Blue Ridge Swim-Float-Swim, LLC

Thank you for your interest in Blue Ridge Swim-Float-Swim, a comprehensive Infant Aquatic Survival program presented by ACAC Fitness and Wellness of Charlottesville. Together, it is our mission to ensure the safety of your child (age 6 months - 4 years) in and around the water.

My name is Kelly Mello. I moved to Charlottesville in 2009 after graduating from The Savannah College of Art and Design with a B.F.A. in Furniture Design. I worked as an in-house packaging designer for several years before settling into married life and deciding to be a stay at home mom. It was at this time that I was exposed to the concept of survival swim. After discovering there were no options available for my son to learn these vital skills locally, I began looking into training. In 2016, I traveled to Colorado for my 6 week program of intensive training with Judy Heumann, founder of Infant Aquatics. It was one of the best decisions I could have ever made.

As the mother of an active three year old boy and newborn baby girl, I know the value of safeguarding our little ones when it comes to the threat of drowning. My children were my motivation for becoming a certified Infant Aquatic Survival Specialist, and I am so excited to share these life saving skills with my community. The skills your child will learn through this aquatic survival program can and do save lives. It is the next best safeguard to effective supervision which should always be your priority around water.

The Infant Aquatic Survival program is unlike any other swim program in our area. Within 4-6 weeks I will teach your infant, toddler or young child the age appropriate skills they need to survive an unexpected encounter with water. Infants (age 6 months until walking) will learn to roll back into a survival float from fall-in or face-down submersion within 4 weeks of training. Children who are walking take 6 weeks to learn the Swim-Float-Swim sequence, allowing them to swim to safety while using their survival float to rest and breath as needed. Lessons are every day Monday-Thursday and last 10 minutes. Through the process of learning these survival skills, your child will have a foundation for a lifetime of enjoyment, respect and safety around water!