My two boys who are 3 & 6 had been going to this place to get water proof ;) They both used to go to Mrs. Vicki as a babies ! Now coach Josh teach them great swimming skills !! It's great feeling to have boys safe in the water !!! We are so grateful for coach Josh's devotion for children's swimming lessons!! Also the staff's are so great & friendly!! Love this place ! I highly recommend read more

Aqua Wave Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Lake Forest, California

Good stretch, stretching, and exercise activity class. On these warm days....this makes you feel so much better!!! read more

Aqua Wave Swim School - Water exercise..... - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Lake Forest, California

I'm incredibly disappointed by how families have been treated since the new ownership took over. As a customer who has been bringing my daughter here for over three years, I no longer feel like a valued client ,I feel like a dollar sign. The instructors themselves are wonderful, caring, and truly the reason many families stay. Unfortunately, the management and policies have become increasingly inflexible, impersonal, and, at times, frankly unethical. Of course every business needs to be profitable, but there has to be a balance between running a business and treating loyal families with respect and appreciation. That balance feels completely lost. I'll be sharing my experience in reviews because, as a potential new customer, I would want to know this before committing my family here read more

Progress is sooooo slow...each session is only 20 minutes and there were times they start late and end on time so we aren't always getting the full 20 minutes. My kid is capable of more and eager to learn and they are just taking forever. I'm getting tired of packing/driving/changing/rinsing for these short classes with slow progress. The pool is heated which is nice. read more

We started attending Aqua Wave in August 2024. Our older son was trepidacious about swimming again after a couple years away from lessons. We let the school know about his nerves in advance; he was paired with Coach Bill and formed an immediate bond. Bill helped him to quickly get over his fear of being back in the water, and to rapidly learn how to swim again. After about 6 months our son was now confidently swimming end to end across the pool by himself with no assistance and now at 8 months he is comfortably switching between multiple different strokes. We could not be happier with our experience and how our son has flourished under Coach Bill. read more

With such a crowded and competitive space such as swim schools in Orange County, you would think they'd try harder. Lily, Azi, and Amanda dropped the ball from the beginning to the end of my first and only time here. First red flag was Azi holding a newborn cat in her arms, petting it as she checked me in, and rushed through a tour of the facility that's clearly chaotic. Charged me $80 for a diaper and lesson (even though my daughter is nearly 4 and we'll potty trained) and made us wait an hour only to find out that Coach Jack skipped us and he was headed to the shower and I needed to come back next week. Look, bad experiences happen, and I was willing to forgive and forget but once I heard about how Emler was acquiring them and they had no way to give a refund, I was in shock. After Azi and Amanda and Lily swore up and down there was no way to get a refund, I left and told them to have the manager call me. Paul called me the next day, apologized, but said he was in the pool the whole time and he was the GM and was more than happy to have refunded me but the kitty cat holding girls in the front didn't want to help and instead wanted to play customer service gymnastics. Bad experience, yeah, but even poorer lack of ownership by the staff. Next time, let's put the animal down and help the frustrated Dad who's just trying to get help with teaching his daughter how to swim. Be better. read more

Our boy has been going to Aquawave since 2023. He is super comfortable with the coaches there and looks forward to his swim lesson with coach Jack every Monday. Beautiful heated pool and recommend all the first time parents to take their kids. read more

My 3 year old son has started training with Miss Mandie and he was already pretty comfortable in the water but we have seen so much progress in a month. We go once a week and even with just that much he has done so well. She gives us tips to practice on our own time and this weekend my son was swimming without a vest and doing things he learned with Miss Mandie. Kicking his feet and using his arm strokes. We are very impressed with how far he has come in such a short amount of time. Can't wait for the continued progress! read more

