Nancy has been great to work with! She is literally the reason why I've overcome my fear of being in the water. Having worked with her for about three months, I am able to get in the water and feel comfortable swimming. By no means am I a professional just yet, seeing that I could only work with her for about three months because I am currently experiencing a challenging pregnancy and have had to postpone my lessons until after I deliver, but I am confident her skills, patience, and instruction will eventually get me there once I continue on with my lessons post-delivery. Overall I would highly recommend Nancy to anybody because of her experience and expertise. She is the only person I trust. My son has been taking swimming lessons with her as well, and is able to dive right into a pool and swim without any hesitation. He loves swimming! read more

Nancy aka "Miss Mermaid" has been helping train our daughter in competitive swimming for the past several years. Her speed and technique are improving in every stroke with every lesson, and we're seeing the results in her times at meets. She evaluates at each lesson, then focuses on what she sees as an area for improvement which can improve time and/or efficiency. She's also very good about making recommendations for cardio and resistance training exercises, and which muscle groups on which to focus effort, in order to directly benefit swimming, and which local swim teams could be a good fit for further improvement. If your child/pre-teen/teen, or you as a competitive adult in Ironman or other training, want a top-class, no-nonsense instructor with the experience and active involvement in the sports, you need look no further. She will be straight forward with your swimmer on what they need to do to improve, but doesn't push it past the point of being "over the top" like some of the instructors we tried tend to do. She knows how to be tough, and nice about it. She's inspirational rather than threatening. We did try the rest, and have been very fortunate to find Nancy. read more

I cannot recommend these swim lessons higher. In the past, I did swim lessons for my oldest starting at newborn age almost every summer through group lessons at community settings. When she turned 4, I switched to Miss Mermaid because I thought she should be further along. That summer she grew leaps and bounds. First time she actually learned HOW TO SWIM. I have done lessons with Miss Mermaid for 2 summers now and don't plan on going anywhere else for my kids! She is so knowledgeable and truly cares about the whole child. Their swim safety, development and comfort with the water. read more

We are so blessed to have found Miss Mermaid! After two years of ISR and a few classes at EVO I had zero confidence that our little one was safe in the water. After one 30 minute session with Miss Mermaid he displayed more confidence and ability than he had in the previous two years combined. Every week he masters a new skill and his confidence grows. I wish I could give Nancy more than 5 stars! She has been doing this a long time and it shows. She is highly skilled and extremely qualified. She is fabulous with children and knows just what to do and say to get them engaged. Our little guy LOVES his time with her and everyday asks "how many more days until we go to Miss Mermaid's?" We couldn't be happier! read more

Miss Mermaid is not just a catchy name. Nancy is a phenomenal instructor and is CERTIFIED! So many "swim schools" out there have zero qualifications to be teaching such an important skill set. She has a full background check out for all to see, her certifications hanging on the wall, and that's just the logistic end of things. She has helped my 3 kids(1.5 & 5 year old twins) to be water savvy. They love her and we are so happy to have found a legitimate swim and safety instructor. Her pool is always clean and it's salt water so no harsh chlorine. She is exceptional. I had shy'd away from taking my kids to waterparks, pool parties, etc because there are 3 of them and 1 of me. Not anymore! Bring on the water fun. Highly recommend. read more

I found Ms Mermaid's school online. I decided to give it a try since the big swim centers out there weren't doing anything to improve my children's water safety and skills after paying a ton with minimal results. She is so knowledgeable and qualified to teach all aspects of swimming and safety. She is also a very kind and understanding person. She has made her back two rooms by the pool accessible for families to stay cool and change or go to the bathroom when needed. It is a much more personal one on one approach which I love! My kids have been going for a couple months now and have improved so much. I love Nancy, her pool, her dogs and her wonderful way of teaching. Do yourself a favor and book your lessons! It's worth it!! read more

This is the place to go if you want your child to learn how to be water safe and learn how to swim quickly. She is serious and focuses on your child. The prices are fair for a private lesson. She teaches them methodically and correctly. My kids are 5 and 8 and have grown so much in a short amount of time. Cannot recommend Nancy, aka Miss Mermaid enough! read more

My son has been taking private lessons from Miss Mermaid and his swimming has improved so much! His technique is amazing and he is so much faster. He has been doing summer swim team and he used to come in last place, but now he is getting 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place ribbons (and they are close races) and he is so happy! Now he feels confident enough to join his high school swim team, which has been his goal. Thank you so much, Miss Mermaid!! read more

