We have had such a wonderful experience at SafeSplash! Our kids are in the parenttot class and the…read morelessons are so practical and tailored to their developmental stage. Helen is incredibly responsive and professional, and leads classes in a manner that is gentle, compassionate, and fun! The classes are also smaller groups than our previous swim school, so our kiddos get to practice their skills with instructors a bit more. Helen kindly provides us with safety tips and guidance to practice skills outside of class. We are moving at the end of this year and cannot imagine seeking lessons from any place other than SafeSplash. Highly, highly recommend SafeSplash!

We have a 6-month-old and a 2.5-year-old enrolled at SafeSplash Swim School, and we've had such a…read morewonderful experience so far. Helen has been a treasure. She is so kind, patient, and incredibly knowledgeable with our little ones! She creates a warm, encouraging environment where our kids feel safe and excited to learn. It's clear she genuinely cares about each child's progress and comfort in the water. We're so grateful to have her guiding their first swim experiences!

I have two children, ages 9 and 5. I have been trying to teach them how to swim since the oldest…read morewas in diapers - to no avail. Although an accomplished swimmer in my own right, I quickly learned that I knew nothing about how to teach my kids how to swim. So I looked into swimming lessons for them. Yet the swim instructors proved no more able to teach my kids than I was. This was no doubt in part because my oldest has an anxiety disorder which makes new experiences even more challenging for him than they might otherwise be. And so we spent small fortunes treading water, as they say - except that neither of my kids got to the point of being able to *actually* tread water. Enter Tiburon Swim Academy. My wife had heard good things about this school through one of the Facebook groups she is on. Despite being more expensive than some of its competitors, we decided to give it a shot. Money. Well. Spent. My kids learned more in the first 2 days than they had in the previous 2 years. They learned to float, to submerge themselves, to swim - inelegantly, sure, but swim nonetheless - from one side of the pool to the other. For the first time in their lives, I felt confident that if they fell into a pool, they could get themselves to the side unassisted. After 5 days in a row of 30 minute lessons, they both had mastered the skills needed to begin to learn how to swim in earnest - the skills that will enable them to be safe on the water and have a lifetime of fun in it. All the credit is due to their teachers, Eric and Val. Both were exceptional - but Eric in particular earned my admiration. It was he who taught my son. What impressed me was the way he found to communicate with my son. He met my son where my son was at, earned his trust, weathered his reticence and - most importantly - got him to buy into what he (Eric) was trying to teach him. That sounds easy enough, but anyone who has ever tried to teach knows that this is in fact the most difficult task of all. I've spent decades in a classroom, but I learned perhaps as much about teaching watching Eric with my son as my son did about swimming. It is rare that I can give such an unqualifiedly positive review. In this instance, it is my distinct pleasure to do so.

Our two kids attended Little Flippers between the ages of ~1-5 years old. This was a good…read moreexperience overall and they did learn how to swim, which was the goal. The instructors are AMAZING and are unmatched -- they know how to keep the lessons really fun and make swimming/the water less scary. However, the progress and the curriculum are a bit slow. Each lesson is 30 minutes long, which equates to about 20 minutes of swimming time (but part of that is just getting used to the water, like dunking in their heads). If I were to do it again, I would opt for a couple weeks of private lessons... this would have saved years (in terms of time) and quite a bit of money too. This isn't a knock at all on the instructors, who like I said are great, it's more just the slow progress that they make and it takes a lot of time to see it given how short the lessons are. Sign-up is pretty easy online but popular slots fill quickly. Makeups are allowed by scheduling online. There are 3 sessions to sign up for during the year I think -- fall, winter, and spring. A special shout out to Mr. John and Ms. Cassie who we especially bonded with. Without Mr. John our son would not have gotten there... now he is a great and confident swimmer!

After about a year with no progress at our local Y, we switched our kids to Little Flippers. Best…read moredecision ever. Their swim philosophy and the way they teach helped everything click into place. 2 of my kids went from refusing to put their faces in the water to jumping in at the end of each lesson within weeks. We've had no issues with scheduling our kids, sometimes all 3 of them at once. Yes, they are popular and are not open super late on weekends. This just means that when it's time to enroll I set a reminder for myself (and they send many, plus remind you in your weekly class) and make sure to do it timely. My youngest is still here and the joy and confidence he gets from mastering new skills cannot be beat.

I took Rick's course in the early 1990s (and have not been in touch since). I see that some…read morecommenters think him harsh, but he was a tough taskmaster who packed a lot into the training, and I'm glad. I didn't realize then how diligently he was preparing us for a sport that requires extra discipline and minute attention to detail of gear, surroundings, safety, and other divers. You will learn the rules and methods very well. A year later, on a dive on the north shore with friends, a Harbormaster approached our group and grilled us on rules -- I knew the answers thanks to Rick. We heard the Harbormaster yell at another group that they had better review! I've been diving for many years and became a certified scuba teaching assistant. My tips: 1. Rent the major gear, and practice until you find the best fit for you, before you buy. 2. Take meticulous care of your gear (duh). Become very familiar with gear, what you can maintain yourself, and what is better to have serviced (such as regulators). 3. Don't let well-meaning family buy your gear as gifts. These are personal items that you have to try on your whole body and fit on your face and in your mouth. Eventually I had my 1/4 wetsuit custom made (by a pro who is no longer with us.) 4. Many divers who are from the north don't dive locally and won't get into a 1/4 inch wetsuit. They travel to warm waters and wear a much lighter dive skin or rash guard, or just a bathing suit. Still, it's useful to be trained wearing a thicker wetsuit. 5. Join a dive club. If you don't like the first one, try another. My first club was disdainful of beginners. 6. Don't let anyone rush you. Dive with others of your level, or hire a Dive Master to supervise you until you are confident. 7. If you are still tentative, find dive sites that are walk-ins from the shore, or don't go deep. There is sea life to appreciate at 20 feet. Dive vacations can be splendid! The beauty of the underwater world is worth all the fuss. Enjoy your new sport.

