I brought my 4-year-old son to Aqua Buddies for swim lessons. At first, everything seemed fine. During his initial lesson, he worked with one instructor and learned basic skills like blowing bubbles, which was a positive start. However, as we continued, each lesson was with a different instructor, and that lack of consistency made my son increasingly uncomfortable. At his age, familiarity matters, and it became clear he wasn't settling in the way I had hoped. What ultimately led me to write this review, though, was not the instructors--it was the customer service. My interactions with the scheduler/representative regarding scheduling, missed days, and invoices were unpleasant and rigid. There was very little kindness or willingness to work with me, and the communication felt cutthroat rather than supportive. Because of this inflexibility, my son essentially missed out on continued lessons. Instead of working with me as a parent trying to navigate life with two young kids and a disabled husband, I felt pushed out over a missed appointment. In retrospect, I now see how much that experience negatively impacted my son's relationship with the water. I'm writing this while watching my son thrive at Water Wings, where he is happy, confident, and excited to learn. Seeing the difference has made me realize just how behind he became due to how things were handled at Aqua Buddies. Thankfully, there are other options in this city. I truly wish Aqua Buddies placed more emphasis on compassion, flexibility, and customer service--especially when working with young children and families who may need understanding, not rigidity. read more

We had a great experience with Aqua Buddies. I found them on Yelp when I was looking for a swim instructor to come to my home to teach a toddler some basic swim skills. We had a lovely instructor that was kind and patient. Unfortunately, our little one did not take to the lessons and we had to call it quits. Aqua Buddies were very understanding and offered a refund for the lessons we did not use. Next year when our little one is older, we will be calling again to set up lessons. read more

Community courses fill up too quickly and YMCA isn't clean or worth the price, IMO. I wanted the peace of mind of getting local one-on-one lessons, and Aqua Buddies turned up. I'm so glad we did. My typically shy daughter got along with the instructor immediately, and her confidence in the water has blossomed. Summer trips are going to be extra fun this year! read more

We LOVE Aqua Buddies. My daughter took lessons here for 3 summer/fall seasons, starting at 18 months. All of the instructors are so sweet with little ones, and they impressively have consistent instructors from season to season. My daughter loves going to her lessons, and her comfort with water has grown. She has developed so many swim skills, and during her lessons, I also observed many lessons with kids who are a little older as they advanced their swim skills. Additionally, the location allows you to take your time and the kids can play on the grass outside the fence if you're early. I highly recommend Aqua Buddies! read more

We've gone to a couple of swim schools and Aqua Buddies has been the best fit for us. My son's instructor, Tammy has been a breath of fresh air. She is equally patient, firm and makes the lessons fun. Not a chore. Now my son is actually swimming and gets excited for his lessons. read more

I can't say enough great things about Mina at Aqua Buddies School! From the very first lesson, it was clear how patient, encouraging, and knowledgeable he is. He has a wonderful way of making swimmers feel confident in the water, whether they're beginners or looking to improve their technique. Thanks to him, we've seen incredible improvement in just a few sessions. If you're looking for a swimming teacher who's professional, kind, and passionate about what he does, Mina is the one! read more

We have had an excellent experience with Linden who has been teaching our 3-year old twice weekly for around 5 months. Her skills have improved dramatically. She went from a reluctant toddler, hesitant to put her feet in the water to a confident and independent swimmer. As parents we are relieved that she is becoming pool-safe but also so grateful that she has developed a love for swimming! read more

We absolutely love Mina at Aqua Buddies School! My child was very nervous about getting into the water at first, but Mina's patience and kindness completely changed that. He takes the time to build trust, and within just a few lessons, my child went from being hesitant to actually looking forward to swim class every week. read more

The staff was rude and inconsiderate. The swim lessons were not practical for beginners.

