Absolutely love this swim center! The staff are all wonderful and my daughter looks forward to every lesson! As a "retired" swim instructor and swimmer I definitely give this place 5 stars! read more

Our girls have been taking swimming lessons with Shyra and her family for a few summers. This summer our girls tried the Harry Potter camp and they are fortunate for all they get to experience in the summers and they keep raving about the Harry Potter camp. Very grateful Shyra and the family are part of our community. read more

Our family has had a really wonderful experience with the SLV Swim Center. My kids started at ages 3 and 5, and a few months into lessons are becoming confident swimmers. The teachers (they've had classes with Shrya, Donna, and Max) are kind and personable. My kids were concerned about getting their faces wet and the teachers have been patient and gentle. My daughter says, "Shyra is the best!" and my son says swim school is "Good!" We like supporting a local, family-run business, and I also appreciate that their rates are more affordable than the SC swim schools. read more

I have tried just about every swim program for my daughter from Aptos to Felton. She was a decent swimmer, but she was struggling to really get her technique down. We are so grateful that we found SLV Swim Center. We did 3 weeks of private lessons, 3 lessons a week. Not only did she finally get her technique down and become a very good swimmer, she even learned to dive. The teachers are very knowledgeable, patient and kind! She had 3 different teachers and she loved them all! We saw them in the pool with younger kids and they were great with them too! It's worth the drive from Santa Cruz! read more

I can't say enough good things about SLV Swim. My daughter was absolutely terrified of the water. She cried and screamed when we started. Yeah I had "that" kid. If she got splashed in the face she would freak out. She wore her swim belt (which they use for beginners) but would hold on to the teacher for dear life. I was almost ready to just give up and say my kid will swim when she is 30. This is our second year here. But we kept at it and now my kid has no belt, will jump in and get her face wet. She still won't do the slide but maybe by summer. I can't say enough about SLV Swim. I tell anyone who is considering swim that even if you live in Santa Cruz they are the best place ever. If you want a great swim place where your children will learn new things and thrive this is the place. Karrie and the other instructors are just amazing. One tip. Sometimes phone calls don't get returned super promptly. I just call back or email. Not a big deal to me. read more

Ah, finally, now that my daughter has finished her Spring block, I can share my honest feedback about this swim school. Our almost 6 year old, had previously taken two years of swim at AVAC in San Jose, we relocated to Ben Lomond and heard all the good reviews from locals about SLV and made the switch. Not a smart choice on my part, but I made the choice to dive in feet first and instead of just paying for one class, I paid for a whole seasonal block! This is where I went wrong- I should've tried a lesson here first and that is the ONE piece of advice I'd like to share, test drive this place. I've spent the past, what? 8-9 weeks? Wondering if I just had really high expectations because of all the local hype, or maybe because we just came from a STELLAR swim school, or if maybe just because this truly is just a play place for your kiddo in the water instead of a school - but my experience here has been pretty disappointing. I wanted to give just one star, but I gave three instead and this is why: 1 Star to the swim teachers who are really super nice and great with kids. There is one specific teacher who has lots of knowledge & experience, but they're all really nice/ 1 Star for the clean facility. I love a clean place I can use the restroom and find easy parking/ 1 Star for affordability. These classes are cheap and I always appreciate places that keep our pockets in mind. Here's my issues: first of all, it seems like there's only two groups of swimmers SLV acknowledges. Class 1. introduction to water and Class 2. full fledged swimming. If your child is like mine, who has experience in the water but just isn't physically large enough to do laps in the pool, guess what? He/she is going in the introduction to water class where you can watch them blow bubbles in the water while simultaneously watching all the money you paid in previous swim lessons go right down the drain because all of these children wear FLOATIES. Yes, 2019 and we're still teaching kids to swim with floaties despite all the information out there that says this is not a productive way to teach swim. Before SLV Swim, my child was face in the water, large arm strokes, 6 full arms in before needing a breath, straight legs and kicking from the hip and one block at SLV and my child is now doggy paddling and kicking with her knee first. I mean, WOW. The regression is real and if it weren't for her having fun, I would've pulled her a long time ago. Okay, so maybe you'll say "the pool is deep & safety first!", this I understand, but put an island in the shallow end like ALOT of swim schools do. Have a smaller class size. Actually put specific kids with other kids that are in the same skill group. Having only two swim groups IS CRAZY. And it's incredibly unfair to the kids that fall in the middle. Second issue: THIS SWIM SCHOOL FOR CHILDREN DOES NOT OFFER MAKE UP CLASSES. Yes, you read that right. A school.. for kids.. does not offer make up classes. I mean, I can understand the one yelper that shared that Donna, the owner, doesn't offer make up classes for make up classes. That I get. But what a weird business decision. Seems like staffing issues take priority over good customer service at SLV. Phew: I've been waiting a long time to get that out. Point of the story, if you're looking for another activity to drop your kiddo at where they can goof and play, this is your place. If you want your kiddo to learn to swim, RUN. I'd like to hear the feedback from ONE parent who's little one actually learned to swim here and in what time frame.. because the only thing my daughter has done here is go backwards :/ such a bummer too because a local, right up the street from my house swim school would've been TOO perfect. Good luck SLV! Drop the floaties! read more

