Haze and SwimSafer Assessments: What Parents and Coaches Should Consider

By Coach Tan Meng Chew (MC), SG Sink or Swim

There is a particular kind of worry that only shows up when haze and SwimSafer assessments land in the same fortnight. Your child has been working towards a stage for months. The assessment slot is booked and paid for. Then the PSI climbs, ActiveSG starts closing outdoor facilities, and suddenly you are wondering: Will the assessment still go ahead? Should my child take it in this air? What happens to the booking if we pull out?

I hear these questions every haze season, from parents and from fellow coaches. I'm Coach Tan Meng Chew, known to most people as MC. I run SG Sink or Swim, a swimming school and coaching brand serving the west side of Singapore, teaching from Nursery and Level 1 (Baby & Toddler) through to SwimSafer Stages 1 to 6. I have prepared children for SwimSafer assessments for years, and I have also had to make the call on days when the air was poor.

In this article, I will set out what the official sources say about how SwimSafer assessments work, what they do and do not say about haze, and what parents and coaches should think through. I am a swim coach, not a doctor and not a spokesperson for SportSG or Singapore Aquatics. I will stick to what I could verify, mark my own judgement clearly, and tell you plainly where the published information ran out.

The short answer

• I did not find a SwimSafer-specific haze policy. The official pages I read describe rules for cancellations, change requests and rain-offs, but none that deals with haze by name.

• Venue decisions come first. SwimSafer practical assessments take place in ActiveSG pools, and ActiveSG has been adjusting and closing facilities because of haze. If a venue is closed, you cannot be assessed there that day.

• Health comes before the certificate. Official haze guidance asks for extra caution with children and people with chronic lung conditions. A certificate can be earned later. An asthma flare-up or a few days of coughing is not worth a stage.

• Timing rules matter. Registration and payment close three weeks before the assessment, and change requests have a notice period, so it pays to know the rules before haze forces a decision.

• Talk early. Parents, coaches and the SwimSafer team can usually sort things out far more easily if they speak before the day, not at the pool gate.

Let me go through each of these properly.

How SwimSafer assessments work

First, a quick refresher on what the assessments involve, based on the official ActiveSG SwimSafer pages I read. I should say that some of the notices on those pages come from different years, between 2022 and 2026, so please treat the details as a guide and confirm the current rules.

The programme

SwimSafer 2.0 has six progressive stages, each comprising approximately 12 hours of lesson time. Stages 1 and 2 (Foundation) build water confidence, safety and basic techniques. Stages 3 and 4 (Bronze) build stroke technique, deep-water breathing, diving and throw rescues, with a goal of swimming 100 metres using varied strokes. Stages 5 and 6 (Silver and Gold) focus on efficient strokes over distances of about 200 to 400 metres and advanced survival skills such as making a flotation device from clothing.

Two parts: practical and theory

For private assessments, participants take a practical assessment and an online theory quiz. The theory quiz must be completed on the CAMS Platform, within seven days after the practical assessment, according to the page. Once both are completed, learners can obtain an e-certificate for that stage. The page says results should be available within 48 hours, and that certificates for private assessments from July 2025 onwards are retrievable from the CAMS Platform.

Who conducts them

The page states that the SwimSafer 2.0 programme and assessments are conducted by SportSG-accredited instructors and assessors. Instructors need, among other things, Standard First Aid with AED and SwimSafer 2.0 Instructor certification, and assessors need SwimSafer 2.0 Assessor certification as well. The page says the SwimSafer team assigns assessors for each assessment in advance.

CAMS: registration and venues

All private SwimSafer assessments are managed through the Centralised Assessment Management System (CAMS). Participants who are not registered on the CAMS Platform cannot register for or be registered for an assessment, and coaches and swim schools are responsible for making sure their participants are registered. Parents can create the account for their child.

Key timing rules from the pages:

• Participants must register and complete payment three weeks before the assessment date.

• The quiz must be done within seven days after the practical.