We have used this school for about 3 years. My 2 and 4 year old daughters both swim with Miss Kristen. They have both grown and flourished in their own ways. We have really appreciated the kindness and patience of Miss Kristen, including customizing the approach to each kids way of being. We have also worked with Miss Brianna, Coach Todd and Miss Mandy who have all been so kind with our girls. They require advance notice to change classes or start the program due to the demand of the school. Just sign up early and be patient, it was certainly worth the wait. read more

We wanted to find a new swim school for the boys and looked into this school as the pricing was better than what we were paying for a swim school in Irvine. This school was much smaller and has music pumped out so difficult to hear what is being taught. My older boy had Gabe as a teacher. I felt he spent most the time just watching my son swim and not much guidance. The second half of class was spent just playing games. With my younger son he has Conner teaching him. This is where things became a little strange. I noticed him playing around throwing my son up in the air. I thought that he was being very playful for the first time teaching my son. Gabe did come over afterwards to introduce himself to me unlike Conner. I didn't find out until the drive home that my son mentioned that his teacher Conner was biting his feet and bit his chest. Maybe I am overreacting but I am not comfortable with this type of behavior and won't be going back. read more

This is a family oriented business that considers helping everyone from babies to seniors citizens and ensures they get the necessary assistance to learn to swimm, perfect swimming skills or just exercise for health benefits. From the front desk to the instructors, administrators or owners you'll get the same great attention and feel welcome. My grandson took swimming lessons and I'm grateful he's now swimming, instructors are knowledgeable and great at working with kids! I'm taking an arthritis exercise class and it's great since the water is warm and is allowing me to keep moving! I Highly recommend this pool facility. read more

We attended 12 lessons at Aqua Wave. My son made very little progress. The first session my son had with his coach, there was no attempt to establish rapport with my son. The coach simply took my son and did not introduce or tell him anything. I struggled as I watched my son not feel comfortable but assumed this was part of the learning process. Every lesson I tried to engage with the coach and ask how I can support my son and it was like pulling teeth to get an answer or interaction. After today I have had enough. My son was hyperventilating telling his coach "I am not ready" and crying for the duration of the 20 minute lesson(this was his 12th lesson not the first few, it should not be happening). There needs to be a trust and respect between coach and student and this clearly was not the case. I urge you to be an advocate for your child and trust your gut. Do not let them tell you it's a slow process and it will come with time. read more

Miss Vicky is such a great instructor!! My son has been with her since he was 9 months old (he's now almost 2 1/2) she is so good with kids and is naturally warm and welcoming. He loves her and looks forward every week to his lesson and seeing Miss Vicky. She has taught him (and me) so much about safely rules, learning to swim and techniques to get out of the water. Everyone at Aqua Wave is friendly and always welcoming. We couldn't recommend them more, especially Miss Vicky! And they are very safe with new Covid protocols. read more

Aqua Wave Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Lake Forest, California

My 14 year old daughter has been going here since June 2020. She started out with semi private lessons with Miss Brianna, Miss Kristen and Miss Debra. Then once she knew all four strokes she moved up to doing the swim team workout in the evenings and loves it. This coming from a kids who HATES exercising! My daughter has ADHD and I feel like the coaches handle that well! Thanks Aquawave for doing what you do best! read more

Aqua Wave Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Lake Forest, California

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My 3 year old has been taking lessons with Connor for a few months now. She loves it. He is a great teacher. He seems to genuinely enjoy his job. She feels safe and comfortable in his care. He always incorporates fun and play into the lessons and is flexible in that he sort of lets her guide the direction of the lessons a bit. She has become so much more comfortable in the water since we started coming here. We chose to come to Aquawave because the prices were lower than other similar swim schools. I don't believe we've sacrificed anything in the way of quality by spending a little less money. The office staff have always been friendly and easy to work with. read more

Aqua Wave Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Lake Forest, California