My boyfriend and I just completed the Open Water Certification course. After shopping around for…read moreother courses in the area, this is by far the cheapest, even after you include those extra (hidden) fees throughout the course. We met for class in the Boston YMCA - the first hour and a half is lecture (fast-paced, lots of note-taking) followed by an hour and half in the pool learning to use the equipment. Here is the breakdown: $250 - Class Fee $75 - Open Dives Fee $50 - Rental Fee $20 - Wetsuit Rental Fee (for pools lessons) $5 - Photo for Dive Card (optional) $40-80 - Boots $50-100 - Mask, Fins, Snorkel $16 - Air to fill tanks, during Open Dives Despite some unexpected extra costs, I had a great time learning to scuba dive. I was on the fence at first, but now I'm eager to get out there again. Rick, the instructor, is VERY passionate about the sport and you will learn everything you need to know and more. Some have left comments that he is rude and loves to hear himself talk, at the end of the course he acknowledges that he may be a prick and students in the class probably hate him (I loved that he was self aware and didn't give a sh*t), but he prides himself on successfully teaching the necessary skills and safety requirements. On our open dives, out in Rockport, MA I was nervous to go out in the ocean for the first time, but it was awesome and I felt very safe with Rick. I would recommend this course to anyone looking to get into scuba diving. You'll learn so much and even though cost keeps growing, Rick is not like all the other dive shops, he is not out to steal your money. It is an expensive sport regardless. We're now thinking about taking the Advanced course with Rick, too.

I'm reviewing a pool because I'm annoyed at the only other review posted here…read more A $45 per adult and $20 per child season pass to a community pool is hardly expensive. You can instead choose to pay for individual visits. There are, at any given time, 4 to 5 lifeguards to make sure all the kids are safe (and I'd like to think that's where your fees are going and worth the cost in my opinion). I do agree that there are minimal shaded areas for watchful adults. Overall, the pool is well kept. It's divided into three sections - diving area, lap lanes, and general pool area. I think one downside is that there are only 2 lap lanes. The diving area consumes way too much pool space. I'd rather they close that off and turn it into lap lanes. It's also a small pool so on weekends, it's busting at the seams with squealing kids. Yes, it's $130 for a family of 4 but people spend more money on video games to keep their children entertained for the summer. At least this way, they're getting some exercise in our increasingly obese nation.

Facilities are clean though dated, parking is easy, I love the option of the kids' pool, adults'…read morepool, and splash pad, something for everyone. The day pass fee for non-Newton residents is steep at $20 per person for what you get but I imagine it's supposed to be a deterrent. It's one of the "nicer" pool options in the area, but that's not saying much. Kids love it though.

David and the team at Determination Aquatics are true professionals: knowledgeable, reliable, easy…read moreto work with and generous with their time and expertise. I could not be more appreciative and pleased with the work they have done for me both in terms of running meets and helping me troubleshoot using difficult software. I recommend this company highly for all of your swim competition/timing needs.

My daughter decided in early 2022 to attempt swimming the English Channel and asked me to be her…read moresupport swimmer. I was a long time swimmer but knew nothing about marathon swimming. As a birthday gift she got me coaching with Craig Lewin (Endurance Swimming). Working with Craig was fantastic - he got both of us prepped and ready to tackle the Channel in August 2023. Along with the physical preparation he took us thru all the other aspects of attempting something as epic as the English Channel. He even met with our crew to set expectations for the day. As it turned out we really needed all the mental prep (maybe more than the physical). We had to wait until the last possible day to swim and anxiety levels were high. Craig was able to get us all into the best mental state and she was successful. An adventure of a lifetime! We are both planning on continuing with his coaching. I would highly recommend Craig as a marathon swimming coach!

Craig Lewin is a fantastic coach. I could not really swim when I began lessons with him. 8 months…read moreout I swam my first sprint tri!!! As I enter my second year with Craig I can already see and feel how much stronger I have become. He is a top rate coach and an awesome person! Give him a call.. You won't be disappointed.

I love this pool! I must have walked by it a 100 times and each time I thought it was a deserted…read morepool. Finally walked by it at the right time and it was open. I went in with my Dad to see what the deal was. 1. FREE! 2. Plenty of lifeguards. 3. Limits on the number of people in the pool based on how many guards they have. 4. No benches or chairs, but plenty of space to bring your own. 5. LOTS of kids. Be prepared to be splashed. 6. Did I mention FREE?! This is my go-to spot when I don't feel like making the trip to the beach.

When the temps topped 101 degrees yesterday in Waltham Ma... I went to this pool to cool off. The…read morewater was amazing & it def is the spot to go if u dont feel like traveling to far to the beaches & u just want to go 4 a swim with ur kids. Def kid friendly... Luv the "Family Swim" time... all the punk kids leave & its just for families... Lots of little kids learnin to swin with their mom & dads :) Def recommend this pool :) This is def a regular spot to find me & my family having fun :)