Flying Fish Swim School

Jennifer the manager is who you want to look for if you have questions, she is very patience with my little 3 yrs old when he first started swimming school. Jennifer helped my little boy transition into the water, she even jumped In to the water to help other coaches and encouraged my crying little one. I always talk to her first if I have consurn.

The switching coaches only happens at the beginning of the season, it was hard for my kidd to adapting new coach, we are luck that they put my (older son 7)to same coach every season as we signed up for samiprivate classes.

I love the swimming pool is always clean and warm. We have been swimming there over a year now, I hope they will open up more advance swimming class for kids who want to join swimming team.

My son has been going to Flying Fish for the past two years. He joined in 2021, and he has taken both private and semi-private lessons. We are happy with his progress and our overall experience with the school. My son did not like the water, but it was important to us that he learned to swim (for safety reasons). We decided to try a private swim class at Flying Fish during the pandemic.

Here are the pros:
- We like the consistency of weekly classes year round. This greatly helped my son to improve and to build his confidence in the water. I especially appreciate swim classes during the winter. The water was warm, and my son never complained about the temperature of the water.
- Yes, the coaches change with each session, but we’ve had good experiences with most of them. We especially want to give a shut out to coach Isaiah. He really cares about the students, and my son loves him. He has the ability to engage students, but be tough at the same time.
- Our interactions with the manager (Jennifer) have been great. I can certainly see the difference after she started working there. She genuinely cares about each student, and strives to make each class a positive experience. In addition, she works hard to build connections with the families. When we had an issue with a coach, and she worked with us to resolve the issue. She actually noticed the issue before I saw what happened that day (my son is very sensitive, and the coach was not able to connect with him, which made my son very upset.) This was the only negative interaction we’ve had with a coach, but we were able to work through it together. I hope the owners recognize and appreciate the work that she does for the school to improve the experience for both students and parents.
- My son went from being barely able to swim, to a confident swimmer with the ability to swim three different strokes. I am happy with his progress, even though it took two years. In general, they will not push a student beyond their ability, which is just fine with me.
- They take safety at the pool seriously. I have seen staff scanning the pool at all times, and giving warnings to kids when they are doing something unsafe.
- The location of the school is great because it is close to home. I would rather pay a little more to not have to drive 20 mins (one way) to attend a 30 mins swim class. The time saving is a major plus for our family.

Needs improvement:
- Currently you have to come in person to register for a class, and pay with a check if you want to avoid the credit card fee. I hope they will move this process online (we do live in Silicon Valley, after all). It is very stressful to make sure we sign up early enough to get the dates/times that we want for a class. (Private and semi-private classes are limited).
- Turnover among coaches seems to be an issue with many swim schools. We had this experience at the Y as well. I can see they are making a focused effort in training their coaches. Just because someone is a good swimmer, does not mean they can teach. This is especially true when working with very young kids who are afraid of the water. I have seen some coaches do very well in making kids feel comfortable, and some coaches struggle with a crying child.
- As mentioned in other reviews, they have a very strict policy that might not work with every family. Each session lasts many weeks, and there are no makeups for vacation or being sick. That is one reason we went to semi-private classes with a friend. That way, if we have to miss a class, at least the other family can benefit from it.
- Private and semi-private classes are expensive, and I’m sure this is a major consideration for many families. But then again, we are paying for the convenience of not having to drive far from home.
- When we first started the classes, it felt very crowded. There were 3 or 4 groups in one lane. Since then, it has gotten much better. Maybe it depends on the level of the group. My son’s class now takes up the entire lane.

My kids started going to Flying Fish again this past year and are having a good experience. The manager - Jennifer - has an eye on all the kids classes and doi g a lot to establish consistency. The problem with coaches leaving is still there cos they are high school students but the mgmt is keeping an eye on kids progress.

They are enjoying and learning. That's all we ask :)

----5 years back -----
I sent my young child 5-6 year old to group lessons here. We did not have a good experience since the teachers changed literally very class. Each teacher used the same approach and could not tailor according to the child's needs. My child did not like going to the pool. Since then we have changed the swim school and send him to Abilities United where he learnt to like swimming and is doing very well.

The staff at this facility are highly attentive and create a positive atmosphere. The teaching methods employed are highly effective, as evidenced by my 5 year old daughter's rapid acquisition of swimming skills and confidence in the water.