Growing up in Wellington NZ, Jacqueline Wong learned to swim as a child under the tutelage of Dougal Dunlop.
Her Mother, like many others, had taken her to swim classes at an indoor swim centre. However unlike other Mothers, Jacqui's Mum decided to also learn to swim. So Jacqui learned 2 valuable lessons - first; swimming is a great life skill, and secondly that learning to swim was not limited to the young.
Jacqui continued to swim for recreation and exercise throughout her school years, but never competitively. She entered the odd Open water event which set her some personal challenges, but she did not consider herself a serious swimmer.
A trip to the beach with friends on Stand Up Paddle Boards led to a conversation with a girl who remained apart from the group as she revealed she had past trauma with swimming. This conversation prompted Jacqui to offer to teach this girl to swim. Even though at the time, she had no qualification or training to teach swimming her immediate impulse was to share her skills and teach. Within a few weeks Jacqui took up this challenge she had set herself and completed a Bronze Medallion Surf Living Certificate and a Swim Instructor qualification. From that moment The Swim Project was born.
Jacqui's primary focus for her swim business - The Swim Project - is to teach Adults who are not confident in the water. She creates programs to gently build their skill and confidence level even taking them out of Swimming Pools and into Open Water.
Within a short period of starting The Swim Project, Jacqui was invited to attend a Life Saving conference in South Africa which was focusing on Drowning Prevention.
Jacqui's passion for Water safety and swimming in order to prevent drowning is on of her primary motivations for teaching Adults to swim. The business caters to everyone on an individual level, addressing prohibitive issues and creating water confidence in a positive and nurturing environment.
For more information you can follow her on Instagram and check her website.
Jacqui continues to swim for pleasure and exercise and is a social swimmer with the Elwood Seagals group.
