We enrolled our 6 year old son, who is a good swimmer, for Splash after moving to the area. I regret signing up at Splash because the teachers lack experience, are not good with kids, and are not well trained. My son learned nothing after several months of lessons, in large part because his teacher was frequently absent and replaced by various substitutes who did not know what to do with the kids. The subs just have the kids jump for rings and play around instead of teaching because the subs were not trained. I have never seen anyone above the age of 20 or so at the school. It appears to be run by a bunch of teenagers--you can see them laughing and goofing around during the lessons instead of teaching. The whole program is very disorganized and focuses on rushing through the 30 min (like a factory line) instead of actually teaching kids how to swim. We've given Splash several opportunities to improve, but the owner and manager have refused to address any of the issues I have raised above. As a result, we'll be leaving Splash and spending our money on actual swim lessons. read more

I have to agree with the reviews about customer service. There is miscommunication every where and false promises. We were guided incorrectly through the enrollment process, cancellation process and eventually lost our spot after going through lot of scheduling changes on our end to get the spot that was promised to us. read more

100% agree with S.G.'s review from 2014. Apparently their business practice has not improved in the subsequent 2 years. I signed up my 2 kids for swim lessons, but the day before their first lesson arrived, both were running fevers. I called and asked if we can reschedule and they said we could make up the class no charge. MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS: we went to the class the following week and they would not let the kids swim with a disposable swim diaper. They said we had to buy their reusable ones (at a pretty high price, of course). That seems like something you should tell customers up front. Anyway, the rest of that day was fine. Instructors were nice. Then the following week, the front desk said that they wouldn't let the kids swim unless we pay for the class they missed, and that we wouldn't be able to make it up. We told them that the person over the phone said it was ok, but the person at the desk was adamant that nobody at their company would ever say something like that. We asked to speak to the manager, he said he was the manager in a very condescending tone. We refused to pay and had to withdraw from classes. DIRTY WATER: aside from a poor management experience, the one day we did take a class there, the pool water itself was dirty. I've cared for my own pool over 10 years and I understand when things need to be cleaned. They had algae buildup (greenish-yellow stain) along some of the walls. Also, the water tasted salty. I asked if it was a salt-water pool, but they said no, it's chlorine. This indicates that they never change the water out (or do so very rarely). read more

Absolutely love this school. We have always done Concord Rec swim lessons but in the time of Covid were referred by a friend. The staff and facilities are absolutely amazing - we have been going for about a month and a half. Gabby at the front desk, Rose who oversees the school and everyone in between (I'm so sorry I don't know all your names!) - everyone across the board is just lovely - professional, kind, courteous, attentive. My 8 year old Max just loves it - their classes are currently small and I trust this facility 100%. It is spotless; I see them cleaning, the kiddos wear masks to go to their classes, entry is in one way and out the other. I love the young lady overseeing the lessons on Wednesdays and the staff at the front. My son just loves it. His coach also is a young man and soooo good with the kids. Water is warm, staff is knowledgeable, I can see my son getting more and more comfortable in the water. Loves the ribbon progression awards too - A++ and thank you so much!! Stay safe and please know how much we appreciate your hard work! read more

After taking classes at Petite Baleen with numerous different instructors in SF for years, we tried Splash with the hope that it had a similar teaching style would be a similar quality of instruction. What a joke. I was in the pool with my 2 year old and the instructor could not have been more disinterested or unenthusiastic. Her off-tune singing and fumbling of the words of the songs was only overshadowed by her lack of any skill in dealing with children. We were similarly disappointed with the teachers for our other two, older children. After one session, we asked to withdraw from the program. We were charged a full month's fees, even after we contested it. What a rip off. Avoid this institution at all costs. You are horrible, Splash! read more

I've never walked out on a business before, but there had to be a first time. This place may give good swim instruction, but their business practices are horrid. First, they push very hard for over the phone enrollment - "just give us your credit card info and show up for the class." Now, once you've left work early with a 3 year old excited for their swim class, they hand you the registration agreement: 1) you must enroll for a FULL YEAR of classes and give debit or credit card information for automatic payment for that year. This is not clear over the phone. 2) on the phone, their agents tell you that automatic payment is OPTIONAL only. That's right, bait and switch once they have your 3 year old in the class. 3) even if you paid over the phone and were misinformed, you CANNOT have your child take the class that day without agreeing to perpetual future payments. Very, very clever. Now what parent would choose $80 over their child's happiness? 4) you must consent to having your child's photos or videos taken for whatever purpose the business deems appropriate without your knowledge. I understand that this is common swim school verbiage, but EVERY other swim school has allowed modification of this language or striking that paragraph. Not SPLASH. I would never consent to a legal document allowing exploitation of a minor for business purposes. Nor should any parent. Splash would have you sign under duress since your 3 year old is already there eager with anticipation. They verbally promised to never exploit my child. But they already verbally lied to me on the phone. This business is shady. It's BBB reportable shady. Keep your kids away. They can learn to swim somewhere else. Keep your rights and your child's dignity. I took this up with the manager Debbie over the phone who offered empty salesman's language: "I've been working here for 7 years and never has this not been explained clearly to our customers." Well, I bet your customers don't read the fine print, especially when someone smiles and lies to their face. read more