Our 6 yr old daughter has had lessons with a few other teachers throughout the years (including ISR) and has always been so scared of swimming until Miss Mermaid aka Nancy! She starting going to her in June of 2017 and continued till November. Swim safety is most important to Nancy which she's able to teach very well along with proper swim technique. Our daughter has been asking all winter when it's time to go back to Miss Mermaid. We would never take her to anyone else again! She'll be swimming with Miss Mermaid as long as she wants to. We'll be starting back again in a few weeks! read more

I have to tell you what a phenomenal swim teacher/instructor Ms. Nancy is. She has helped my children with their swimming techniques and made them such great swimmers. If your looking for that person that pays attention to details she is the one! read more

I don't write a lot of reviews but I really felt the need in this case to let other parents know about Nancy's course. Like the previous reviewer, our son struggled at commercial swim schools. He was not progressing and the instructors were content to let him practice the same 3 or 4 things week after week, never pushing him to do more. We'd sit there frustrated, behind the glass, watching him treat the class as social time. After months of lessons, our 5 year old still lacked the confidence to float unassisted. Well we just had our 5th lesson with Nancy yesterday and I am thrilled to say that not only is he floating unassisted, he can flip over and float on his front and his back. It's taking time to "unlearn" the improper techniques he had developed with his other lessons but he is gradually learning how to breathe properly, how to float, and how to tread water. Basic survival techniques that were not taught at any of his previous lessons. Nancy is a wonderful instructor who knows how to get the best out of him. She keeps the lessons entertaining and challenging. She doesn't allow him to get away with half measures. She will stop him if she sees him doing an exercise improperly. She explains to him why she is stopping him and why she wants him to do it the way she does. When he finally executes the move perfectly, BOY DOES SHE CELEBRATE IT and I can see his face fill with pride at his accomplishment! Best of all, now that we are able to actually hear what is going on, we can better replicate and reinforce her lessons in our own pool. I didn't think we could afford private lessons but now that I see the difference in the level of instruction and how much can be accomplished in a short amount of time, I feel sick when I think about the $$$ we wasted at the big name swim schools. read more

Highly recommend Nancy and her Miss Mermaid Swim School. We have two boys 8 & 10 and while they took swim lessons elsewhere when they were younger for water safety we wanted to get them more stroke and technique lessons. Despite being on swim team the previous summer I didn't feel they had a good foundation. We heard about Miss Mermaid from friends who also attend and I couldn't have been more pleased. As a former competitive swimmer myself I could tell right off the bat Nancy knows her stuff!!! My boys like that she talks to them straight and doesn't dum things down and after seeing all her accomplishments she's legend status in their eyes. Not only have they come a long way in their stoke improvements but she also continually enforces good water safety skills, which I didn't think mine needed and they are extremely water proficient but once she worked with them I could see how helpful these skills are especially for swimming in the ocean or large bodies of water where fatigue can set in. I have never met another coach so passionate about both water skills and stroke work, she's truly a gem and cannot recommend her enough. read more

I had my child enrolled at Evo Swim School for 6 months and saw absolutely no progress. So I started searching for a new swim school. But most of them sounded very similar to Evo and I didn't want to lose another 6 months to wasted time and money. Finally I came across Miss Mermaid Swim School on Yelp and it sounded different from the other schools. So I gave it a try, and I am glad I did! I noticed on the very first lesson the difference in what was being taught and how it was being taught. By the third lesson, I was amazed to see my child float independently, "glide" across the pool using a proper kick, attempt diving to the bottom (like to pick up a toy), and learning how to tread water. Wow!! Three lessons! And at Evo, 6 months of lessons and none of those skills. I am delighted, and so is my child! Miss Mermaid (Nancy), the instructor, has a boatload of qualifications and certifications which built my confidence in her knowledge, and watching her in action and my child's progress has been awesome. This swim school is worth every penny! read more

"Ms. Nancy", as my son calls her, is an amazing swim teacher! The one-on-one instruction bears no comparison to the typical local swim schools. There is no sitting on the wall for most of the class while waiting for your turn. There is no playing at the sidelines disengaged. It is straight instruction all the time. Your children will come MUCH further in their skill level and comfort level in the water MUCH faster with "Ms. Mermaid". Nancy is kind, firm and consistent -- qualities of an excellent teacher. Also, her pool is a heated salt water pool. My son has a significant sensitivity to chlorine and would be sneezing constantly and covered in a rash within minutes of the typical pools. In Nancy's pool, no sneezing, no rash. I couldn't be happier with the instruction and environment at Miss Mermaid's Swim School. read more

