Tiffany Harmon, owner and lead instructor for Seahorse Swim School, Incorporated has enjoyed teaching individuals to swim since 1985. She considers herself a resource to the Santa Cruz community in Aquatic Safety and Swim Instruction.
In her words:
I have been swimming since I was a toddler and am truly grateful for the life saving skills I have learned. I had my first swimming lesson at age 4. At age 7, I joined my local YMCA swim team. Since age 7, I swam with a few different YMCA’s in Southern California until high school. During my teenage years, I also participated in Jr. Lifeguards at Will Rogers State Beach in Santa Monica, California. At age 8, my mom began to take me to Red Cross first first-aid classes. At age 17, I took my first Lifeguard Training and Water Safety Instructor certification class through the American Red Cross. I have been teaching swimming lessons ever since!
I started as a lifeguard and swim instructor for the City of Los Angeles and eventually took a Water Safety Instructor class to begin to master everything that goes into being an effective swim teacher. The WSI course provided me with the fundamental tools and solid foundation that eventually lead into a career of swim instruction. With over 30 years of teaching experience under my swimsuit now, I have been able to add my own unique style while continuing to utilize the fundamentals that the Red Cross has taught me.
In 1993, after many years of teaching group lessons, I began teaching private swimming lessons out of backyard pools in Los Angeles. I was a traveling swim instructor, bringing all of my equipment with me. Our lessons focused on water safety and learning new swimming strokes.
From 1993-1995, I swam competitively for Santa Monica College. College swim team was a lot of hard work, which included MANY hours of swimming, up to 4 hours a day, 6 days a week and over 10,000 yards a day! In 1995, I was ranked 8th in the 50 yard backstroke in the Southern California Conference Championships.
In 1998, I completed my Bachelors Degree in Psychology at UC Santa Cruz. I focused my studies on Child Development and Social/Organizational Psychology. Since 1996, I have been an instructor for the American Red Cross teaching many different lifesaving classes, including: Lifeguard Training, CPR for the Professional Rescuer, Water Safety Instructor, Adult, Child, Infant CPR and First Aid.
Since 1999, I have been an American Red Cross Instructor Trainer in Water Safety Instruction (WSIT). This certification authorizes me to train and certify up-and-coming Water Safety Instructor Candidates who want to teach American Red Cross Learn-to-Swim programs. Training new swim teachers how to teach! As a Lifeguarding Instructor, it is my goal to train and certify new Lifeguards how to save lives. My advanced instructors and I mentor new and seasoned swim instructors in the Monterey Bay Area to ensure high quality swim instruction for our aquatic population.
It is my pleasure and my joy to teach you and your children to swim. Feel free to call or email me with your questions.
Tiffany Harmon is featured in the January 14, 2015 issue of Good Times Magazine.
