I struggled for 3.5 months to get my 10 y.o. daughter ready for JG try-outs. She participated in…read moretwo other programs and had private lessons but was reluctant to swim and almost a minute behind the required time. Thank goodness I bumped into Coach Peter who suggested she come to one of their classes. In 6 sessions she shaved 50 seconds off her time, ended up qualifying for JGs (with 10 seconds to spare) AND decided to swim regularly with their team. A true miracle. All the coaches (shout out Shahr, Christian, Carlos) are great and my daughter really responds to them. It was a HUGE stroke of luck to have found this group when I did and I am eternally thankful for their efforts.

As someone who never swam a day in her life, I was told about this "best kept secret in Playa…read moreVista" by a girlfriend. I thought I was attending an "old ladies swim aerobics class"...when I arrived, the coach asked me to swim across the pool..while I could avoid drowning, I had no idea about the fundamentals of swimming. Now, almost 2 years later, I swim (religiously) 3x a week as part of the SWIM FIT class. Coach Eric has been amazing and patient. The workout is better than anything I have done! I cannot rave enough about this program....it continues to be a "lifesaver" in my life!

Peter is a miracle worker. Our son didn't like going underwater and with the pandemic he started…read moreswimming lessons much later than we wanted. We have tried on our own to get him comfortable with swimming and going underwater many times, even other lessons in Mar Vista a couple years ago. We brought him to Coach Peter this year and in 30 min he was swimming underwater like a fish. Our only regret is not bringing him sooner. We've continued weekly lessons and are amazed at how well he is progressing! Peter is patient, encouraging and kind. We see so many other families at the pool when we are there who love him as much as we do.

I highly recommend Peter as a swimming instructor. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable and…read moreprofessional, he has also been super patient with my strong willed and stubborn 5 year old over the last 9 months. He has such an easy going personality and helps his students have fun while they are learning. He has a great ability to engage my daughter in her lessons. She has become such a great swimmer thanks to Peter! Sent from my iPhone

We had a very enjoyable experience working with Kate, the owner. She is very patient and positive…read moreand makes learning how to swim fun. I like the one on one class as opposed to group classes. Her pool is always clean and I always felt very comfortable that Kate was in control and my child was safe with her. Her policy is very straightforward and uncomplicated when it comes to cancelling for sickness etc which makes it another big plus for a busy mom.

We found Head Above Water a few years ago and instantly felt that we found a gem of a swim school…read more Both my kids learned how to swim with them and my older daughter now knows four different strokes! I loved that they evolved their instructions with my kids' age. Andrew was very playful and patient and made my kids comfortable in the water when they were younger. And later, Giles taught them to focus on improving their strokes. My kids always looked forward to swim classes.

Andrea is a great teacher. She is calm and kind. My daughter and I took lessons with her when my…read moredaughter was 6 years old. She helped her feel comfortable and had fun with some dive toys. My daughter wanted to go back every week for the lessons. I enjoyed my lessons with her as well. Andrea is flexible and easygoing. The pool is heated and the water feels good. There is a nice restroom to change.

Great lessons. I was a bad swimmer before. I could barely doggy paddle…read more But after about 8 lessons I was able to complete a triathlon. A 400m swim in the ocean. I couldn't have completed the event which I had on my bucket list for a long time. Now I have done 6 triathlons and I owe it all to them for helping me start a new passion In life

This swim class is for kids and parents together. We took…read moreour daughter there when she was 9 months old, but there were several children who were as young as 3 months old. The class is simply magic. Constantia, the owner is the purest 'baby whisperer' we've ever met. Parents cradle their babies in the saline-based pool (a nice warm temperature) and little by little they get comfortable paddling and keeping themselves afloat, or holding themselves up along the edges. There is a wonderful song everyone sings at the beginning of class which has the effect of bringing everyone together. This is the best of 'Venice good vibes', and before you know it, your baby is a comfortable little dolphin.

There are not many options for baby swim classes and we've been doing this for awhile since my…read moredaughter was 6 months. Sessions run usually 6 weeks sometimes 4 depending on the owner Constantia's schedule, for 6 week it's $222. To get into a session you must attend orientation where you meet Constantia and she asks about your delivery etc then bring a check to sign up for a time slot. Classes run 45 mins the Sat class is highly coveted took us about 4 months in to get into one. Availability is based on who continues. Age is as young as you are comfortable to 2.5/3. The class is baby led so it's not instructional like make your child do this etc it teaches you to breathe and really have your child acclimate to the water. In turn as Your child gets more and more comfortable he or she will grow in skill. A loves it every weekend she kicks and swims and at 18 months she started going underwater. She loves the rain and now runs and jumps into the pool no fear at all.

