I don't recommend Propel. Zero customer service. if you have an issue, thats it thats all, deal…read morewith it, they couldnt care less. Not responsible for quality of Instructor. Its luck of the draw. and if you get a crappy instructor, you pay anyway. 2 day cancellation policy or pay for lesson in full. Can't close your account or opt out of emails. No matter how many times you change your settings, you still get emails. Way better options out there. I'm done with these guys and don't recommend them.

Poor communication, no way to contact instructor, if you want to contact propel it's only by…read moremessaging and takes more than 2 days. We booked our first lesson after pandemic for my daughters on that snow storm day, Vancouver traffic was a mass, the road to that Port Coquitlam pool was unreachable, there's a narrow curvy and very steep road leading to that pool, and cars and trucks are sliding down hill. Propel must known that since it's their location, but there was NO way to contact Propel or the instructor throughout the day. When they finally get back to me many days later they said they're just a platform, so they don't care about anything, students and instructor safety are not their concern, as long as they're getting their share of the fee. Very disappointed, my first time and last time.

I'm not convinced Aquaventures is worth what they charge (4x the cost of community pools' lessons)…read more After many years of lessons at the community pools, my kid was just not getting the hang of crawl with proper breathing. Her school classmates' parents recommended Aquaventures or Atlantis, as they are much more hands-on, so we sucked up the cost and signed her up for Aquaventures. We have liked that the instructors actually touch and manipulate the kids' arms and legs to help them learn -- there's more focus on proper technique. (The community centre approach at her age is to have them jump in and struggle through it -- the instructor often isn't even in the pool with them.) The teachers for the two sets we've done have also seemed good, and my kid has improved, although not in leaps and bounds. Otherwise I don't feel we're getting our money's worth. The pool and facilities are cramped and old (though this may change with a new facility they're building). It's a small pool, and with 5 or 6 classes for all ages going on at once, it's pandemonium. There's no way for the kids to build endurance or swim for more than 5-10 m at a stretch. They also have to close the pool fairly often, on a moment's notice, for issues with filtration, etc. (This has happened twice now, in 13 weeks of classes. You get a refund but your kid loses the instruction / consistency.) The dressing rooms and seating area are all dumpy and crowded. There are not enough chairs for all the parents and grandparents that turn up. There is free parking but the parking lot is generally full. And for all the extra money, the kids don't get any more time with the instructor that at the community centres. Lessons are only 2/3 the length of those at the community centres (30 min, instead of 45) and there are still 4 kids in each class (vs 6). That works out to 7.5 minutes of instructor attention per kid at both. Honestly the only difference is that the attention at Aquaventures is more hands-on. (For babies, there is no difference whatsoever in what you get at the community centres and Aquaventures. And many of the community pools have warm toddler pools. The only difference is the cost.) Registration is not great, but it is better than the community centres. At least those currently in lessons get priority and their servers don't get slammed at 9:00:01 on registration day. Overall: Good, hands-on teaching with a focus on technique. But overpriced.

I barely have time to shower in my life but I felt compelled to take a moment to write this review…read more My son who is 4 just did his first aquaventures class series. 5 days each week for 2 weeks. I want to say that his instructor Sandra was FANTASTIC. She is just so great with kids- gently brushing their hair out of their eyes when they come up from getting their faces wet, adjusting their little goggles, and taking the time to praise them each time they completed a game. My son needs a little bit of encouragement out of his comfort zone in the water, and I feel like she was the first person to achieve that with him. Even on his off days, she somehow got him in the pool! I should also say she was incredibly patient with the kids too when they had trouble listening. My kid went from not being able to get his face wet, to jumping from a platform into the water in 2 weeks!! He is constantly talking about swimming. The registration process was a bit confusing to navigate at first but we figured it out. Facilities were a bit run down but it didn't bother us and they have a new location opening up next year! Hands down, I would recommend this program and Sandra in particular. I feel like my son has developed in leaps and bounds and we have signed up for fall classes even though they are soooo expensive. I pay what it takes because to me, learning to swim is life and death so it's worth the money to have these people teach your kid to swim. 5 stars for sure.

Diogo is a very personable swimming teacher. He knows a lot about swimming mechanics and how to…read moremake it more efficient. He explains very clearly and is very patient. He works very hard and is a very good listener and very approachable. Highly recommended.

I highly recommend Diogo for swimming lessons! I'm an adult and I never swam before. I panicked…read morejust thinking about getting into a pool. But this year I decided that I would overcome this fear and that's when I met Diogo!! He is very patient and made me feel comfortable and safe since my first lesson. It is very easy to understand the instructions and when I don't get something, he demonstrates even if it is a simple movement. In classes we always train different movements so it is not monotonous or tiring. By the second lesson I could already float and move in the pool. And the progress I've seen in 3 weeks is unbelievable. Now I can say that I really enjoy when I'm into the water!! Thank you so much, Diogo!!

