About Finally Swim

Founder of Finally Swim

Margarete Hyer is the founder of Life Arts Education, LLC, offering education in Life Skills, Lifestyle, and Creativity, with Finally Swim as a division focused on private swim instruction for all ages. With over 39 years of experience, Margarete has taught thousands of children and hundreds of adults a full spectrum of swimming skills and water safety.

A 4.0-rated, highly effective teacher with expertise in differentiation, Margarete holds a Bachelor’s degree in Family & Consumer Sciences and a Master’s in Art Education. She has taught art for 21 years to over 14,000 students in a prominent New Jersey school district. Her accomplishments include pioneering digital portfolios, creating original curricula with S.T.E.A.M. lessons, and receiving several nominations for educational excellence awards.

Margarete believes everyone can learn to swim with the right guidance and extends her high teaching standards to the Finally Swim team. Our certified instructors offer quality service, helping swimmers achieve success with patient and specialized training that sets them apart.

PRESS INTERVIEW

How long have you been teaching swimming and how did Finally Swim come about?

I began teaching swimming at 16, quickly building a loyal clientele. Throughout my college years, I spent summers working tirelessly at Fair Lawn Memorial Pool, balancing lifeguard duties and private swim lessons alongside a 40-hour work week. Advancing to assistant head lifeguard and then head lifeguard, I managed over 50 lifeguards each summer, prioritizing water safety for all ages. Teaching swimming and pool safety has been a lifelong passion, and the name “Finally Swim” reflects the high-quality service I’ve provided to swimmers and pool parties across Bergen County.

Have you been a big swimmer your whole life?

Yes, I’ve been a lifelong swimmer and love the water! I swam competitively in summer and high school leagues, trained by the masterful coach Judy Montalbano, who emphasized technique. I’ve incorporated her teachings into my own instructional methods.

Was Finally Swim successful from the start or did it take some time to get the word out?

Yes, Finally Swim has been successful from the start, thanks to our passionate team of instructors and lifeguards. Our unique blend of enthusiasm and dedication ensures that everyone feels safe and achieves significant results quickly. We focus on safety-proofing both children and adults, setting us apart from typical backyard instructors with our dedication, reliability, and professionalism.

When does Finally Swim operate? All summer? Every day?

Finally Swim operates from May to September in New Jersey and February to November in Southwest Florida, offering swim instruction at home and condo development pools. Additionally, for clients with indoor pools, our services extend throughout the cooler months, ensuring year-round access to quality swim instruction.

How many clients do you have, what towns are they from, and what are their ages? 

Finally Swim caters to swimmers of all ages, primarily across Bergen County, NJ, including towns like Saddle River, Upper Saddle River, Franklin Lakes, HoHoKus, Allendale, Ramsey, and more. Our clientele is evenly distributed throughout the county. Remarkably, I’ve even taught adults in their 50s and 60s to swim for the first time, demonstrating the power of overcoming a fear of water with the right guidance. In Southwest Florida, we serve areas such as Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, and Fort Myers.

Is your business rare? 

While teaching children to swim isn’t unique, the methods and approach of Finally Swim stand out for their passion and commitment to safety. Our personalized, nurturing service is tailored to each swimmer’s needs, providing unique lessons and safety instruction in your own home pool environment. This distinctive, tailored approach makes Finally Swim a rarity in the swim instruction world, leading to flourishing success driven by enthusiastic word-of-mouth referrals.

How long are lessons typically and what do they consist of? 

Each swim lesson typically lasts 40 minutes, with the number of sessions tailored to each swimmer’s individual needs. Our comprehensive program covers essential swimming and safety skills through private and semi-private sessions. We also offer “Mommy and Me” classes for children under three, private water therapy for all swimmers, including those with special needs, and specialized swim team tryout and endurance training. Many of Finally Swim’s students have successfully progressed to competitive swimming leagues, showcasing the effectiveness of our tailored instruction.

Will you teach children who have no swimming experience whatsoever? Are there more instructors besides you?

Finally Swim welcomes children of all ages, regardless of their prior swimming experience. Our team of instructors, all fully certified lifeguards and accomplished competitive swimmers, are adept at teaching a variety of learning styles and needs using the unique Finally Swim methods. Each instructor shares a deep passion for working with children, a love for the water, and a strong commitment to safety. Our protective approach is rooted in our extensive lifeguard training and experience. With our positive energy, we excel at making children feel at ease, ensuring a safe and enjoyable learning experience both in and out of the water.

What have been some of your favorite memories from Finally Swim? Ever run into children that were tough to deal with or reluctant to get in the pool?

Every moment teaching children to swim is cherished, especially witnessing someone swim for the first time. The Finally Swim team prides itself on focusing on prevention, awareness, skill, and strength, ensuring our swimmers leave with confidence and a significantly reduced risk of future drowning incidents. We’ve encountered reluctant children, but with our unique approach and the right instructor, most find joy in the water within just a lesson or two, often experiencing their first float with delight. It’s a transformative, almost magical process, and our dedicated team is always prepared to meet challenges head-on, anticipating success for every swimmer we teach.

Overall, what do you get out of this experience and what do you hope others will gain from it? 

At Finally Swim, our aim is to impact as many lives as possible through our dedicated swim instruction. We bring unparalleled professionalism, enthusiasm, and passion directly to our clients’ homes. Our approach is unique, customized for each swimmer, ensuring a responsible and reliable service. We are committed to delivering outstanding results and promise that this swim experience will surpass any previous lessons. With our slogan, “Swim Safe, Swim Strong,” our ultimate goal is to empower every swimmer to feel both safe and strong in the water, fostering confidence and resilience.