Since we live in a neighborhood that has a swimming pool, one of our goals is to try and teach Riley to swim at an early age.  Both my husband and I were probably considered late learners (I was around 7 and my husband was about 9) to the swimming scene, but so far, Riley's showed an intense desire to take to the water.

Because she doesn't know how to swim yet, she currently wears arm floaties or a puddle jumper in the pool, but these items greatly hinder her arm movement and thus her ability to learn to swim.  Thankfully, Opa Cove has a solution for young swimmers with their Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vest.  Keep reading to learn more about it!

Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vests are a great swim teaching aid, warmth layer and dress-up toy all in one.  They adjust from maximum to minimum buoyancy with removable flotation panels to suit your little fish's ability.  This makes learning to swim more fun - because kids think they're playing, not practicing.

Each Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vest is made from Neoprene which is both comfortable and durable.  It has a heavy-duty zippered closure in the front and a Velcro panel inside which contains three pieces of foam.  These foam pieces can be removed as your child improves their swimming techniques and wants to rely less and less on their vest for buoyancy.

Of course, one of the neatest features of the Sea Squirts Swim Assist Vest is its Killa Whale pattern, complete with flexible fin.  Riley couldn't get enough of this and kept saying over and over again that she was swimming like Shamu!  (We recently took her to Sea World and she thought Shamu was amazing!) :awe:

Unfortunately, I think Riley is still just too young for this swim assist vest.  I thought that it would keep her buoyant in the water, but Riley sank a little too much when we weren't holding on to her.  Opa Cove makes sure to post the following warning on their site:  "This product is intended for use as a swim training device to teach more advanced swim skills under constant adult supervision."

I thought that Riley might have qualified since she so avidly paddles with her arms and kicks her legs, but at this point, she still needs something which will keep her completely buoyant on her own.

If you have a youngster who is eager to learn how to swim, yet still needs a little help and encouragement while they learn, then I definitely recommend checking out the Sea Squirts Killa Whale Swim Assist Vest from Opa Cove.  This vest is designed to help kids get carried away with creative play while learning a new skill.  It also just might be the best "fin-vestment" you can make for keeping your kids safe and happy in the water this summer.

More Opa Cove Life Jackets and Swim Assist Vests: