Bubbles Swim School

I cannot say enough positive things about Bubbles! I am one of THOSE mothers, who is very paranoid about every aspect of her child’s well being and safety. I wake up over and over all night just to make sure Archer is breathing, and he’s 2-​years-​old without the slightest health problem.
I was very nervous taking him to his first swim lesson — practically shaking myself. I got to sit right at the edge of the pool with my feet dipped in the water. My poor baby cried and cried — scared of the pool. The staff cuddled and cooed to him, hugging him as they gently moved him through the water. Slowly, which each session, I moved further back until now I sit in a chair just like all the rest of the parents. Most read magazines and text — I’m not quite to that point yet, but you can tell the parents are all comfortable with their children in the water, under the watchful eyes of the instructors.
My little man LOVES the pool now. Jumps right in when he is told to, and otherwise waits, with pool safety in mind. It’s one of his favorite things to do — and he is learning to float and roll over on his back. I agree that swimming lessons are not just a sport — it is a necessity!!!

My 4-​year old son was afraid to put his face in the water when we started. He wouldn’t come off the step or even crawl along the wall. After one 6-​week session, he is NOT scared anymore. Here’s the thing, your kids should be afraid of the water until they know how to swim. This is how we keep them safe, isn’t it? I like that the teachers spoke to the kids with authority, even with the parents sitting right there. It showed that they were NOT playing around and they were serious about what they were teaching.
These classes will save children’s lives one day. That’s why they teach survival, not just cannon balls and doggy paddle.
Great job, Bubbles! Keep up the amazing work you do!

i called to try to set something up for swimming lessons after a 5 minute phone conversation in reference to schedule with the owner of all people i was turned off by this place. i will not recommend anybody to go there. She is (the owner) rude rude rude. there are ways to talk to people and she hit every one on the what not to do list.

Love my daughters swim coach Kimber. She is patient with the kids and helps them feel comfortable in the water. I really like the teaching method and they even explain why they teach them certain techniques to us parents. My little girl always looks forward to her swim lesson! Thank you for making it a great experience :)

I have nothing but good to say about Bubbles. My daughter has been attending Bubbles since she was 6 months old. She’s almost two and is not fearful of the water and has learned above and beyond just water skills. The 3 kids to one instructor teaches the kids to wait their turn. She has known what patience is just from coming to her lessons! Yes, she has cried at times but the instructors are really good with her in turning it around. If you, for some reason, can’t make it to a class, they are accommodating in make ups. I feel confident in saying I am investing in my daughter’s safety with the lifelong skills she is learning. I’ve kept her in classes year round. Thank you Bubbles! «Ready? Gooooo!»

I took my child there 6 years ago and experienced complete rudeness from the owners. I thought after 6 years things may be different, so I took another child there. OMG they haven’t changed a bit … complete rudeness. They really do not deserve your business.

Today was my first day taking the 2 boys I nanny for swim lessons. They were seperated into groups and had 2 kids per instructor. The instructors were all so kind and positive. The 3 year old I nanny started crying and didn’t want to go into the water from the stairs and the lady was very calm and encouraging. He still want happy but hopefully by the next cola he gets more comfortable. It was fun watching them learn the basics from the side. Will update my review when all their lessons are complete!

This review doesn’t even deserve one star. The owner was exceptionally rude. It seemed as if she was looking forward to saying no to every question I had. She was not at all welcoming or inviting. I went in for a free trial lesson and had to walk out before it even started. Her staff seemed embarrassed for her. As a former swim instructor I would not recommend this swim school to anyone! The swim experience should be fun and positive. I did not get that vibe at all!