I have been teaching for 11 years with Donna smith at slv swim center formally Donna's swim school. Teaching has been a passion of mine for a long time. I welcome you to join us and get you or your kids swimming in no time! I cares about every child or adult I works with and I take my job very seriously. Being very personable, loving and friendly. I love what I do and it shows! Hope to see you this summer!!! *Tanya read more

We have gone to SLV Center for years with no problems. The staff had a way of changing guidelines they had set down (like how much time the kids had in the pool) that was pretty arbitrary but I rolled with it because my kids were finally learning how to swim. This last session we signed up for was an absolute nightmare. I don't think I've ever been treated more disrespectfully and discourteously in my life. We had 4 of our children signed up for lessons. One of my children started throwing up right before the lesson so we had to cancel. something we had never had to do before. The lessons at the SLV center are not a set schedule, by the way. We called and figured out a time that would work best for us, when we were setting up our classes. I received a call from Tanya, one of the instructors, that next Tues. We set up a make-up for the next day, and since none of my other children had shown any signs of illness (a 4 day gap) I felt pretty confidant about going ahead with the make-up. Well, that night two of my other children got sick, so we canceled again. When I called to reschedule the make-up class I was told "We don't do make-ups for make-ups" When I tried to advocate for my children, I was told that if I had been nicer they would have been willing to work with me, but they were choosing not to honor their obligation because I wouldn't let the issue lie. I was completely respectful the whole time, but I wasn't about to let my children get cheated out of a lesson. Up to this point, we had highly regarded the SLV center, enough to drive all the way from Soquel to swim there. We went to lessons the next Sunday, and I was approached by Donna, the owner. I tried to talk to her about the make-up class and she told me "I don't even want to talk about this. You are just making me angry. " She then tried to make me pay for the lesson my 4 year old had missed because she was puking her brains out. Our other lessons were covered through Ocean Grove, and they had already been paid. She then told me that she just cared about getting paid, and didn't care if we showed up or not. When I reminded her that we had gone there for years, she responded, "well, a lot of families have come for years" It really sucked. Enough that I told her to take us off the schedule and I just gave up on the rest of the lessons. The other clincher for us too was the way they taught my older kids during the lesson. The instructor just swam off and left them treading water for half the lesson This business has obviously gotten complacent and arrogant. Money seems the biggest factor, not the children. The sense of entitlement was disgusting. I had previously referred everyone I know to this business. I am a walking commercial. The total lack of even bring willing to work something out and the immediate attitude killed any respect I have for Donna and her children. read more

My three and five year old have been taking swim lessons here for about a year. I love their methodology and the fact that the pool is covered during the winter so we can swim year round! My 5 year old is doing great swimming on her own now and my three year old is going to be doing the same any time now. Tanya, Donna and Max are wonderful teachers and I definitely recommend this swim school! read more

My daughter is taking her swim lessons here and she loves it! All of the instructors are awesome!

We have been going here for a couple summers now and both boys are now confident swimmers. The teachers are great, and pricing, I feel is well worth it. Donna is alway just a phone call or a text away for scheduling and she works with whatever we have going on. read more

My now 9 year old has been struggling with swimming for a long time eventhough I've had him in swim lessons since he was 6 months old. I brought him to SLV swim center and now he can do laps !! I am so happy with his progress and grateful to Donna and her team. read more

Love that my daughter started when she was 2! They teach confidence in water at any age! Love them

I started taking lessons at S.L.V swim center at just 14 months and I still go there just for public swim. Donna is very kind hearted and has one amazing staff that all know what they are doing. She is very willing to help when a class is missed. And her guards are amazing! I love the slv swim center. read more

Our three and six year old have been enrolled at SLV Swim Center for about six months now and we couldn't be happier. We had our children enrolled in another swim school located closer to our house and were disappointed in their progress. Our children learned more in their first two weeks of lessons at SLV Swim Center than the entire three months at the other swim school. The instructors at SLV Swim Center are knowledgable and fun and my children enjoy every minute of their lesson. They teach not only the important swimming techniques and strokes, but also go over breathing skills and water safety (skills not taught at the other swim school). We have had to schedule a couple of make-up lessons this summer due to vacation and Donna (who taught me how to swim 25 years ago) has been very accommodating and easy to work with. We plan on continuing lessons year round my kids enjoy it so much. Highly recommended! read more