I signed my daughter up for lessons and it started off good, but the level of active engagement with her seemed to sharply decline by the third week. She seemed to pick up on the lack of excitement and swim development and told me she didn't want to go back anymore. I guess it's great for 3 weeks. read more

I love Aqua Buddies! The staff is awesome and genuinely cares about the growth and progress of each student. I especially want to give a shout out to Edi, she always makes lessons so fun and interactive. The students have such a great time learning how to swim they often don't want to get out of the pool at the end of their lessons. I highly recommend Aqua Buddies to anyone who wants to learn to swim no matter what level you are at. read more

Aqua Buddies (AB) apparently had my prior review removed claiming I made false accusations. Per Yelp's Moderators' request, I'm now providing MORE info to support my conclusion that AQUA BUDDIES IS THE WORST, most SHADY company I've ever dealt with. I'm now including photos as PROOF, which are screenshots of a video taken during the lesson that resulted in my daughter's FEAR of the water. The photos clearly show how my daughter was repeatedly left to flounder in the water with NO SUPPORT from the instructor. *My daughter's ISR lessons (more expensive but WORTH every penny) are what saved her from drowning. Unfortunately she was still left with long term effects from the TRAUMA she endured that day. AB refused to remedy the situation with free lessons with a diff instructor bc they say I waited too long to complain. My explanation (via email exchange with them) is included as a photo as well, which explain that my intent was to just leave AB - before realizing the extent of the trauma caused by them ...The email exchange was weeks before my partner's Yelp post, yet AB LIED in their reply to it by claiming they were shocked by the review as if they knew nothing about the incident. *I stand by my statement that AB's 4.5 stars is a SHAM in my eyes and I wouldn't be surprised if many of their "good reviews" are fake in their attempt to boost their star rating and counter the bad reviews they clearly work hard to censor. I repeat in THIS review as in my original one - this company is HORRIBLE. It puts profit over client safety and wellbeing. Spend your $ elsewhere. Prior to AB, my daughter LOVED the water (i have video to prove that as well!). **Stay away. Put your child's safety in someone else's hands!!!!** read more

See all

Jen is Amazing with my son! He has made so much progress with her in just a few lessons. She really knows what she is doing and is so great with young kids who are scared of the water. She can really distract the kids when they are upset and get their mind off it. We are looking forward to more progress in swimming with my 3 year old. read more

Lessons went fine but my child had different instructors in a short time span. I understand that some may call out sick but communication ahead of time would have been greatly appreciated. My child was still learning the water and trying to gain rapport with the instructor each time. read more

Well run operation. From Booking lessons, finding the location and well trained instructors. Kids loved the lessons. We especially liked Ella, she was great with the kids. read more

Terrible experience! Instructor was negligent while "teaching". Would not recommend, take your children elsewhere.

I would be nowhere without aqua buddies! The instructors are amazing and the service was excellent! Highly recommend!

Our 4 YO daughter is in her second season with Aqua Buddies and we are so pleased with her progress! When she started, she was afraid to put her face underwater and now she is able to swim part of the pool on her own and lift her head for air. We have really enjoyed working with Jen and Sara. I would highly recommend! read more

Over the course of 15 sessions my 4yr old son went from curious about swimming to hating the pool. His first instructor seemed better suited to work with kids and as she made things more abstract and fun but we were with only her for about 5 sessions. He did make some progress during those 5 sessions. We then had to move days of the week and that's when things fell apart. The coach was not very friendly with my son and did not make the lessons playful. She simply gave him drills for 30 minutes and continuously shouted "kick your legs!" "keep your head up!" while his head was underwater and he could not hear anything. It felt like her approach was about louder, and not change the lesson approach. Beyond the experience with the coaches, the other coaches in the pool vary by experience and professionalism. Some are actively chatting and gossiping with the other coaches and not focused on their lessons. They also do not have a swim inform, so some are on wetsuits, bikinis, even men's speedo briefs. After 15 sessions my son still not cannot swim unassisted and now avoids swimming at all costs (even on vacation in Hawaii). read more

I cannot express enough how fantastic our experience was with Arsen. Not only did he possess an impressive knowledge of swimming techniques, but he also had an incredible ability to connect with my son, and make him feel at ease in the water. My son, who was initially hesitant about swimming, quickly became comfortable and confident under his guidance. I highly recommend Aqua Buddies to anyone looking for a professional swim instructor. They know how to pair up your son/daughter with the right instructor, based on your kids' needs. read more

Our daughter learned how to swim so quickly! The instructors have been so helpful, would definitely recommend aqua buddies to others...-Sean

Great instructors ! My kids were very excited for their swimming lessons. Learned excellent swimming skills very quickly.