We have been taking our daughter to Bubbles swim school since she was a little over a year old (She is now 2.5). It is amazing to look back through pics and videos from when we first brought her to where she is now. Their instructors are great with kids and extremely patient. I read in some of the other reviews where some instructors were «firm». I personally don’t see this as a bad thing and in actuality it seems as they could be more firm in certain instances. They are after all teaching children to be safe and learn to respect and appreciate the water. Our daughter has had Jerri, Kerri, and Kimber on regular basis and they are all wonderful and great with kids. Jerri is like a baby whisperer :-) As someone else mentioned in a prior post these classes also teach kids to play with others, share, take turns, do things when they are called upon but to sit patiently when not. Also I found it teaches respect and to listen to authority. I would def recommend bubbles for anyone who wants to teach they child safety and respect for the water. Our daughter loves going and actually cries if we drive by and are not going :-)

We’ve been taking our daughter (2YO) here for the last 6 months and it is amazing the improvement that she has made in the pool. Previously we tried the lessons at La Mesa Rec Center which were more like a «dunk and splash».
The class is 30 minutes and only has 3 students ~ so they get plenty of one on one training. They also have focus on water safety which was very important to us. So far she has had Carrie, Jerri and Kimber as instructors — all are great.,
We will keep our daughter in the program year round.

We gave bubbles a year to prove my initial gut instinct wrong. They did not. They are rude and customer service isn’t a priority. Which I could forgive if they ran a good program. They do not. The first six months were okay, but then they started having different teachers every week and lacked consistency. For they price I expected more … save your money and go to they YMCA or another program. I wish I could get the wasted time we spent there back …

I’ve been taking my son here for about 1.5 yrs. He defiantly was a crier with his first sessions. The instructors where great explaining that it is normal for a lot of kids & instructed me how to react to his crying, which was very helpful! Now he cries when the session is over. I love that they teach the kids water safety. At first they are teaching the kids to save there life if they should fall into a body of water. Which was always my concern, if it came down to it would he be able to remember what to do. We had a first hand experience at a friends house, he fell into the pool fully clothed as a result of reaching for a ball. He knew exactly what to do! I highly recommend Bubbles Swim School to everyone I know with young kids. You can never be too careful when it comes to your kids safety!!!

We love Bubbles swim school. They do an amazing job with kids of all ages. I think what some people don’t understand is that safety needs to come first in the water.
I had my boys in from 3 – 5 years and now they are doing a session over the summer. When we started my boys loved the water, but had no clue how to swim. Within 6 6 week sessions. They were very comfortable in the water and had a true understanding of safety. At 6 they are now great swimmers and know what it means to be safe in a pool. So many kids their age think it’s funny to horse around and don’t realize how someone can get hurt.
My daughter started at 4 months and 14 months later she’s doing amazing. She had major separation anxiety when she was young and the instructors were always very calm and understanding. They had me get in the water with her the first few sessions to help with her anxiety. she slowly outgrew it, But also continued to learned to swim at the same time. Kids this age learn more than just swimming. There’s two other little ones by them, so they learn about personal space, sharing, etc. A wonderful environment. My little one loves the water so much and by using the same terminology the school does, I’m able to actually help her swim instead of being stuck in a floaty all day at the pool. highly recommend Bubbles swim school!

We’ve been going to bubbles for 6 years to have our three children not only swim, but swim proficiently and with confidence. Prior to going to Bubbles we started with Murry Callen in Pacific Beach. The format was very similar to Bubbles except for two things. They were amazingly strict and much more expensive for the same lesson structure. They too were a 3 to 1 ratio for a 30 minute session (which is very common among swim schools). After a few sessions with Murry Callen we got tired of how strict they were with their instructors and the sterile environment.
So we found Bubbles which was less expensive, more laid back and had plenty of room to sit down and watch our kids in class (Murry Callen had no real seating).
We found the instructors at Bubbles to be focused on the teaching and the safety of the kids. Don’t mistake their concentration for being unfriendly… they are just focusing on what each kid they are training needs.
Over the years we’ve seen and experienced the family who runs the school be fair, consistent, and firm with both the children and the parents. When we’ve missed classes due to illness, vacation, or just forgetting, they have been more than accommodating even when it has gone against their policy, if the circumstances were conducive to helping us out.
I would highly recommend this school over the other similar schools for both the price and the facility size (They have two swimming pools and ample seating). Yes, we’ve invested a small fortune in swimming lessons, but it was well worth the price knowing our kids are now really good swimmers!