• Older notices say that change requests must be made at least three working days before the assessment, that cancellations and refunds are approved only for valid reasons, and that refund requests need evidence such as a medical certificate.

CAMS practical assessments are held at a small number of ActiveSG pools. The page lists five: Bukit Batok, Heartbeat @ Bedok, Jalan Besar, Yio Chu Kang and Yishun, and notes recent and upcoming changes, including a move of the North CAMS venue from Yishun to Teck Ghee Swimming Complex from 5 November 2026. It also says venues, operating days and times may change, so participants should check their booking confirmation for the venue.

What the official sources say about haze and SwimSafer assessments

This is the part where I have to be upfront.

I could not find a SwimSafer-specific haze policy. The SwimSafer pages I read do not describe how assessments are handled during haze. Nor do they describe a haze-specific rule in the notices I could see. The pages do contain provisions for other disruptions:

• A December 2024 FAQ says that if an assessment is rained off, the rain-off assessment is rescheduled by default to a date at least one week later.

• A 2025 CAMS onboarding notice mentions make-up assessments for participants affected by earlier cancellations, such as medical leave or inclement weather.

• Older guidelines require valid reasons for cancellations and refunds, and a minimum notice for change requests.

Whether haze is treated like rain, like medical reasons, or in some other way, I cannot tell you from the published information. If you need certainty, the SwimSafer page directs enquiries to swimsafer.enquiries@sgaquatics.org.sg, and I would use it, ideally with your child's CAMS details and assessment date to hand.

What the facility closures tell us

What I can tell you is what ActiveSG is doing with its facilities, because assessments take place in them. Sport Singapore's Haze Management Plan (April 2026) sets facility phases by 24-hour PSI: outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities open with conditions at 101 to 200, close at 201 to 300, and all facilities close above 300, with air-conditioned facilities treated more leniently. In practice, ActiveSG has gone further in recent days, closing outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities because of elevated PM2.5 readings.

The picture has been changing quickly. As of 14 October, 5.03 pm, the ActiveSG closure page listed a long list of swimming complexes across the East, Central and West as closed. When I looked again on 16 October, the closure page's haze banner, timestamped 6.30 am, said outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities in the East and Central regions were temporarily closed, with the North, South and West regions open, and its list of closed swimming complexes was limited to Central and East. A haze banner on the SwimSafer page, which I read as timestamped 16 October, 12 pm, described outdoor and non-air-conditioned facilities at all ActiveSG Sport Centres as temporarily closed. These differences are exactly the point: the situation can change within hours, and different pages may show different pictures at different times.

It is also worth noting that two of the five CAMS assessment pools named on the SwimSafer page, Heartbeat @ Bedok and Jalan Besar, appeared on the closure list in the 16 October 6.30 am view. So haze closures can and do affect assessment venues. Please check the live closure information, at go.gov.sg/activesgfacilitiesclosure and the Sport Centre's Facebook page, and your assessment confirmation.

What parents should consider

1. Your child's health, first

The official guidance for haze asks for more caution with children. The National Environment Agency (NEA) activity advice, as I read it (the text of the NEA PDF came out jumbled when extracted, so I mapped the table by order, and the Ministry of Health's FAQ states the same in prose; please confirm on haze.gov.sg), is that at 24-hour PSI 101 to 200, healthy people should reduce prolonged or strenuous outdoor exertion, children should minimise it, and people with chronic lung or heart disease should avoid it. At 201 to 300, the advice tightens.

An assessment is a performance. Children usually give it their best effort, and a practical test at the Bronze, Silver or Gold level asks for sustained swimming over 100 to 400 metres. That is exactly the kind of prolonged, strenuous breathing the guidance is about. HealthXchange explains that children's lung defences are still developing, and MOH notes that effects can appear one to three days after exposure, so a child who seems fine on assessment day can cough the day after.

If your child is unwell, has recently had breathing symptoms, or has asthma or another chronic condition, speak to your child's doctor. I have written separately about asthma and haze, and the short version is that the doctor's advice and asthma action plan come first.

