4:00 pm – 4:30 pm
Yellow cap
Arleth · 30 minutes
Swim lessons in Sunland Park, New Mexico
Swim lessons in English and Spanish, in one warm pool
Otter is a family swim school with one warm teaching pool. We teach ages 3 to 12 after school in six levels, each with its own cap color, and our front desk and instructors speak English and Spanish.
- Ages 3 to 12
- Six levels, six cap colors
- Se habla español
Six levels
Find your swimmer's cap color
Each level has a cap color, an age range and a short list of what swimmers practice, with its name in English and in Spanish. A placement visit shows us where to start, and the instructor decides when a swimmer moves up.
- 01
Water comfort · Comodidad en el agua
Yellow cap, ages 3 to 5SkillsWalking in by the steps
Blowing bubbles
Wetting the face a little at a time
Moving through the water holding an instructor's hands
Moving upWhen bubbles and a calm walk in by the steps feel familiar, the instructor suggests Floating.
- 02
Floating · Flotación
Orange cap, ages 4 to 6SkillsFloating on the front and back with support
Putting the face in and blowing bubbles
Kicking while holding a kickboard
Reaching for the wall
Moving upWhen floating with support and kicking with a board are steady, the instructor suggests Kicking.
- 03
Kicking · Patadas
Green cap, ages 5 to 7SkillsKicking on the front and the back
Gliding off the wall
Arm pulls holding a kickboard
Turning the head to breathe
Moving upWhen kicking and gliding are steady on the front and the back, the instructor suggests Strokes.
- 04
Strokes · Brazadas
Blue cap, ages 6 to 8SkillsFreestyle arms with breathing to the side
Back crawl arms
Swimming across the width of the pool
Treading water with the instructor close
Moving upWhen freestyle and back crawl cross the width of the pool, the instructor suggests Stroke combinations.
- 05
Stroke combinations · Combinación de brazadas
Purple cap, ages 7 to 10SkillsFreestyle and back crawl linked together
Breaststroke kick
Swimming a length of the pool
Sculling on the back
Moving upWhen two strokes link and a length of the pool is swum, the instructor suggests Endurance and technique.
- 06
Endurance and technique · Resistencia y técnica
Navy cap, ages 9 to 12SkillsLonger swims at an even pace
Butterfly kick
Turns at the wall
Breathing patterns across a length
Moving upSwimmers stay in this level for as long as they like, and the instructor adds a new skill when the last one feels steady.
Where to startSee what a placement visit is
Sample levels.
Every swimmer moves at their own pace.
Primera visita
Three steps from the front door to a class
A placement visit is a short time in the water with an instructor, in English or in Spanish, so we can suggest a level.
- Llame, escriba o mande un mensaje01
Call, text or write
Reach us by phone, WhatsApp or the form, in English or in Spanish. Tell us your swimmer's age, or tell us you are not sure which level fits.
- Un rato corto en el agua02
A short time in the water
Your swimmer gets in with an instructor, on the step or within arm's reach, while you watch from the bench. We go at your swimmer's pace, and a swimmer can get out at any time.
- Salga con un nivel03
Leave with a level
The instructor suggests a level and a cap color, and we show you the classes with room on the schedule.
After-school classes by level
Weekday afternoons and Saturday mornings, with the class length, the cap color and whether there is room.
Fall session
Showing 20 of 20
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
9:00 am – 9:30 am
Yellow cap
Clotilde · 30 minutes
9:45 am – 10:15 am
Orange cap
Clotilde · 30 minutes
10:30 am – 11:15 am
Green cap
Akilah · 45 minutes
11:30 am – 12:15 pm
Blue cap
Eleazar · 45 minutes
Nothing matches that filter.
Sample classes.
About the school
A teacher's pool
Clotilde Vigil taught elementary school before she opened Otter, and she runs the pool the way she ran a classroom: a routine every week, a clear next step for every swimmer, and families who always know what is happening. Our families live on both sides of the county line, and the front desk answers in English and in Spanish.
Shoes in the cubbies, towels on the hooks
Phones stay away from the water's edge
A parent or guardian stays on site
Instructors
Six instructors, two languages
Clotilde, Eleazar and Arleth teach in Spanish as well as English; Akilah, Rex and Alona teach in English, and the front desk answers in both. Every instructor holds the checks on our safety page.
Clotilde Vigil
Owner and head instructor
Clotilde taught elementary school before she opened Otter, and she runs the pool the way she ran a classroom: a routine every week and a clear next step for every swimmer. She teaches the youngest levels on Saturday mornings, in Spanish and in English.
Eleazar Arredondo
Instructor, Strokes and Stroke combinations
Eleazar grew up a few minutes from the pool and swam in neighborhood pools as a boy. He teaches Strokes and Stroke combinations on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, in Spanish and in English.
Arleth Barreto
Instructor, Water comfort and Floating
Arleth teaches the youngest swimmers on Mondays and Fridays. She talks each child through every step in Spanish or in English, whichever the family prefers.
Akilah Bartee
Instructor, Kicking
Akilah teaches Kicking on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. She teaches in English, and the front desk helps any family who would like to talk it through in Spanish.
Rex Holcomb
Instructor, Endurance and technique
Rex swam on a masters team before he joined Otter. He teaches Endurance and technique on Mondays and Tuesdays and Strokes on Wednesdays, in English.
Alona Capili
Instructor, Water comfort and Strokes
Alona teaches Water comfort and Floating on Wednesday afternoons and Strokes on Thursday evenings, in English.
Who is in the water
An instructor is in the water or on the step beside every swimmer.
Adults to children
1 adult to 3 children
Water comfort, ages 3 to 5
1 adult to 4 children
Floating, ages 4 to 6
1 adult to 4 children
Kicking, ages 5 to 7
1 adult to 4 children
Strokes, ages 6 to 8
1 adult to 6 children
Stroke combinations, ages 7 to 10
1 adult to 6 children
Endurance and technique, ages 9 to 12
Ages 3 to 12
Staff checks and training
- Background checks
- CPR and first aid
- Lifeguard training
- Water safety instructors
Safety routines
Sign-in and the deck
Swimmers sign in at the front desk, rinse at the showers and wait on the bench until their instructor calls their level. Walking feet on the deck, every time.
Parents on site
A parent or guardian stays at the pool during every class, on the bench behind the glass or on the deck. Lessons are no substitute for adult supervision.
Unwell or closed
Please keep your swimmer home with a fever or a stomach bug, and tell us so we can offer a make-up class. If the pool closes, we text families and make up the class within the same session.
Sample details.
What families write
“I called on a Tuesday and the front desk answered in Spanish. The placement visit was calm, and we left knowing the cap color and the day.”
Marisol G.Parent of a five-year-old
“The schedule shows which classes have room, so we never had to guess. The instructors explain the next step in plain words.”
Héctor B.Parent of a seven-year-old
“I like that I can watch from the bench and ask my questions in Spanish. My mother comes on Saturdays and feels at home too.”
Ximena L.Parent of a four-year-old
Sample reviews.
Book a placement visit
Choose a time on our enrollment page, or call or message us on WhatsApp. Bring a towel; swim shirts are welcome.
Phone(575) 555-0106
Hours
- Monday to FridayToday
- 3:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- SundayToday
- Closed