Good school over all, but lacks a friendly environment for the kids. The instructors I hear is all family and all female instructors nothing wrong with that but they are strict instructors. Strict on the make up sessions that they allow and strict and firm on the teaching instruction. Strict is good in many aspects but also not too good at building up the confidence in some youngsters, at least ours felt that way or as it showed. They did get our 2 year old girl to swim and that is what the goal of a swim school.

My 1 year old LOVES, L-​O-​V-​E-​S, his swimming classes with Miss Jeri. He cried a bit on his first day but it was all laughs and giggles after that. I really appreciate the fact that Miss Jeri never pushed my son out of his comfort zone. For some reason he doesn’t like to float on his back. Although, Miss Jeri tries at every class she never forces him. I had to miss a class once because my son was sick. The next time I showed up, before I could even ask, the lady at the reception desk asked if I wanted to schedule a make-​up class. I was very impressed. I read a review that complained about the 3:1 ratio and how students only get 10 minutes of lesson. I guess it is technically true but it works out in the best interest for the child. It’s not like your child has to wait 20 whole minutes at the steps. The teacher alternates between the 3 children all class long. This is especially beneficial if your child is afraid or not comfortable in the pool yet. Also, while your child waits for their turn they can practice social skills for pool time. At least that’s what I do. I try to teach my son to sit down and wait until it is his turn. (Even though he tries to jump off into the water on his own). Or I redirect him when he is splashing water in other students’ face. I am forced to take a break due to financial matters, but I do plan on coming back.

Amazingly good with Children and they have been in business for a long time. The main teachers Jerry, Kerry, and Kimber are awesome! My child was almost 2 when we started and very attached to me, he was one of the criers, he cried for the first 2 – 3 lessons and Jerry was amazing with him. Now he cries when his swim lessons are over for the day… they really are good with children give them a shot. Customer service is also good If you have any questions just call and ask!

I brought my daughter over here when she was only 2 months old and the instructors here are great! I was amazed by the skill and patience they demonstrated with my little girl and they were always really nice and professional.
I was stunned to see my daughter being immersed completely underwater and coming up just fine. As a first time parent I know I was nervous but their mastery put me at ease really quickly.
I would highly recommend it to anyone considering lessons.

Last summer my daughter enjoyed the water so much I thought I had to get her in swim lessons right away to prevent her from trying to get into our pool we just built. We started lessons and things seemed fine but as they progressed quickly, she started to fear the water. By the time I stopped taking her here, she has an extreme fear to all swimming pools. My daughter is terrified. I don’t recommend this school to any child that has any issues. My daughter had a fear of strangers before this class and now she is afraid of the pool too. Not good. The instructors do not offer any advice or do they discuss the progress or game plan to teach these kids.

For the first 6 wk session of 12, 30 min lessons for $ 180, I was pleased considering both my children progressively advanced, each having the same instructor throughout. When I paid for a 2^nd session, I confirmed my children would have the same instructors. My son advanced consistently with the agreed upon instructor, but my daughter had 5 different instructors over 6 wks of instruction of 12 lessons & was repeatedly NOT referred to by her correct name, even when corrected! The same instructor also placed her on «time-​out» when struggling to keep her legs together to not kick … TWICE! The last straw was when they took my daughters time to train a new employee where I addressed my concerns over the waste of time & inconsistency in teaching with so many instructors where the response was «that’s the way it is». That day she had a total of 3 ½ minutes of a lesson! They offer 3 kids to 1 instructor for 30 minutes = 10 minutes per child. At $ 15 per ½ hr, on average, my daughter received a 6 to 7 min lesson where most of her time was sitting on the step waiting. I found their abrupt customer service manner rude & lacking personal interest for my child. POINT BEING, INCONSISTENT TRAINING IS NOT TO THE BENEFIT OF THE CHILD! I strongly DO NOT recommend this business! Now, I understand why they have a cash or check only policy!