My son did a few swim to's and even though he was 'water safe' he wasn't quite yet swimming. More like kicking a few feet. We took lessons at the Glendale location and the one on one lessons were awesome. It was fun to see him progress each lesson. By the end of 8 lessons my son could really swim! Now I'm not so stressed out when I go to somewhere with a pool. I'm confident my son can swim to the edge and get out read more

We love Aqua Buddies! Kristin is a swim magician with little kids. Our older daughter did a 2 week swim intensive with a different organization when she was 2 years old and it was a bit traumatic and only somewhat effective. Enter Aqua Buddies and our kid was swimming like such a happy mermaid. Our little kid also started with Aqua Buddies and in 1 summer went from a non-swimmer to swimming across the pool and loving it. Their methods are so gentle and fun and most importantly, EFFECTIVE!! read more

Aqua Buddies - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sherman Oaks , California

We signed up for 16 lessons with the goal of becoming water safe. My daughter loves it so much, we plan to sign up for more. All the instructors have been great with her - and she's picky! Jen is great with kids and got us a workable schedule based on our needs. The pricing is very reasonable. The pool (Sherman Oaks location) is not big and can get a little crowded, but it works! The grounds are a lovely place to walk around with plenty of shade. My daughter has learned so much from this school and has a newfound love of the water. We will continue to recommend AB to family and friends! read more

I'm so thankful I found Aqua Buddies school! I have two kids, 4 and 6. One of them is diagnosed with autism, and the other one was so scared to put his face in the water. Mina was so patient with both of my kids. It's so easy to see how his foundation makes my kids happy and helps to build their self confidence and encourages them to continue such enjoyment through swimming. I would highly recommend lessons with Mina at Aqua Buddies. read more

My 3,5 year old took lessons at the Sherman Oaks location. All the teachers were wearing masks and there were no more than 3 kids in the pool at the time. All the kids were having their temperature taken before the class and the parents had to wear masks while waiting. This was the best investment into my daughter's summer. After completing 10 lessons in 3 weeks, she is water safe and actually started to swim on her own, the day after her last lesson. Her instructor - Chrissy - was very sweet and patient, taught her the basics through fun activities. Last but not least, great customer service, the owner was very responsive to all my emails and provided ongoing feedback and even rescheduled one of the classes when my daughter fell right before class and scratched her knee consecutively refusing to get in the water. We couldn't be happier with the results and would recommend to anyone read more

Aqua Buddies - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sherman Oaks , California

Sev was very patient, kind and is working well on getting rid of their fears. They are finally confident. read more

Aqua Buddies has provided our family with such great service, my two boys have enjoyed ever instructor we've had this summer. I'm so happy to see how much more confident in swimming they've become. My youngest has Autism and the owner has been so instrumental in providing a swim plan that fits his needs. It makes me so happy to see how much they love the water. Highly recommend you trying them. read more

Aqua Buddies - Swimming is the best with Aqua Buddies ! - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Sherman Oaks , California

I can't believe I wasted 8 sessions at this swim school. So unprofessional and over priced for what you get. First off, we were at the Sherman oaks location which is a church outdoor pool, with no receptionist or manager there for parents to talk to or for parents to be greeted and introduced to the instructor. The first time we went was literally a guessing game! I wasn't sure if I even went to the right place. I had to ask other parents where to go and what to do, and parents had to sit on broken plastic chairs in the dirt and try to get under a tree to be in the shade. No showers, bathroom was HORRIBLE (so dirty and small) only 1 stall that my daughter and I couldn't even close the door to and has to hope no one walks in when we're using. The instructors were hardly welcoming, they meet you at the fence and just take your kid without much intro or asking questions to get to know what your kids comfort level is. Furthermore, they change instructors all the time with no regard to how the child just got comfortable with one and has to start over with another. At the end of session they give a sticker and move on. There is no feedback unless you ask for it and then you get one sentence answers. Also, another thing that bothered me was the skimpy bathing suits that some of the female instructors wore. One time the female instructor's butt was completely out and when I was asked for my feed back and I told them, I never received a reply. After enrolling my daughter in water wings, I truly regret wasting so much time and money at aqua buddies. I have zero relationship with either place but I feel like people should know to check how professional, organized, clean and proper water wings is. And aqua buddies really needs to re-evaluate their business. Water wings is definitely way more worth your money. We were greeted and given a tour when we walked in! There are plenty of clean changing rooms, showers, Blowdryers, it's indoors, instructors have uniform bathing suits they must wear, they communicate by confirming your session via email, give plenty of feedback after each session, they have swim equipment to help the kids learn, parents can sit indoors by the pool or outside of the pool area at tables and chairs with snacks to buy! I mean come on!! This was like a mini spa/swim experience for kids learning how to swim and pricing is soo much more reasonable. Aqua buddies, YOU a need to revamp and re-evaluate asap! It's not fair to take peoples money and give the most minimal swimming experience to these kids. I wish I could ask for my money back but I feel bad. I hope my feedback goes to good use and there are changes made that will be beneficial to future kids/families in the area. read more

