Very friendly instructors and staff. Accommodative. James, Alex, and all the other coordinators are…read moregreat to work with. My kids had no prior swimming experience, and they loved it. The only negative thing about this particular place is it is shared. It is inside the LA Fitness.

From the owner: British Swim School offers year-round swim lessons and water safety lessons for infants, kids, and…read moreadults, with learn to swim programs starting as early as 3 months. Located inside LA Fitness - Ballantyne, we welcome both gym members and non-members to enjoy a convenient, indoor setting where swimmers build real water safety skills through our gentle, survival-first teaching approach. For more than 45 years, families have trusted our proven curriculum, small group swim lessons, and supportive instructors to help swimmers grow in confidence at every age and ability level. Private swim lessons are available at select locations. Start building lifelong water confidence today.

There are a number of swimming instruction services in the Charlotte area and having used others we…read moreprefer the Charlotte Swim Academy. Classes are one-on-one with children from 18 months on up learning to swim, dive, float and overall learn how to be safe and survive in water. The instructors are almost all young ladies who stay in the water with your child, taking through their paces. A very sweet bunch, all neatly groomed and personable. Our grandchildren LOVE their instructors and the instructors reciprocate. Instructors pride themselves as family extensions helping in this one particular area of leaning. There are changing rooms with showers and toilets and from there you hand off your child to their instructor for a 30 minute session. Then you and any other people with you go into an observation room where you can watch through the glass wall. When the session is over you reverse the process, picking up your child, showering, re-dressing and leaving. There is also a "toy room" with books, blocks and other child safe materials for self-entertainment while they are waiting. Very clean, efficient, friendly and professional operation. You will leave each time with a slightly damp, but happy child.

I cannot say enough positive things about Charlotte swim academy. My son literally would not leave…read morethe stairs of the pool this summer. Within 5 private lessons, he is swimming on his own and floating on his own as well. He goes under water and has gained so much confidence. I honestly cannot believe this is the same child from this past summer. His instructor is so patient and kind with him. We drive over 40 minutes for his weekly lesson and it is worth every minute and penny!!

There seems to be no order in which they teach skills. There should be a progression as the student…read moregains confidence with the teacher but during the second lesson she just submerged my child. Also, the young teacher didn't interact with the students or even seem to enjoy them. To top it all off they put my credit card on auto renewal without my knowledge, after only two lessons!

This swim school has been amazing for us! We started out at the YMCA but they kept putting her on…read moreflotation devices which didn't really give our daughter a sense of being able to swim on her own. Once Goldfish opened up we quickly jumped on board. The instructors are great, Jaime is a wonderful leader (and sometimes dabbles in instruction herself), the facility is clean and the staff are friendly. I've read complaints about students not being moved up as quickly as parents would like. We appreciated the timing of it all. We never felt she was rushed to the next level without being ready for it. The communication about this was also on point. We knew where her progress was at the end of each lesson. She was earning those ribbons! It has been such a great experience we are continuously referring families to join and once they do, they love it just as much as us.

We started with little otter when my son was only 11 months old. We took a break during Covid. Now…read morewe have been attending lessons for the past year and a half. Miss Greta is my son's instructor, she is amazing. She is very patient with my son. She is very encouraging with him And he looks forward to seeing her every week! His skills have improved, he went from being afraid of the water to now swimming under the water, using goggles, holding his breath very well, having very good technique, swimming with his arms and kicking with his feet. we have enjoyed little otter thus far and we superduper love Miss Greta!!! Andra

We started each of our two children with lessons here beginning they were 6 months old. Our…read more2-year-old can swim very short distances independently and looks forward to swimming every single week! We love Miss Maddie and all of the staff. The process to schedule makeup classes when you have to miss a class is super simple. The app has great functionality and they are always helpful at the front desk or over the phone.

Joe Gaydeski and his staff are absolutely amazing. My scuba journey began as a gift from my wife…read more She knew my passion for diving and as a gift ,she purchased lesson at OWA. In the beginning, she researched local dive shops and talked to a close friend regarding the best place to teach Scuba Lessons. She found OWA to be the best choice for certification. OWA was highly recommended by her friends and she purchased dive lessons as my Christmas present. As I began my lessons in March 2020, I was amazed at the hands-on approach of Joe and his team.They assured myself and the class would be prepared for not only being certified but aware of risks associated with diving. This approach made me more confident in the underwater adventures that lied ahead. As I completed my written exam and set forth for in the open water portion of my certification, my wife was able to attend. She witnessed the compassion and detail of the instructors in completing the necessary open water dive skills. Once I became certified, we both commented on the leadership of Joe and his staff. I feel I not only became certified but, gained friendships in my new world of diving. Joe has 30 years of experience in diving and his staff are also very knowledgeable and are not afraid to ask question if they don't know the answer. Thank you Joe and Staff, Adrian and Jodi Hill