The reason for one star is because of how nice all the instructors we had were. I chose this school over regular (and way cheaper) city classes because they said they would pair my daughter with another child her age and level. That never happened. It was one on one training the whole time we attended the school which was 4 months over summer. We had multiple instructors, I don't know what was going on with that but it seemed like every 2 or 3 weeks we were getting a new instructor. Which meant every new instructor would start over at the very beginning spending a whole class talking to my daughter, then the next one they would hold her and walk around the pool and look at the toys and then we would get a new instructor and start all over. The very first instructor we had was with my daughter long enough to actually get her head under the water but my daughter was never taught to actually swim. Then I started noticing the classes were becoming shorter and shorter. By the time we left we were getting about 17 minutes on average of instructor time. The last instructor my daughter had was pulling her around the pool, letting go of her (I'm guessing the first attempt in months to get her to swim) and letting her go under water. My daughter was so afraid she ended the class in tears and when we went back the next week and she saw that instructor she refused to get in the pool again, was hysterical and that ended out swimming journey. The instructors and front desk ladies all witnesses this melt down and I emailed them when I got home explaining the reason for it and that we would not be attending the final two classes I had paid for. I stated I thought all of this was outrageous since I had spent close to $500 on this school over the summer and my daughter had not learned how to float, let alone how to swim. They did reimburse the last two classes but there was no offer to reimburse my money or even half of it since they had failed to teach her anything. They did offer more swim classes which was basically a huge slap in my face and really showed me that they did not care what happened to my daughter. So I left VERY disappointed, out a significant amount of money and my daughter is terrified of pools now. read more

My son is doing the parent and me classes and so far we love it! However....We were doing our lesson while another instructor, Debra, was doing a private lesson. The poor boy was crying the whole time and I kept hearing her getting frustrated with him and even yelling at him. His mom was on her phone the whole time so I'm guessing she didn't hear her. I thought she was a family member until she rudely told me I was in her way while swimming with my son. I looked up the staff and saw she was an instructor and was shocked. I would recommend this place but Debra has no business working with children. read more

My 4 year old daughter had the best experience with Miss Deborah. She absolutely loved her and looked forward to her weekly lessons. We've had other instructors before at other swim schools, but no one had her swimming as well as Deborah. If you want a skilled and experienced instructor who delivers results, definitely go see Deborah! read more

We've been coming here for over a year and my kids still scream with excitement when I tell them it's Tuesday cuz Tuesday means it's swim class day!!! We started with Mr. Todd and my son absolutely adores him. We ended up leaving for Waterworks for their better shower facilities, however, my son didn't like any of the instructors there. We went through six instructors there (I kid you not) and he missed Mr. Todd. They even offered their best teacher there and my son wouldn't have it. So we returned and we are here to stay. He has such a gentle, approachable personality that doesn't seem too pushy. No my daughter swims with Todd as well. At home, they pretend to be Mr. Todd and give swimming lessons to their stuffed animals. It's the most adorable thing ever! The scheduling system could be more automated but other than that, it's such a familiar cozy home for my kids. They love all the toys to play with and it doesn't get too overcrowded during the weekday mornings while everyone is at school. read more

This swim school is really good. Our daughter is 2 1/2, she's taken 7 lessons now. She can go underwater and climb along the sides of the pool pretty much by herself now. Coach Josh is really good with her, and our daughter likes to go to the lessons which last 20-30 minutes each. He uses all kinds of toys to keep her attention, to motivate her, and to distract her when needed. My oldest daughter, who is now 25, also learned to swim here back when Foothill Ranch was a new community, and it was a good school back then too. All of the coaches do a good job. read more

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I had the pleasure of taking my Kids that I Nannied there for swim lessons. The staff was genuinely friendly and helpful. The swim coaches are knowledgeable and kind, my kids Loved swimming there. Swim lessons are a necessity to keeping our kids "water safe". Drowning is preventable. I recommend this swim school highly! read more

Although the lessons were decent, prices were quite high and customer service is severely lacking. While I was flexible with late instructors, etc., I was still treated very poorly. Cleanliness in the bathrooms was questionable. Will be going elsewhere. read more

I really wish we could have tried this place out, but the front office couldn't keep their confirmations straight and called me 30 minutes before the appointment to tell me I didn't confirm which I ended up forwarding them the proof of their response to my confirmation. This, to me, was very unprofessional and she had an unpleasant tone over the phone. Such an unfortunate and disappointing experience. read more

Our girls absolutely love their teacher Miss Brianna and are making progress learning to swim here.