This is my second year wire Aqua buddies. My daughter has learned so much with Bethany! She is so patient, acknowledges when my daughter is scared to try new things and is very encouraging. My daughter went from a non-swimmer to now doing freestyle and backstrokes.Breaststrokes is next week. We are a very happy family! read more

This is my first time using Aqua Buddies and it won't be my last. We tried last year but were too late into their busy season and couldn't get on the schedule. Scheduling can be tricky as others have pointed out but if you make sure to contact them early you won't be disappointed. We had lessons with instructor Stephanie and couldn't be happier. She is very patient and fun with my daughter. My daughter is usually pretty shy around strangers but Stephanie made her feel at ease and got her to actually enjoy her time in the pool. She's finally starting to feel confident with putting her face in the water and blowing bubbles. So glad we were able to get lessons with Stephanie. We will definitely be requesting her again. read more

My 3 year old was afraid of the water and wanted nothing to do with swimming until we found Aqua Buddies. Kristin and her team are awesome.

My experience with Aqua Buddies was great. We had instructor Mel and my son really took to her. She was so patient and warm with him. He's a bit of a shy one and Mel really helped him come out of his shell. He's already able to put his head underwater and doggy paddle very well. We cannot wait to get our lessons started again this year. Definitely recommend! read more

Just signed up for a second set of lessons for my kid. They have a personalized style of coaching and go at my kid's pace. I would recommend Aqua Buddies to anyone who wants one-on-one private swim lessons. read more

This school has a tremendous experience for my child. Swimming instructors there are experienced with dealing with kids who fear water and kids with disabilities. My son was afraid of water and his awesome teacher Mina made him love it and right now he's swimming in our pool by himself. read more

I highly recommend Aqua Buddies! We had Arineh come to our home for 8 lessons for my 4.5yo daughter and the results were incredible! Up until the lessons, my daughter had relied on floaties to get in the pool and to see her now jump in the pool after the first week of lessons without them is unbelievable! Arineh was so patient with my girl and really helped build her self confidence in the pool. She can jump in and swim herself to the side of the pool for safety and can pop her head up for air to keep going in the pool. But the best part is now she can have fun in the pool and I am a *little* less worried about her falling into the pool. Aqua Buddies is easy to get a hold of and responds quickly to emails and questions. This is a great organization and I am happy to have found them and used them with great success. read more

If I could've, I would give ZERO stars, but can only leave review if I select at least one star. Terrible business operations and scheduling. Contacted AquaBuddies to secure private swim lessons for my son in April 2022 for Summer 2022. Assured that he would be assigned someone to begin lessons week of 6/6/22. It's 6/7/22, and I have yet to hear who it is that has been assigned to my son. Contacted AquaBuddies on 6/1/22 to inquire about this. Informed by Grace that she would reach out to bookings team. Haven't heard back from Grace. Inquired today about status of inquiry since hadn't heard from anyone. Left message requesting call back. Texted requesting status update. No, status updates provided to date. Will seek services from another company being that AquaBuddies is non responsive and unprofessional. Don't bother hiring AquaBuddies. read more

Thank you, Aqua Buddies... the instructors are so patient and always ready to handle any questions and concerns I have with my little one, highly recommend!! read more

Teacher Jen is awesome!! She did such a great job with my son Brayden. Now, he loves being in the water. Thank you Jen!!