Saul is an amazing swim instructor. He is so patient and has great intuition with children who have…read moreintellectual and physical disabilities. My son, who has triplegic cerebral palsy, swam with him for several years and gained confidence and skills in the pool, which have allowed him to become an independent swimmer. If you're able to get your child on Saul's schedule - do it! You won't regret it!

Swim With Me is one of the best things that ever happened to us on our journey. My fabulous…read morefirst-born is autistic and non-speaking. He faces severe motor-planning challenges and is a master of making as little as possible because his bandwidth is so low. He really liked water for sensory input but was also fearful and used to cling to my arm in the water. I used to be so worried what would happen if he ever fell in a pool here in SoCal and what if I wasn't there to help? Here comes the solution! I asked in a Facebook group for parents of kids with additional needs and Saul from Swim With Me came HIGHLY recommended. Thankfully, I got lucky and managed to book a spot straightaway in November 2023 and we haven't looked back since. Saul is simply incredible with ALL kids, but especially with kids with additional needs. You can tell that he loves children and that he loves swimming and how he fuses this passion into an outstanding human interaction. He sees your child and he meets them right where they are at. He guides them and encourages them with kindness, respect, dignity and a great sense of humor. (We always chuckle how my child manages to stay afloat with almost no legwork at all ) His lessons are well planned and contain elements of different kinds of swim moves to keep it interesting. My child absolutely LOVES his sessions with him. He is still taking sessions and while the actual motor-planning of coordinating legs and arms is still work in progress, he has won so much confidence and attained skills to swim a distance and stay afloat. He now enjoys swimming in the deep end of our gym's pool. I am always right by his side and can confirm that he can stay happily and confidently afloat for 60+ minutes. None of this would have happened without Saul. We have seen so many therapists, teachers and instructors and if more of them were like Saul, the world would be a much better place for our children with additional needs. Saul is an outstanding instructor and a wonderful human being. I trust him with my child's life every week and I am not doing that lightly :-).

Shea is incredible- such a gifted coach, and has done incredible work with my sons (and friend's…read morekids). The best part is that he comes to your backyard, if you have a pool- and then we split lesson time with some of our neighbors kids. It's a really effective way to get a bunch of kids engaged and learning swimming. My youngest son had a real scare in the ocean when he was a baby and has been terrified to put his face in the water ever since. Shea was so good at building a program to get him water confident- and now he's in the junior swimming league! We are so grateful to Shea and his amazing team.

Coach Shea is fantastic with my 2 1/2 year old and my 6 month old. My toddler has improved very…read morequickly and can climb out of the pool, kick to get around, and is starting to lean her head back into the water. Coach Shea also gives me exercises and games for both in and out of the water to play with the kids to help them improve in between lessons. We all like it when Coach Shea arrives for lessons. He is friendly, upbeat, and energetic.

Wow, my experience with Jose Ruiz has been WORTH EVERY DOLLAR. My twin daughters started swimming…read morewith Jose this summer. My twins are 5 and had never had any experience with swimming at all. OMG, I so highly recommend him!. MY GIRLS HAVE LEARNED HOW TO SWIM IN 10 WEEKS!!!!!! I am embarrassed to admit they went straight from the bath tub, where they always cried about not wanting water in their faces and washing their long hair was a nightmare, to swimming with Jose. Sure, the first couple of lessons were a little painful. He gave me great tips to do at home to let go of the fear of water and they really worked. Still, one of them cried in the first lessons but Jose was able to get her to relax and stick her face in the water without much anxiety. Jose's teaching style is firm but playful. He gives instructions in a loud but calmed manner, and for those not familiar with sports coaching it may be striking, but lets face it, the kids are in the water where listening is not easy. Anyway, he is also playful and compassionate and celebrates every little progress so I am a happy mom. Now, the best is that I just can't believe it happened so fast!! I pressed Jose for a time frame since I was very anxious to make them water safe and he said "give them two or three months". I was very sceptical since my girls seemed so behind and I have seen my friends with kids take lessons for one or two years at other well known places in the South Bay and not make the kind of progress I needed to see for my own peace of mind. Sure, my girls were taking private lessons instead of group lessons with 3-4 kids at a time, but I have spent WAY LESS MONEY in total than my friends to make them water safe. Now I can't tell you how happy and relieved I am to know that my daughters are not only water safe but swimming from one end of the pool to the other with such great style for a 5 year old!! And as the daughter of a professional athlete, style and form are really important for me. The down side: even though the pool is indoor and heated, the water is not always as worm as I would like. The kids are fine but I personally like it worm so that I feel like jumping in with them more often!

My child swam with him for half a year and learned absolutely NOTHING! We switched instructors at…read moreSouth Bay Spectrum Swim School, which it's a shame that he tried to name his program after them, and my child has progressed 10x's as much!!! Dont waste your time or money on Jose Ruiz, all he will do is yell and make your child hate such a great activity like swimming.