use the pool if you have an infectious or communicable disease.
  • Shower before entering the pool.
  • Use swim cap or tie hair back.
  • Noodles, weights, etc. are for exercise classes.
  • Lap lanes, kickboards & leg buoys are for lap swimmers.
  • Circle swim if two or more swimmers are in a lap lane.

Parent & Child Guidelines

Children 14 and under must:
  • Pass the swim test, or
  • Wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket, or
  • Remain within arm’s reach of a supervising adult at all times.

Swim Test Guidelines

Participants must complete the following:
  • Jump into the pool at the transition line, resurface, and begin swimming.
  • Swim to the deep-end “T” using a forward crawl stroke in a horizontal position, without stopping or touching the bottom.
  • Tread water for 60 seconds.
  • Exit the pool without assistance, using the wall.

Lifeguards are permitted to retest swimmers at any time at their discretion.