Some instructors gossip about the members behind their back. Unfortunately, this reveals their low…read morelevel of professionalism and lack of emotional maturity. Class is never acquired or learned, it is ingrained from childhood.

Fun place to go great service Brianna is the best so go do it great place to lose some weightread more

This was an absolutely one of my best experiences - the passion, patience, coaching, guiding of…read moreStewart and Alex was exceptional - I really loved each session. Each week I would look forward to getting in the water and learning more - and practice more! I have come from place of feeling so uncomfortable in the water - to now wanting to get in at every opportunity - if you are sitting on the fence about taking lessons - do it - and take these classes you will not regret it.

I took the beginner open water course while training for my first triathlon. Having mostly swam in…read morea pool/recreationally in the ocean, this course was super helpful in ensuring I had the knowledge of what to look for and how I should expect my body/breathing to behave while swimming bigger distances in open water. Coach Stewart and Coach Joe were super knowledgeable and helpful. They took the time to make sure you were comfortable and gave great feedback for improvement. 10/10 would recommend taking a Swim Smart course for anyone looking to broaden their open water skills!

This was a great timeout for our 3 boys on our summer visit . The lifeguards are attentive and keep…read morean eye out on the rec swimmers. The entry fees were very reasonable compared to USA rates for public swimming pools. The boys enjoyed the lazy river , the diving boards , hot tub in the indoor pool. They do have an outdoor pool as well. Highly recommended.

This facility is great! We did a family morning at the pool on a weekday when the rest of the city…read morewas in school. Aside from lap swimmers, the leisure side of the pool complex was a mix of preschool-aged kids and retirees soaking in the large jacuzzi. There is a shallow and large wading pool for kids to play, a lazy river with a quieter small pool in the center, and then a large hot tub. The jacuzzi and wading pools have a stairs as well as a gently sloped ramp for entry, which is an inclusive way of building a pool as well as fun for the kids. There are a few toys available (balls, pool noodles) and plenty of life jackets for the kids. There are a good number of lifeguards who seemed reasonable. I didn't use them, but there is also a steam room and a sauna. Large locker rooms have plenty of lockers, changing rooms, shower space, sinks, and toilets. Soap is provided but no other products (shampoo, lotion).

Nice chill swimming pool and diving boards, basketball hoop and rope swing. Always quiet and not a…read morelot of people there. Clean changing and washrooms pretty nice 8/10

Love this place. Reasonable daily fee and water was in great condition. Some lane business however…read moreeasy to get in an go as circle swimming is the norm. Wish I could go here every day!

yesterday I was at the rec center for some therapy. I use…read morethe steam room, hot tubs and therapy pool. I also do rehab on my shoulder in the tiny lap pool. I was in the steam room and two guys came in. One was 'training for a fight' and had to lose 5lbs in a day and made sure everyone in there knew about this. These guys started barking orders at people, and talking at people, that didn't want to be spoken to. I asked them to please be quiet in the steam room because the staff never did anything about it. At first I asked the lifeguards (3 different ones) to get a handle of the situation. They didn't. So when I asked these young men to please be quiet. I got an earful of insults. "why are you such a c.. " " you miserable human being" " when was the last time someone .... you good" "you must be depressed, you should just die" and the list goes on.. (the irony is I am clinically depressed, and this is not what I need at a community rec center) Not one single staff member or lifeguard took control of this. I left there.. more miserable than I did walking in. This is a facility for therapy, this is a facility for family and kids.This is a place for people to come and relax, and you know. rehabilitate.. it's what it's meant for. This is not a place for professional trainers to come to and start barking orders at other patrons to follow suit to his needs I am completely turned off at how the staff handled this, and that excessive talking and loud mouths are even ALLOWED to be acting like that in a steam room, or just act like that at the facility. I didn't come here to listen to your life problems. Not only that I was insulted over and over again until I had to remove myself from the situation. So I never got to do my physical therapy I am required to do right now for my shoulder. IF the guy was trying to lose 5 lbs in one way for a fight. This to me sounds like a personal problem, and someone didn't do their proper training. Instead we all got stressed out by this guy that wouldn't shut up about himself and his needs the entire time. He's probably not going to do well on that fight either. You can't lose 5 lbs in a steam room in one day. I might never come here again and take the longer journey to west van rec center just to avoid this awful experience/feeling and the fact that the staff doesn't do anything about this reckless behaviour.

5 stars for fun factor for kids. -3 stars for idiotic north…read morevan rec staff who DEMAND full pool fees be paid if your child splashes in just the tot pool while watching their sibling learn to swim and wait for their turn. NVR should be ashamed of themselves for bleeding parents for more money. One mom spent over $100 to have their child splash in the tot pool while waiting for their brother. Shame on you north van rec. for being utter bone heads over a kids splashing for 30 minutes. Bring your wallet to north van pools where common sense does not exist.