The swim instruction is pretty good at this location, and the facilities are nice. My biggest issue with Splash is the crummy customer service. The scheduling is very rigid and the front desk will not allow you to reschedule a class without changing your whole base day over. Sick kid? Too bad. Make up class? No way. Sick of using Splash? Your stuck for 30 days before they will release their death grip on your credit card. read more

We are enjoying the lessons. The instructors are young and need to pay closer attention to the swimmers. They seem to get a bit bored from time to time. One instructor tells the kids to "focus" when there is absolutely nothing going on. They just need a bit more experience in dealing with kids. read more

My daughter is 3 years and 3 months old. About 2 months ago she went to this swimming class to learn swimming even though I wished she never went to this class. My daughter scared from swimming, so the first and second time she cried and she said I don't want to go but I've told her it's better to go and learn swimming. At the third time, I've promised her that I don't let the teacher take you in to the water. I've told to the instructor as well, but she said we should take her to the water. But again I've told her that I've promised my daughter and I don't want her to go to the water. Please just let my daughter observe. I just want her to sit and put her feet in the water. Then I came out and sat and started to watch my daughter. Suddenly after 15 minutes the teacher took her in the water and she scared more and cried more and more. From that day she got nightmares for swimming. I'm so angry about what was happened to my daughter. Why the teacher broke my promise and made my daughter to doesn't trust me again. And also she caused my daughter to have nightmares. I don't recommend this place for the ones who has respect and value for their children, it's horrible! read more

Management is really bad. For months there was no one at a front desk in Walnut Creek to talk to. When there is they decline to provide managers or owner's phone number. They also have zero accommodation policy if schedule change is needed. The person answering the phone sounds like she is doing a huge favor just by talking to you. They probably forget that we are their customers, and they are not the only swimming school in the area. read more

We've been coming here for more than a year. The instruction is wonderful and we have no complaints whatsoever. So it's 5 stars for instruction! Scheduling, however, has been really discouraging. My kid is on a blue level and I couldn't get a time slot we wanted for 5 (yes, five) months. (He got his last ribbon on Sept 26, 2015) I've been calling almost every week. I spoke to front desk a lot. They know us by now... A couple of times I was told that "our wait list is almost non existent, so just keep calling/asking". I give up. Well, thankfully swim team time is upon us so we are moving on. read more

Having tried another swim school in the area, I can say that Splash is a great place to get your toddler introduced to the water. They make it fun. I will say that it can get a bit repetitive so I stopped after about 5 months because my 20 month old was getting board of doing the same routine. During our hiatus I am proud to report that he kept up his skills and was not afraid of getting his face wet or going under water. That is the point until he is mature enough (3 yrs) to start learning more advance skills. Now that flu season is over, we will start up again. read more

My daughter (6) started at the San Ramon location and was very happy to move to the brand new location in Walnut Creek. It's a clean new building and pool. You can enjoy the air conditioned glass room and watch a swim lesson. The locker area is very kid and family friendly. My daughter has received all the ribbons and is now learning flip turns! I can't even do that.. The instructors are great and the classes have a few kids in them. Often times there is only one other kid in the class. Try this swim school for your kid and enjoy a safe summer! read more

Unfortunately, I was never able to schedule private swim classes for my 5 year old son because the customer service was non-existent. I went through the application and expected a call which never came. I called and after leaving a message the first time which was not returned, I called and spoke with someone that said they will look for availability and call me back. I did receive a call back this time and they left a message for me. I tried calling 2 more times without ever receiving another call back. After waiting a month, I decided to give it another try. Leslie called me back and left a VM so I called and spoke with Tesha who said she would look to work out a time for us but I never heard back from her. 2 months have now passed and I have gone to another swim school, Rasmussen's who are excellent, very communicative, professional and helpful. read more