My son loved his swim lessons with Miss Brianna! He had no experience in the water before we started (he hardly liked getting his head wet in the bath) and now he's a little fishy. I'm so impressed with how far he's come in a few months. We are so sad to be moving away but will always remember his first summer of lessons! read more

Great staff and always a wonderful experience! Facility welcomes kids and adults of all ages; many options on packages or single classes available. Such a fun environment!! Josh is a great instructor and incredibly patient while Paul's expertise and professionalism keeps clients coming back!! 5 starts across the board ! read more

We called in and attempted to schedule a lesson with coach Paul; however, were told he doesn't "accept new clients & hasn't accepted clients for a while"...We wanted to try this facility because on his profile it states he works with special needs children & wanted to have one coach who could train both of our daughters. Phone clerk said "we are all training to deal with that" (if you refer to children with Special Needs as "that", I highly doubt you have had any training). I wonder why that information is not listed on each of the coaches profile? Maybe add all of this on your website, so potential new clients are not patronized when asking questions. There are plenty of schools to chose from in our areas, I would recommend trying all others before calling here! read more

I am leaving one star only because the first person I spoke to was nice and helpful. **Disclaimer** I have not been able to attend this school because their scheduling system is designed to not accept new members. I tried to schedule a mommy and me class and was told the classes may be full and I will be put on a 2-4 week waitlist. I told the scheduler that I had an open schedule and will most likely be able to attend any of the morning classes they had available. Her response was before she could put a new member in a class she had to contact all the current members on the waitlist. So I asked if every class was full in the mornings and she responded no they were not. I then asked if they are not full why cannot join one (ANY ONE) that is open next week? Her response was every new member must wait 2-4 weeks while current members are contacted before they are able to join. I told her that this policy does not promote new business and I informed her I was thoroughly confused that if there were indeed openings, wouldn't the current members who wanted them be informed already and thus they should be open for new members? Needless to say, I will not be waiting 2-4 weeks while they decide if they want new business. On to the next. I recommend you do the same to send the message to the business about proper customer service and efficient schedule management. read more

My Daughter 3 yrs old has been going here for about 6 Months. She is shy with strangers and I was a little hesitant that she wouldn't commit and enjoy. Instructor Josh is great! He connects very well with our child and she looks forward to going to swim lessons every week. The last thing you want is to fight your kid to get ready, get in the car, and head to swim lessons. With Josh our child is waiting at the door ready and excited to go to every lesson! read more

My kids age 6 and 4 love this swim school. My daughter was very lucky to get Coach Deb. In two lessons she has already learned the front crawl as well as the back stroke and can dive. She wants to swim on Coach Deb's swim team and hopefully she will get there. My son is with Coach Conner who is also good, but on the waiting list for Coach Deb (she is stricter and I like her style). They attend once weekly and I truly feel although they can swim per say, there is something about learning the strokes and perfecting them. Fun and great environment. Quaint and a family. We are excited to see how they progress and most importantly seeing those smiles on their faces while having fun. read more

This swimming school is great for learning. The pool is water is really clean. Both my kids swim there and they never develop any problems. Coach Josh is great with kids, but his schedule is always full. read more

Great school. Our daughter went from being scared of going under water to swimming in 2 months!! Megan is a great instructor, very compassionate, patient and knows how to approach kids. Highly recommend this school. read more

