Salty Swim School teaches ocean skills to beginners, triathletes, children in Kona

On a sunny Friday morning, coaches Victoria Kristen and Heather Herrick were hosting a free adult swim class for visiting athletes participating in the 2026 Lavaman Triathlon that was held March 29 in Waikōloa.

“When I asked the group of about 70 athletes how many of them were swimming in the ocean for the first time, 30 hands went up,” Kristen said. “I was shocked, but felt privileged to hold the space for them to do it for the first time.”

The triathlon’s three legs feature a 1.5-kilometer swim in ʻAnaehoʻomalu Bay, as well as a 40-kilometer bike ride through the lava fields on Queen Kaʻahumanu Highway and a 10-kilometer run through the Waikōloa resort area.

Kristen is the director and head coach of Salty Swim School, where she teaches ocean confidence and open-water swim skills to adults and children in Kona. The school welcomes first-time swimmers, vacationers, kamaʻāina (local residents), swimmers with special needs, and athletes training for events like Lavaman and Ironman.

“Some athletes vastly underestimate ocean swimming conditions, or they don’t know the proper techniques to stay safe and prevent a rescue,” Kristen said. “I have stories of Ironman swimmers who are great swimmers but couldn’t tread water for two minutes.

“There are even athletes who learn how to swim just for these triathlon events, which blows me away.”

Ocean swimming offers higher buoyancy due to salt density, which makes floating easier. Fresh water lakes and rivers typically are calmer with flatter water, while the ocean can present challenges like waves, tides, currents and skin chafing caused by the saltwater.

According to Kristen, important points of wisdom include what kind of goggles to use for more peripheral vision, breathing techniques that include how to breathe out of both nostrils, and gauging the reflection of the sun to help with direction.

“This was the first time we held this free event and we plan to do it again before Lavaman,” Kristen said. “All of the participants were able to pre-swim the course, which helps those who don’t get to swim in the ocean often. Some of the athletes told us that they wouldn’t have been able to complete the swim without our help.”

While teaching athletes is fulfilling, the Salty Swim School primarily caters to teaching adults and children who have very little experience swimming in the ocean.

For those who know how to swim, the coaches focus on building ocean confidence by teaching students how to understand the patterns of the ocean and sighting techniques so they know where they are.

Students also are tasked with perfecting swim strokes with an emphasis on survival strokes such as treading water and floating.

“With so much compassion, we embrace those who bravely reveal that they never learned how to swim,” Kristen said. “Some people never had an opportunity to swim and others secretly hold water trauma — every story is different.”

She said she had been teaching a 70-year-old who never has had his body submerged in water outside of a bathtub.

“Watching him learn to hold his body in water and learn to swim to better his quality of life makes me emotional to even think about,” Kirsten said. “God gave me the greatest job.”

For one of Kristen’s students, participating in the Salty Swim School was the first time she understood someone who was teaching her how to swim.

“Victoria used helpful analogies, made a connection of safety and trust, and she was friendly and easy to laugh with,” said Willow, who declined to give her last name. “She really customized her teaching process to speak to me as her student personally. She helped me make so much progress, and I hope to come back again next year to take even more lessons.”

According to Willow, she learned diving tactics and floating and breathing techniques in three hours of lessons. She hopes to work on her speed next time.

The Salty Swim School has now introduced Salty Yoga, which is a 90-minute class that turns yoga into swim skills and introduces a few micro-adjustments in both yoga and swim skills.

“Open-water confidence starts with the breath,” Kristen said. “We use the tools from yoga to get us there slowly and gently.”

Salty Yoga is an ongoing course scheduled every second and fourth Sunday of each month in Kailua Bay off Aliʻi Drive in Kona.

For those interested in training for long-distance ocean swimming, Salty Swim School also offers an escorted open-water swim that follows the 2.4-mile Ironman Swim Course or a 1.2-mile course. Coaches can escort at a faster pace for those training for Ironman or Lavaman, or a slower pace for a more casual swim.

Long swims launch early. All adult swim lessons are an hour long, and all children’s lessons run for 30 minutes. For scheduling and availability, call or text 808-319-8837.

“We are so blessed to live in Kona. The ocean here is unlike anything else when it comes to swimming,” Kristen said. “Sometimes I feel we ruin the idea of a pool or other oceans for our swimmers, but our location itself does make you want to learn to swim and that is all that matters at the end of the day.”