Our 6-yr.-old daughter has been in 3 swim schools in 2 states on & off since she was 6 mos. old. By far, she has learned more about proper technique and water safety from Miss Mermaid than from anyone else. Her progress has grown by leaps and bounds in the four months we've been with her so far, and that reassures us that she can be in & around pools with no fear. Nancy's extensive athletic background, broad experience and deep love for what she does are the perfect combination for our (and any) child's swim education! read more

I am a retired first and second grade teacher. After observing Nancy teach swim lessons a few years ago I knew with complete certainty she was the one for our granddaughter from Seattle to learn from. After many many sessions in Seattle, Abby could not really do much except play in the pool. After just one lesson she learned more from Nancy than in all the years in her group classes. Undivided attention for 30 minutes with Nancy compared to 6-7 minutes in her group setting. The rest of the time she would sit on the step and wait. Private lessons do cost more but not in the long run. Nancy gives clear concise instructions, models the correct form, has structure training, and her love of kids is obvious in the way she treats them. If the child does not execute the correct move she calmly teaches and models until the child understands. She praises trying, best efforts, and accomplishments. Her background in Ironman and hundreds of triathlons shows her athletic ability. But her teaching ability comes from the heart! Once again our granddaughter from Seattle is coming to visit with us during her spring break. But, this time her younger sister gets to come too. Now we will have both girls in private lessons. We can hardly wait to see the amazing results from Nancy at Miss Mermaid's Swim School! When the girls return again this summer to visit, Miss Mermaid's Swim School will once again be a part of their time in Arizona! read more

This swim instructor, Nancy Kummen, is the only instructor who actually analyzes your stroke and kick, all your movements and teaches you one step at a time the technical adjustments. I cannot usually get it right the first few times, but then she has an alternate method to teach me the correct way. But then if that doesn't work a third or even fourth way to learn the technique. I am thinking on the first or second method I am never going to get this, but this instructor is persistent, she never gives up. And the same for wife; she could swim about two feet, and now lap after lap, thanks to Nancy. Other instructors tell you what to do and if you have trouble, vague instructions of how to do it, and if you just don't get it, you are stuck. But this instructor is under the water, above the water, wherever she has to be, analyzing your swimming. Never have I had this kind of professional personalized and effective swim instruction. read more

One star is way too many, but zero is not an option here. I have recently had the extreme displeasure of encountering "Miss Mermaid" and would not trust her anywhere near my children, especially around something as potentially dangerous as a swimming pool. I found her to be extremely rude, aggressively unintelligent and borderline psychotic. As a medical professional and a mother, my advice to all you Yelpers is to RUN away and take your children to a reputable swim school. Do not risk the safety of you and your children around this woman. read more

Prior to finding finding Miss Mermaid, we had our 5 year old enrolled at Evo for a total of 7 months over a period of about 1.5 years. We took a break in between as he was getting bored and wasn't making much progress at Evo. Then we found Nancy (Miss Mermaid). She is a triathlete and gives private lessons at her home in a salt water pool she recently put in. She has a multitude of certifications and we really liked her approach to teaching kids (and adults) how to swim. She does an excellent job of not just "showing" but also "explaining". After the first 30 minute lesson, our son was showing more progress than he did after the 7 months at Evo. The first thing she taught him to do was how to properly take a deep breath. It seems obvious, but Evo never gave him any instruction on this. By the end of lesson 1, she was also able to get him to do the correct "swimmers kick", which Evo never was able to do after 7 months. After 2 lessons, Nancy (Miss Mermaid) was able to get him to roll over on his back. She also began teaching him how to get to the edge of the pool in case he accidentally falls in. We really liked this as pool safety was never part of the Evo curriculum as far as we could tell. In lesson #3 at Miss Mermaid's, Nancy continued to work on what he learned in the first 2 lessons, and she also started to teach him how to swim using his correct swimmers kick with his arms. She even started to show him the technique to tread water....ALL IN 3 LESSONS. If this isn't enough to convince you, consider this: We paid Evo $72 per month which is about $15 - $18 per lesson, depending on if the month has 4 or 5 weeks. However, there are 4 kids in his 30 minute lesson. That works out to "7.5 MINUTES PER CHILD". What can you learn in 7.5 minutes? The rest of time they are standing at the edge of the pool being bored and cold. Miss Mermaid charges $20 for a "private" 30 minute lesson. Is it really worth your time and money to take your child for a 7.5 minute lesson? Our son's next lesson will be a full 60 minutes. We love watching him progress, and more importantly, he says that he likes Miss Mermaid much better than Evo, which also makes a big difference in his learning. read more