I took my two boys here for 3 months. They only let me do mommy-and-me with my 2 year old even though he learned much better when just with the instructor. In the 5 minutes we actually got with the instructor; he did great, but it's way too expensive for just 5 minutes. My 3 (almost 4) year old loved his teacher, but didn't learn much, even with private lessons. I realize that kids learn at different rates and personality has a huge affect, but my boys are no closer to swimming nor being safe around the water after their time at Aquawave. I asked about teaching them to float, so they would know what to do in case of an accident, but the instructors weren't interested. Maybe it was just the wrong school for me and my kids. I need my children SAFE around the water, not just trying to kick behind a kickboard. We're taking our money elsewhere. read more

I have two girls who are almost 4 and 6, and we've been attending Aqua Wave for several months this year and also during last fall. I have to say hands down, they have the best interactive teachers who really engages with the kids and keeps them focused. My little one has sensory sensitivity disorder and she's ultra afraid of trying new things. But amazing instructors such as Lauren (but who moved away) and now Breanna are bringing water happiness into her life and turning her into a little fish. Just to name a few outstanding teachers: Maddie,Breanna, Matt, Andy, and Erica are amazing. What I really noticed is that if a student has another teacher for one time, that bond... is unending even if they are not their former teachers, their previous teachers are still concerned for my girls' progress. Thank you Andy and Maddie and Lauren. You all make swimming so fun, they are always laughing, yet most importantly learning to love swimming with skill! Thank you Aqua Wave!! read more

We are starting our third round of lessons over the last 5 years. Becky has been my son's teacher, she is great and my son loves her. It is not 5 stars because I do find it a bit expensive for the 20 minute lesson, I wish it was 30 minutes for the older kids. read more

This school is amazing. Over the last 8 years they've shown both our boys not only how to swim but proper swim technique and how to float. The owner even came in on his day off to do my sons junior lifeguards swim test with him! When compared to other swim schools their pricing is very fare and we had Mr. Josh who is gone now but we loved him and now my son has Ms Kristen and he loves her. There was only one instructor we didn't care for so we just asked for another and it was never an issue again :) We went to another place down the street like swim labs or something and had a terrible experience. If your looking for a reliable, good and happy place for your kiddo to learn how to swim this is it read more

You know when your kids' prayers at night always have, "...and thanks for our swim classes.." that you've found a great place. Let's face it when it comes to getting great instructors for kids, especially for swimming, comfort level is everything to be successful. Before Aqua Wave our 7 year old couldn't put his face under water for more than a few seconds and insisted on pinching his nose each time. Our 4 year old wouldn't even consider the thought of putting her head in the water so we knew this was going to be a challenge. Todd and Tami were great at immediately making our kids feel comfortable and after only a couple weeks we noticed big time improvement with our children. Two months into their lessons the kids are swimming across the pool, learning different strokes and thoroughly enjoy something that my wife and I thought the kids may equate to a visit to the dentist. The pool is indoors, heated, the facilities are clean, the staff are very friendly and the Skittles for the kids at the end of every session are nice touch too. Great place to bring the kids! read more

All three of my girls have been swimming here for a few years now, and have swam with pretty much every instructor at one point or another. They started out pretty timid and with no technique whatsoever- they always wore life jackets whenever they were around water. They are now very competent and confident swimmers. The monthly meets are an added bonus- it gives the kids a great competitive outlet and encourages them to want to swim better. Swim lessons can be pricey, but when your children are getting an essential life skill, and gaining more self esteem at the same time, the price you pay is MORE than worth it. read more

Been bringing my 18 month old here for 2 months now and love the teachers, facility and the atmosphere. I'm so grateful to have found a place that is so good with my slow-to-warm up child. My daughter is now giving high fives at the end of class and is making steady progress with her water safety. Thank you Aquawave for making learning to swim so amazing for me and my child. read more

My niece goes here and loves going, she gets so excited to go every week! Here instructors Todd and Brianna are amazing! She was not so excited about the water but by week two she was a mermaid and we literally can't get her outta the pool when we go! If you want a great swim school with amazing instructors and staff this is your place! read more