2. The state of the air on the day

Check the 24-hour PSI for your region, and the 1-hour PM2.5 shortly before you leave. NEA's advice is to use the PM2.5 for immediate activities and the PSI to plan ahead. If the numbers are poor and the venue is open, think carefully about whether this is the day for a demanding test, and ask the assessment team what they can offer.

3. The type of pool

An open outdoor pool exposes swimmers to outdoor air throughout, while an enclosed, air-conditioned pool hall may offer less exposure, depending on ventilation and filtration. I cannot confirm how any particular CAMS venue is classified for haze purposes, and "indoor" does not mean "haze-proof." Ask the venue.

4. The booking rules

Here is where the paperwork bites. If you must register and pay three weeks ahead, and change requests need at least three working days' notice, then a haze episode that appears a few days before the assessment leaves little room to move. Knowing those rules in advance lets you act early rather than discovering them at the last minute. If the venue closes, the system may reschedule you, but I cannot promise how, so ask.

5. Medical documentation

The older guidelines say refund requests need evidence, such as a medical certificate. If your child is unwell or your doctor advises against taking the assessment, get a medical certificate and keep it, in case you need it.

6. The preparation gap

Haze cancellations can leave a child less prepared than planned. A few missed lessons are usually recoverable, and a review lesson before the assessment often helps. Longer gaps carry more risk, particularly for younger or nervous swimmers. This is coaching experience, not a measured rule. Talk to your coach honestly about whether your child is still ready.

7. The emotional side

Children can be anxious about assessments, and a last-minute change can add to it. A cancelled or postponed assessment can feel like a setback. Frame it calmly: "The air is not good for swimming, so we are looking after our lungs. We will take the test when it is safe."

8. The theory quiz

The online theory quiz is completed on the CAMS Platform within seven days after the practical. It does not require being at the pool, so it should not be affected by air quality, though I would check the current rules and your CAMS account for how it works with a rescheduled practical.

9. Afterwards

Watch your child for the next one to three days. If a cough, tightness or breathlessness appears, follow your doctor's advice, and in an emergency call 995.

What coaches should consider

If you coach children towards SwimSafer, here is what I would think through. I am writing as a fellow coach, and I have learned most of this the hard way.

1. Registration is on us

The SwimSafer page says coaches and swim schools are responsible for making sure participants are registered on the CAMS Platform. During haze season, double-check that every swimmer's CAMS account and booking are in order, so that nothing is blocking a reschedule.

2. Build buffers into your assessment plans

Haze season in Singapore is not entirely predictable, but it does recur. If you can, avoid stacking all your swimmers' assessments into a narrow window, and avoid booking the last possible slot before a school holiday or a term deadline. A little slack makes a lot of difference.

3. Do not over-train in poor air

It is tempting to add extra practice sessions to make up for cancelled lessons just before an assessment. In haze, that means more hard breathing in poor air, which is the thing guidance asks us to reduce. I would rather run shorter, gentler review sessions in an enclosed venue, if one is open, or wait.

4. Decide readiness on the swimmer, not the calendar

A booked slot is not a readiness test. If haze has disrupted preparation, be honest with parents about whether the child is ready, and discuss whether to proceed, reschedule or add a review lesson. It is better to take the assessment later and pass confidently than to sit it underprepared.

5. Brief parents early and clearly

Tell parents, before haze gets bad, how you handle assessments: who to contact, what to check, what the booking rules are, and what you recommend. Parents are far calmer when they know there is a plan.

6. Know your sensitive swimmers

Be aware of which swimmers have asthma, allergies or other breathing concerns, and what their doctors have advised. Ask for the asthma action plan, know where medication is kept, and agree what happens if symptoms appear. I do not give medical advice, but I follow the plan the doctor has provided.

7. Keep records

A clear record of what each swimmer has mastered makes any rescheduling easier, and lets you give honest guidance about readiness. It also helps if the assessor or the SwimSafer team asks questions.

