Nice to Meet Ya: Aaron Bond, Flying Fish Swim Academy

For some, swimming can be a passion. For you of some age, names such as Weissmuller and Spitz are on that list. More recently, Michael Phelps and other Olympic medalists show how passionate some are about a half-submerged sport.

Dripping Springs has its own swimming center and its owner, Aaron Bond and his mom and pop business, literally, called Flying Fish Swim Academy. Its center hosts classes for babies as young as 6 months to adults in their 70s and 80s.

Aaron is the passionate one. “Dad has been a financial CEO his whole life. He’s retired but is my compass. Mom takes care of dad,” he laughed. “But you can see her flourishes in the creation of the building, the colors, how the spaces flow.”

Dealing with COVID is now a natural thing following the codes of local, Hays County, and all state and CDC guidelines.

“Temperatures are taken when they arrive, masks in areas that are not able to social distance,” Bond said. We leave it to parents as to what’s best, and the parents have a separate area to watch.”

He is a Central Texas boy, born in Dallas, but graduating from Westlake High School. He started his aquatic occupation in Austin in 1992; His first swim team was in 1994, where he was head coach of the Ramsey Rays, in the City of Austin summer swim league.

Bond has been on the Southwest Texas University (Texas State) water skiing team, doing tricks and stunts on the water, and worked at Barton Creek. The list goes on. “I love being around water,” Bond said. “In 2002, I moved to Denver for seven years, and worked at the Aquatics Department at the University of Denver with collegiate and club coaches and taught lessons, which I cut my teeth on, in the Denver Metroplex area.”

After a while, Central Texas beckoned.

“I learned that I love my roots, family, and friends,” Bond said. “I learned that I wanted to do it (open a swim business) myself. In 2014 I moved to Albuquerque to help a friend open a swim school, for about one and a half years. It became very successful and now has two locations.” He continued.

“I wanted my own vision of what a swim center should be… I’d love to teach and put together a staff, a team that loves to do it as well,” Bond said. He now has an active staff of sixteen.

Choosing staff, one can be as young as sixteen, if you can “connect, motivate and teach, students.” As for students they can be as young as 6 months in the Tadpole Program with a parent, or as old as you like.

“For private lessons, a 75 year old started because he wanted to learn how to tread water,” Bond said. “It was a courageous move… you have to trust us. Take the next step and come in for adult lessons. Kids and grandkids can sit in the viewing area and watch their parents.” But, adults are made more comfortable with lessons after most of the staff has left.

“The pool is 25 foot with four swim lanes. “If parents are looking for something that their kids can do… It’s independent and yet is social. It’s a very fun sport,” Bond said.

Classes start at the first level: Parent/Tadpole – 6 months to three years old with advancement as the student progresses. Other programs are also available. Please visit flyingfishswimacademy.com or call (512) 754-283 for more information.