INDUSTRY VIEWS
REIMAGINING AQUATIC SPACES THE UNTAPPED POTENTIAL OF AQUA FITNESS, WELLNESS AND THERAPY As we reimagine the role of swimming in the UK, it’s time to spotlight an often overlooked yet transformative area of the sector: aqua fitness, wellness and therapy. Water-based exercise continues to be hugely popular with classes being full and waiting lists for people to attend. Its popularity is due to its low-impact benefits, making it ideal for people of all fitness levels, including seniors, athletes and individuals with lifelong conditions and recovering from injuries. At Aquatic Rehabilitation and Exercise Academy (AREA), we see every day how the water transforms lives; supporting physical and mental wellbeing, driving recovery and reaching populations for whom land-based activity is inaccessible or unsafe. The future of swimming lies not just in elite sport or early learn-to-swim programmes, but in how we leverage water as a therapeutic and inclusive tool across public health, rehabilitation and lifelong wellness. Creating a versatile programme on your timetable from Aqua HIIT, Aqua Power, Aqua Step to Aqua Calm, Function and Mobility and many more. This gives your centre a competitive edge, offering unique high quality aquatic programmes. The typical instructor-to-participant ratio for aqua classes is approximately 1:30 or more, depending on pool size and layout, significantly higher than the standard 1:12 ratio for swimming lessons. This increased capacity allows aqua classes to generate substantially greater revenue per session, while also maximising pool usage. Additionally, it is common to observe aqua classes effectively sharing pool space with lane swimmers, where one half of the pool accommodates 20 or more aqua participants, while the lane side may just have 2 or 3 swimmers. This highlights the efficiency and versatility of aqua fitness in terms of both programming and operational output. Aqua classes create strong communities that extend beyond the centres, participants form lifelong friendships, they provide support for each other during difficult times, this includes the loss of a partner. They reduce their feelings of loneliness and help contribute significantly to improving their health, quality of life and longevity. We currently have a national shortage of aqua instructors, whether it is the younger generations not considering this side of the industry or old instructors leaving due to pay, restrictions or poor management. In-person Instructors give the attendees increased motivation, they keep these people together and give the sense of community. By investing in highly trained, certified instructors and structured professional development, your organisation can deliver exceptional, inclusive aquatic experiences that meet the evolving needs of diverse member groups. This can range from active older adults to athletes seeking low-impact, high-effort training options. We envision a future in which every leisure centre offers specialist aqua fitness, wellness and therapy classes, particularly for long-term health conditions, pre and post-natal and mental health. It’s a health intervention, a rehabilitation tool, a wellbeing enhancer and an inclusive pathway to movement. With the right investment, training and collaboration, aqua fitness and therapy can play a pivotal role.
We are a leading provider of evidence ‑ based aquatic education. Our mission is to empower professionals with high-quality, research-led, training in aquatic fitness, wellness, therapy and rehabilitation .
Aquatic Courses, CPDs and Seminars
Courses: Aqua Fitness Aqua Natal AquaStretch Facilitator Holistic hands-on myofascial stretching in water Physiology of Immersion Aquatics for Special Populations Hypermobility Annual Conventions for CPDs Virtual & in-person events CPD library & bundles: Over 30 videos of lectures and practical sessions covering topics from the instructors health to marketing, from aqua fitness to preoperative care.
The future of swimming lies not just in elite sport or early learn-to- swim programmes, but in how we leverage water as a therapeutic and inclusive tool across public health, rehabilitation and lifelong wellness.. HAYLLEY PITTAM Director of Aquatic Rehabilitation and Exercise Academy Ltd
AquaticAcademy.co.uk 07729474540
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STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
STATE OF THE UK FITNESS INDUSTRY REPORT 2023
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STATE OF THE UK SWIMMING INDUSTRY REPORT 2025
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