8. Use the official channel

If you are unsure how a specific situation is handled, email the SwimSafer team at swimsafer.enquiries@sgaquatics.org.sg. Do not rely on guesses, group chats or what happened last year.

9. Follow the venue and the readings

If a venue closes or suspends activities, practice there is off, and so is the assessment. Check the closure information on the day, and check the PSI and PM2.5.

A decision guide for assessment week

Here is how I would think through an upcoming assessment during a haze period. This is my own coaching framework, not an official SwimSafer policy, and it is for generally healthy children. For children with asthma or other chronic conditions, the doctor's advice comes first.

Situation	What I would typically do
Air quality is good (PSI 100 or below, PM2.5 Normal), venue open, child well	Go as planned
Haze is forecast but the assessment is still more than a week away	Check the booking rules, contact the coach and, if needed, the SwimSafer team about options; keep practising gently
PSI is Unhealthy but PM2.5 is currently Normal, venue open, child healthy	Consider going, with the coach's and doctor's views; ask the venue about its pool; keep warm-up light
PSI Unhealthy and PM2.5 Elevated or higher, assessment at an open-sided or outdoor pool	Contact the SwimSafer team about postponing; I lean towards not taking a demanding test
Venue closed or suspended	The assessment cannot proceed there; ask the SwimSafer team about rescheduling
Child unwell, recent breathing symptoms, or doctor advises against	Do not take it; get a medical certificate and ask about rescheduling
PSI Very unhealthy (201 or above)	Skip; official advice for children is to minimise outdoor activity, and outdoor facilities close under SportSG's plan

Whatever the table says, the venue's decision and your child's health override everything.

Stage by stage: does haze matter more at some levels?

The effort an assessment demands rises as children move through the stages, so the haze question changes a little too.

Stages 1 and 2 (Foundation). These focus on water confidence, safety and basic techniques. The physical effort is lighter, so breathing demand is lower. The bigger concern is usually the child's comfort and any nervousness, plus the same health and venue questions.

Stages 3 and 4 (Bronze). Here the goal is 100 metres of varied strokes, with deep-water breathing and other skills. That is sustained effort. If air quality is poor, the breathing demand is real.

Stages 5 and 6 (Silver and Gold). These involve efficient strokes over about 200 to 400 metres and advanced survival skills. The prolonged exertion is highest here, which is exactly what official haze advice asks people to reduce when the air is Unhealthy. I would be most cautious about scheduling these in poor air.

These are my observations on how the demands scale, based on the official stage descriptions, not official guidance on haze.

Keeping progress and morale on track

A postponed assessment is not a failed one. Here is what I suggest.

• Keep the long view. A stage is a milestone in a journey that lasts years. A few weeks' delay rarely matters.

• Use the time well. Gentle review lessons, drills and technique work, when conditions allow, keep skills warm. At home, safe water play, bubble blowing and dry-land movement practice can help. Always supervise children around water.

• Celebrate effort. Each e-certificate is a real achievement, but so is a child who looked after their lungs and was patient.

• Plan the restart. When conditions improve, agree a clear plan with your coach: review lessons, a new assessment date and what to do if haze returns.

How SG Sink or Swim approaches SwimSafer assessments during haze

Let me explain how I think about this at SG Sink or Swim. We serve the west side of Singapore, and our programmes run from Nursery and Level 1, through Level 2 (Beginner) and Level 3 (Intermediate), and on to SwimSafer Stages 1 to 6. These are principles, not rules, and the details depend on the venue, the day and the swimmer.

The child's health and the venue come first

If a venue closes or suspends activities, nothing happens there that day. If a child is unwell or has a breathing concern, I follow the doctor's advice. A certificate can wait.

We register early and check the paperwork

Because coaches and swim schools are responsible for CAMS registration, we make sure our swimmers are registered and that bookings are clear, so that a haze disruption does not leave anyone stuck.