We started my son in Splash when he was barely a year old, and he was with Splash for a total of about 3 years. In that time, he never became water safe. I wrote to complain and never received a reply. I talked to the people on the sidelines who were supposed to be managers, and again, nothing changed. Our entire schedule revolved around consistently making these swim lessons which made it all the more infuriating to note the lack of progress. Although there was agreement that my son was not progressing, there was no intervention. At the end of the day, Splash does not care about whether your child learns how to swim so long as you keep showing up for lessons and paying. We have since moved to another school in Concord. In less than two months' time, my son was water safe-able to swim to the edge of the pool and pull himself up. A year later, he can swim a lap and is working on side breath for freestyle. Our experience at this school has shown us what a swim school is supposed to be-a place you can trust to help your children become water safe, with people who care about your child's progress. The instructors are completely attentive to my son's needs versus Splash where I felt like there were too many children and the instructors were not well trained. If you want your child to actually learn how to swim, consider paying a little bit more for a school with less children in each class, and with someone in charge who actually cares. Splash is not that place and not worth your money. read more

My kids have been going to Splash for 4 years. My 6 year old went from afraid to swim to completely water safe and is now learning strokes. Classes for little ones are 2-3 kids. The older kids are usually 4 per class. The instructors are awesome. They are patient when the kids are having a bad day and don't want to get in the water. The kids really respond to their teaching and enjoy it. read more

We first started attending Splash back in 2007, trekking down to their San Ramon location every weekend for our 1 year old daughter to take swim lessons. Flash forward several years and we now attend the Walnut Creek location with both our children. The Walnut Creek location is less crowded and has a wonderful set-up. The kids love the teachers and I love the fact that the staff is always so friendly. They will work with you to find the right teacher/schedule that works for you. Liz, the owner, is often on-site and available to help discuss the best next steps for your child's progress. My son had a difficult time where he was not progressing. He has some sensory issues and gets overwhelmed and Liz helped us work through how to keep him interested and engaged. A schedule and teacher change and he is flourishing! My daughter had stopped taking lessons while she was on Swim Team during the summer, but missed it so much that we re-enrolled her and she is working on all of her competitive strokes now and perfecting them. We recommend Splash to everyone we know. The water temperature is perfect, the class sizes are not too big and the pool is never too crowded like some of the other swim schools in the area. They are constantly improving and they have teachers on the deck to help the teachers in the water instruct and guide better. Splash often has family swims as well, where enrolled families can come in and have an open swim in the indoor pool, which is GREAT during the winter and rainy seasons! I feel everyone should put their kids in swim lessons at an early age, at least to just be water safe. Splash is the perfect program for babies through grade-schoolers! I only wish they had an adult class to add to the program, as I would love it! read more

Love love love splash! My kids have learned so much, the classes are so well thought out and organized. They have so much fun and have progressed so quickly! Front desk and instructors are wonderful, organized and make it a very enjoyable place to learn to swim. read more

Extremely unaccommodating with any scheduling. Impossible to re-schedule a class in advance.

My daughter and I have been doing the water babies class for over a year now and she loves it. She started at 14 months old and is really coming along with the skills (when she is in the mood). She loves going and looks forward to it every week. We were lucky to have Miss Rachel as our teacher for about 8 months and we loved her! She had a way with the kids and was great at explaining and encouraging the parents, old and new, what they should be doing to help their child. She has since moved on to a different job but we miss her. Other instructors are very nice but do not have the same charm, knowledge, and encouraging guidance as we initially had in Rachel. Facilities are nice and clean. Love that it is indoor to avoid UV exposure. The pool is always a nice temperature. My only complaint is that the changing room is always freezing cold! After getting out of a warm pool and shower, I don't think it's very comforting to have to change in such a change in temperature, especially for the little ones. read more

Positive: It is clean place and private changing rooms(our last swim school didn't have it!) Negative: They have too many kids in semi private class , there should be only 2 kids!!!!Teacher is with 1 kid at the time, so 3(sometimes even 4!?) is waiting they turn, it is wasting money. My kid have been there way to long ,they are changing teachers ,they are students ,why you guys don't higher someone who have experiences( not young students??)?I think my kid going backwards with progress every time ,when she gets new teacher :( I just need one: the good one who is patient, not yelling for my kid ,but really doing his/ her job what they are paid for on the first place , Is it really too much for ask!!! read more

