Another happy camper here! This time, the experience is for my daughter, and she had a blast…read morelearning about sailing, wind patterns, knot-tying, and teamwork. Hudson River Community Sailing Camp provided her with not only fun on the water but also a valuable educational experience in navigating and controlling a boat. If any parents are considering whether to bring their kids to this camp during the summer, I highly recommend it. The staff are incredibly kind, patient, and professional, making sure each child feels confident and supported on and off the water. My daughter came home excited each day, proud of her new skills and friendships.

Highly recommend the intro to sailing course. Went out on a sailboat with Andrew and three other…read morebeginners. Andrew explained the basics and then we hit the water to practice. Andrew was great at making sure each attendee actively participated in the sail, including steering. I look forward to my next course with HRCS.

I took a sailing class here. The duration is 5 hours. The instructor taught us how to tie knots,…read more how a sailboat works, and how to steer one. A guidebook was given out. The club organized a bbq for the students. We had lunch; afterward, we were paired up with sailboat owners. Thus, we were able to practice what we learned in class. If you always want to learn to sail, this is the perfect place. The members at this yacht club are nice people.

Wonderful waters for sailing, wonderful company to sail with, all sorts of activities, and a…read moremembership diverse in every way possible. Make your sailing dreams come true.

Row NY is awesome! I went for the first time this past Thursday and I got my A%# handed to me by…read moreDenise. The workout was what they promised, a full body workout! Everyone there is super nice and over all I had a great time and will be back. That said, $30 for an indoor rowing session that lasts 30 minutes in queens is a bit pricey. I will be back because I love to row, but most likely every other week due to the price. I wish they had a student discount, then I would be back every week for sure!

I recently took the learn to row class with row New York. The beautiful boathouse is located in a…read moreserene nook of upper Manhattan. The boat and related equipment in good condition. Experienced Mel and her team are a wealth of knowledge, professional are top notch skillfully balancing making safety a priority while still having fun. I so grateful for Row NY!

what an awesome way to spend the morning! This was my sons and I first time trying paddle boarding…read moreand the instructor was fabulous. so patient and informative. we will definitely be doing this when we visit rockaway again.

Hank was amazing with my kids and they really enjoyed his teaching. We will definitely be back!read more

TLDR, if you're on the fence- TAKE THE INTRO TRAPEZE CLASS! These classes *are* available to the…read morepublic - you do not need to be a trained professional. Circus Academy NY (formerly Trapeze School NY) was an incredible place to take my first trapeze class. Did their Thursday afternoon class @ Pier 40 yesterday from 6-8 PM and all 3 instructors - Yiannis, Ross, and Stuart - were knowledgeable, friendly, and made me feel safe. Special shout out to Yiannis for his sense of humor and warmth! I liked that all instructors gave detailed guidance, patiently answered questions, and then demo'ed the sequence. I especially appreciated that if students didn't feel comfortable flipping or being caught mid-air, the instructors encouraged everyone but didn't pressure anyone to do something if the student wasn't feeling it. I lived in NY for years and my only regret is not having taken regular classes here while I was still here. LOVED the experience and I intend on taking a class every time I'm visiting NY! A few notes on logistics for Pier 40 classes: -arrive 10-15 min early to change, check into your class, and get fitted into your harness -to reach the class, take the elevator to the third floor and walk through the parking lot towards the turf soccer field, you'll see the huge trapeze structure -there's a changing room, water, also cliff bars and sunscreen available for purchase on the roof (third floor) -bathrooms are on the second floor

Tried flying trapeze for the first time and with a big fear of heights, came out swinging and…read moreflying through the air, and got to do an advanced trick where I swung and grabbed the instructors' arms! What a great experience, I'm still soaking in how cool and accessible this class was. What made the experience was how well thought-out the teaching experience is, and how passionate the instructors are at correcting your form and helping you succeed in such a brief time. This is truly a school. Some of the people helping me were Hal, Aaron, Allie. They have a great system to get you set up with safety, get you hooked, and help you through the tricks as you get a feel for swinging through the air. I felt I could put my complete trust to them as they called out for my next move, and could focus on getting the trick right. The time flies fast, and your time on the trapeze is fast-paced so make sure you're warmed up and ready to swing your legs onto the bar that you're holding with your hands. The only downside is that the amount of times you get to go up the ladder depends on how many people are also in the class with you, since it's an individual sport (I got to fly three times). I would highly recommend!