I didn't know what to expect from the folks at Open Water Adventures, to be honest. When you go…read moreinto a dive shop, you can get anywhere from seasoned expert to hobbyist trying to make a quick buck. Open Water Adventures in Charlotte is definitely the former. Joe, who I'm learning now is the owner, gave me his cell number so we could stay in contact about my upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands--a destination he's visited six times, if memory serves. He wants to put me in touch with his contacts there for tours, lodging, the works. That's the kind of out-of-the-ordinary service I wouldn't have expected but received anyway. Honestly, everyone in the place was outstanding. I made my appointment and paid with Marcela, did paperwork with Meghan, and trained with Anthony (Li'l Momoa) for my diving refresher course. Things were a little harried at first, but I didn't think I'd be able to finish this course in a couple of hours, so I cleared my schedule. As usual, it's a question of expectation vs. delivery. I think the quality of equipment, expertise, and instruction are well worth the time spent making sure ducks were in a row and all was prepared exactly right. Safety comes first--diving is a fun time, but it carries its share of dangers. Learning how to avoid them isn't something I'd prefer rushed. I want to know it all very well before I go giant striding into open water. Diving isn't a cheap pastime. But it's one that will be incredibly rewarding if preparation and equipment are in order. And I feel as though Open Water Adventures knows that and puts it into practice.

I can't recommend Tia & First Stroke Aquatics enough! The instructors are amazing--super friendly,…read morepatient, and really know how to make swimming fun while still teaching proper technique and safety. You can tell they genuinely care about every student, no matter their age or skill level. The classes are well-organized, and you always leave feeling like you've made real progress. It's especially great for kids--my girls absolutely love going every week and they have gained so much confidence in the water. If you're thinking about signing up for swim lessons, I definitely recommended First Stroke. You won't be disappointed!

As a mother of busy toddler twin boys, water safety/swim lessons was at the top of our list of must…read morehaves. My husband has always loved the water and is a great swimmer so we knew when the time was right, we would enroll our boys in lessons. Unfortunately, our plans to begin the process were derailed with the pandemic but as 2021 ushered in safe options we hopped right on it. Initially, we chose a brick and mortar school but quickly realized that our needs weren't being met. Frustrated but eager to find an option that felt more personal, I found Tia and First Stroke Mobile Swim School. I was interested in the 1:1 option and that she came to you. It sounded like a win-win and it was also important that my children saw themselves reflected in the water which isn't always the case for African Americans. During our initial conversation, Tia asked about my sons and what were our goals. It was during that conversation that I mentioned I wanted to become a swimmer as well. It had been more than a decade since I stepped foot in a pool and I didn't know where to start. So, we scheduled our consultation and immediately following the three of us were signed up. Our plans included six lessons each and with every lesson we became more confident and comfortable in the water. Tia was flexible when needed and the boys absolutely loved her. In the end, they learned key skills for water safety and I became a swimmer! We cannot wait for our next season with First Stroke because our first was truly life changing. If you are in the market for swim lessons that are personalized, fun, and effective please consider making First Stroke Mobile Swim your top option. You'll be so glad you did. Thank you!

Instructors had their hands on my children so much during the lessons -picking up a child under…read morearmpits to move them from one foot to the other in the water when they could already swim, helping with form more than necessary, and just generally touchy enough that my young children felt uncomfortable in the water. I did address this with staff and when instructors would switch, it would happen again even more so than before. Very young children need this guiding but older elementary school kids self conscious of their bodies don't want hands on them the whole lesson-especially by a young male. I also felt they really didn't progress to the level they needed in a timely manner. I found the staff extremely defensive of feedback from parents. I don't care that you believe in your program. If a child is uncomfortable that speaks volumes.

My son has bounced around from place to place until now. Swim Mac is incredible. Your child will…read morereally learn the appropriate technique of swimming the right way. The staff is impressive, always "on deck" watching, coaching, suggesting. My child has improved every lesson- it's incredible. Low ratio of instructors to kids, safe, clean and you might see some Olympians!!

Super cool for the little swimmers of the world!…read more They offer classes for all ages of kids and babies. Parents can be in the water with the child until age 2 or so which is nice so the child feels more safe and isn't distracted by wanting to be with the parents instead of learning to swim with a stranger. There is a changing area and a cool speed drying station for the wet clothes and suits. A small play area is in the room that allows kids to play while waiting for before the lesson. Tiered seating is nice for the parent and friends who are watching outside the pool. The whole facility has a floor to ceiling Window and door between the pool and everything else. that keeps this place safe to keep kids out until it's their time and also inviting for the adults or friends watching while kids are getting lessons.

Very difficult to work with on make up classes. I scheduled a make up class and wanted to switch to…read morean earlier time on the same day that wasn't initially available. They refused to switch it, citing they would have to do it for everyone. I find this to not be a family friendly policy. Also I wouldn't sign up for classes with them again as I haven't seen as much progress with my son as I would like. Every class is the exact same even after my son has mastered some of the skills. They also won't teach him in his current class how to use his arms to swim.