My family and I have had a terrible experience at this swim school where we have been going for 3 years. I've got a 6 year old who has been at Splash since he was a toddler going weekly. He cannot swim on his own despite weekly classes. But the real kicker is the horrendous customer service and record keeping - my 3 year old has been at Splash for years and about one year ago we asked for private lessons and were told there are not spaces on the day we can come. Granted we have a limited availability but over the course of the past year I have seen multiple new people signed up for private lessons while I continue to be told there is not space - the real issue is their lack of organization and management. And I need to continue to ask as they are not proactive - if I don't bring it up, no one calls or touches base on our request. I asked to speak with the owner and instead got a delayed call back from someone other than the owner with the same response - we will keep you in mind. This place has gone down hill and it's embarrassing. I called back today and was told someone can call in a few days - today is Sunday - you would think I could get a call at least tomorrow. Anyways beware - you will spend a lot of money and your kids may not be water safe by the end of it! read more

Great place. I had my son attend here for several sessions and noticed a big improvement in his swimming skills. Patient instructors that seemed to have a knack working with kids! read more

So-so instruction. My younger one seemed to be towed across the pool rather than being taught anything. Kids progressed and learned more at Harriet Plummer last season (they had younger one swimming the pool at the end of last summer). Pretty annoying to switch classes. I realized my kids will miss this week's lesson and called and left a message last night-just after they closed. This morning, not only did they not have the courtesy to return the phone call-they rudely stated we should have called 24hrs in advance, but could come and pay an additional $20 each for a drop-in fee. read more

Excellent swim instruction for little ones. I've been taking my 16 month old for the mommy and me classes a couple weeks now and I'm impressed with the quality of the lessons. Our instructor is Rachel and she is terrific! The pace is fast, which is good and the activities varied. The pool is a warm 92 degrees, which is lovely. The changing rooms are clean as well. Over the summer we took mommy and me lessons at Larkey park pool and they we're awful. There was literally no instruction whatsoever. This is so far and away superior! I would definitely recommend WC Splash swim school to those looking for swim lessons! read more

Love their new location in Walnut Creek! The facility is state of the art. The parent viewing area is climate controlled so we do not have to sit in the pool area if we do not want to. There are plenty of changing stalls to change before and after our lessons. The office staff and teachers are really nice, They seem to love working there! I would highly recommend this swim school! read more

So far so good! My 3 y/o son loves the water and has learned a lot so far. I've seen an improvement in his confidence in the water and his skill level. I think the teachers he's had have been patient and knowledgable. I like that the class sizes are small and manageable, and if they have a couple kids who are a bit more energetic another teacher hops into the water and helps. My only constructive criticism would be (mainly what the other reviewers speak on) their customer service (hence the 4 stars). I wouldn't say I've had a bad experience with them by any means (but I have yet to cancel/reschedule a class), it's just you can tell kids are running this place. I had to put in more effort than I would've liked just to get him signed up, but since I had read the reviews, I expected that. That being said, after enrollment, I am a satisfied customer and my son learns and enjoys his swim lessons. read more

My newly turned three year old daughter, who has Down syndrome has been taking lessons at Splash once a week for only the past two months and she swam 10 feet unassisted head underwater today. I was completely shocked and speechless! This is money well spent! I could not be happier!!!! read more

My daughter liked her classes here--my only complaint is there is SO much chlorine in the pool ( I GET why there needs to be chlorine but there amount is excessive compared to others), Also wish they started private lessons earlier than 3--my daughter is 2.5 and took privates this summer elsewhere, she has grown out of the mommy and me classes. read more

Great school! We started in San Ramon and transferred to Walnut Creek when they opened the second location; The staff and instructors are friendly and very helpful. Our daughter takes private lessons and attends Super Fish and she loves it and the instructors. We couldn't be happier! read more

Great place for beginner swimmers. It is indoor in a clean bright pool area. My kids love getting their ribbons.

We love the progress our daughter has made at Splash--at 3 years, 2 months she is swimming on her own with excellent confidence. She no longer wants to wear any floaties in the pool at home and is diving for rings, jumping and swimming to the edge/stairs/parents like a little pro. We love the teachers, staff and the facility. The fact that it is open year-round and classes are ongoing are a huge plus--a 6 week swim class once a year is just not enough to teach lasting swim skills at this age. Minus one star for the cancellation policy--I wish there were some sort of "free pass" cancellation every 4 months,, BUT, I do have to say, the staff at this location has been very accomodating in working with us to try to get us in substitute classes when we do have to cancel. I also don't like the one-month notice cancellation policy. For us, we can't predict a month in advance that we want to cancel classes. read more