I am in my early 30s and have a fear of water. Though I know it is possible I just could not bring…read moremy legs to come up and move around in the pool. I was encouraged by my husband to learn how to swim again after a bad experience from swimming lessons when I was a child. I contacted Lori and one statement she said stuck to me, "You will not be afraid, if you have an exit strategy." She put me in touch with Craig and when we met up for my first lesson, he just said: "As long as you trust me and trust yourself, I can probably get you to float during your first lesson." I honestly thought that he was quite ambitious. I had a two hour lesson and Craig spent the first part of the lesson getting me comfortable in the water and explaining to me theoretically how the water can work to your favor. I told Craig that my biggest fear was the front float as I was extremely uncomfortable with my face in the water. He explained to me that when I take my makeup off and wash my face in the shower at night, I had to hold my breath. He told me to treat it as it was the same routine. I held my breath and dunked my face in the water knowing that he was right there. Then, he proceeded to hold my hand and told me to try again and this time lifting my legs up. Lastly, he said, "When you first saw me, you gave me a hug...I assumed you liked me enough, that's why you leaned forward to give me a hug." "Why don't you try again, come towards me...trust me I won't let anything happen to you." And I guess, that was it...I looked at him, held my breath, and leaned in towards him and there it was I floated...just like that. I had a total of 4 (2 hour long) lessons with Craig. Currently, I am able to partially do the breast stroke, free-style, and float on my front and back. I've still got lots to work on and plan to continue my swimming journey with Craig, but I never knew I was able to do it until Lori and Craig encouraged me that I can. If you are an adult with a fear of water, but is eager to learn how to swim, please consider Aqua Skills. If you trust Craig/Lori and yourself, you can definitely do it.

I learned enough here to enjoy some shallow pool swimming, which I'm truly grateful for,…read moreconsidering how I wouldn't even set foot in a pool before taking these classes. However, for the price, I could've probably learned much more elsewhere. Most of the instructors here are great; patient, friendly, and professional. But I'm sorry to have to join in the chorus with others and agree that the owner, Lori, is a terror. She sets a hostile environment, constantly screaming at her boyfriend, Craig, and interrupting lessons. The way that she communicates with her staff is simply weird and disrespectful. I've heard her disparage the instructors to students. Other times, I'll hear her TALK TO HERSELF out loud and say things like, "I''ve been doing this for 15 years, I know what I'm talking about, no need to make a big deal about this" - - the look on her employees' faces after these bizarre statements is one of resignation and confusion, because they must be used to her passive aggressive style, yet bewildered by her snide remarks. I'm not describing constructive criticism expressed harshly, I'm describing a woman who gossips and complains about her employees to students. So everyone is minding their own business, teaching and learning, and then out of nowhere she'll just scream at Craig, or say something snarky to/about her instructors for no apparent reason. One time, Craig, who was really kind to me, mentioned that I should come in ten minutes earlier just to warm up. I thought that was nice, so I did. I'm in the pool, and I see Lori get out and go to Craig and loudly complain to him how it's not okay to allow students to start early. It was passive aggressive and rude. I arrived 10 minutes early only once, and only because Craig offered. But even if he was mistaken, it would have been fine if she simply just told me that they couldn't accommodate. The pool can be busy. I get it; too many people in the pool would be disruptive to students who paid for their sessions. Instead, she chose the childish tantrum route and talked about me in front of me. This made me so uncomfortable that I wanted to quit immediately. I stayed because I was determined to learn. You will see from her response below that she's not one for healthy conflict resolution or professional propriety. It is disturbing how she lies as a defense. It means a lot to customers when they see that an owner cannot own up to a mistake. See photo of screenshot I posted: Lori edited her comments to my review 21 times. Each iteration more bizarre and divorced from reality than before. Obsessing over her response is not only creepy but the end result becomes contrived. Does it take 21+ attempts to make herself appear right? It became almost humorous so I took screenshots of her versions of alternate realities. She kept erasing her comments after I called out each lie. Thanks to all former students who messaged me to support my review. It's true that Lori is her own worst enemy. I would have left my review at 3 stars had she not been so relentlessly vindictive. Those who are ambivalent about this place can find many more testimonials on the TimeOut New York site: https://www.timeout.com/newyork/sport-fitness/aqua-skills#tab_panel_4

TLDR: Friendly staff, small personalized lessons, and overall pleasant learning experience…read more I cannot recommend Ocean Olympia enough! From day one, the staff was super friendly and made me feel right at home. My instructor, Raymond, took the time to understand what I needed and personalized every lesson to help me improve in the shortest amount of time. I made more progress in a few lessons than I thought I would, and I felt so supported the whole time. I've recommended this place to friends and if you're also looking to learn to swim, this is your place. 5 stars!

My stepdaughter has been receiving swim lessons at Ocean Olympia swim school since December 2023…read more Benedick and Raymond are excellent instructors and are the reason she has made such great progress (moving from a beginner to an advanced beginner swimmer) in a relatively short time. The classes are small, which allows for more individualized attention to be given to each person. Everything is well run and very organized. Classes start and finish on time. They offer class to children of all ages, adults, and people with special needs. They are conveniently located at a high-school in Cambria Heights with plenty of street parking.

Most everyone is friendly and professional, but one instructor has a harsh, punitive tone and an…read moreoverly controlling attitude, that does not add to the positive and safe atmosphere where learning happens. It's just summer swimming, not paramedics out on an emergency, and the clients are kids.

I came here every other week for intermediate drills class. This place is awesome since there arent…read moretoo many places to take swimming class in manhattan. If u r a swimmer like me you would feel the whole world just become so DRY without swim laps in a pool. I took Ian's class. He is funny and sarcastic some times but funny overall. He would ask what your goal is before taking the class and design ur own strokes/practices based on your need. The only downside is i sign up for classes through classpass and they only offer mon tues wednes 7:45pm on classpass.