We plan with buffers

Where we can, we avoid cramming assessments into narrow windows during haze-prone periods, and we talk to families early about what to do if conditions turn.

We prepare gently in poor air

On borderline days, we use shorter, gentler review sessions rather than hard practice, and where a venue is closed we wait.

We are honest about readiness

I would rather tell a family that a child needs another review lesson, or a later date, than send them into an assessment underprepared.

We keep parents informed

We tell parents who to contact, what the booking rules are and what we recommend, and when the SwimSafer team's guidance is needed, we say so.

We do not give medical advice

I follow the plan your child's doctor has given you. I do not diagnose, and I do not decide on medication.

If you would like to talk about an upcoming SwimSafer assessment and how haze might affect it, you are welcome to get in touch through sgsinkorswim.com.

Frequently asked questions

Will my child's SwimSafer assessment be cancelled because of haze?

I could not find a SwimSafer-specific haze policy. If the venue is closed, the assessment cannot take place there. Check your booking confirmation, the ActiveSG closure information and the SwimSafer team.

Who do I contact about rescheduling?

The SwimSafer page directs enquiries to swimsafer.enquiries@sgaquatics.org.sg. Your coach or swim school can also help.

Can I get a refund if we cannot attend because of haze?

I do not know. Older guidelines say cancellations and refunds are approved only for valid reasons, with evidence such as a medical certificate for refund requests, and rain-offs are rescheduled by default. I could not find how haze is treated, so ask the SwimSafer team.

How far ahead do I have to register and pay?

According to the ActiveSG page, three weeks before the assessment date. Older notices say change requests need at least three working days' notice.

What about the online theory quiz?

It is completed on the CAMS Platform within seven days after the practical assessment. Check the current rules and your CAMS account if your practical is rescheduled.

Should my child with asthma take the assessment in haze?

Please ask your child's doctor and follow their asthma action plan. Official guidance is more cautious for people with chronic lung conditions.

Is an indoor assessment pool safer in haze?

It may offer less exposure than an open outdoor pool, but ventilation varies, and I cannot confirm how any particular venue is classified. Ask the venue.

My child has been missing lessons because of haze. Are they still ready?

It depends on the child, the stage and the length of the gap. A few missed lessons are usually recoverable, and a review lesson often helps. Ask your coach for an honest view.

Does the assessment venue stay the same?

Not necessarily. The ActiveSG page says CAMS centres and their operating days and times may change, and that participants should check their booking confirmation. It lists recent changes, such as the North CAMS venue moving to Teck Ghee from 5 November 2026.

My child coughed the day after the assessment. Is it the haze?

It might be: effects can appear one to three days after exposure. Other causes are common too. If it persists or comes with wheezing or breathlessness, see a doctor, and in an emergency call 995.

The bottom line

• There is no SwimSafer-specific haze policy that I could find. Rules for cancellations, change requests and rain-offs exist, but I cannot tell you how haze is treated. Ask the SwimSafer team.

• Assessments happen in ActiveSG pools, and facilities are being closed for haze. Venue status can change within hours, and different pages may show different pictures. Check live.

• Your child's health comes before any certificate. Official guidance asks for extra caution with children and people with chronic lung conditions, and effects can lag by one to three days.

• Know the timing rules and act early. Three weeks for registration and payment, a notice period for changes, and a quiz within seven days.

• Coaches carry real responsibility: registrations, buffers, honest readiness decisions, clear communication and no medical advice.

• A postponed assessment is not a failed one. The stage will still be there when the air clears.

Haze seasons pass, and a swimmer's journey through the six stages is long. The children and families who do best are the ones who plan early, communicate honestly and put health first.

At SG Sink or Swim, we teach from a child's very first splash through to SwimSafer Stage 6, and keeping swimmers safe is always part of the job. If you have questions about assessments and haze, reach out at sgsinkorswim.com.

Stay safe, breathe easy, and see you at the pool when the air is clear.

Coach Tan Meng Chew (MC) SG Sink or Swim | sgsinkorswim.com