I recently started adult lessons with Bella as a refresher to feel more comfortable in the water, especially with my kids spending more time swimming this summer. While I knew the basics, Bella taught me essential breathing and safety skills that boosted my confidence. By the end of my second lesson, I was able to swim across the pool, a personal milestone I wouldn't have reached before due to fear. The pool is in a residential home backyard and is covered/heated so it's weather appropriate all year round. Although the pool is smaller than your average gym pool, there's usually only 1-2 lessons at at time so you don't have to dodge other people like you would at most swim schools. Be sure to text the number on the site after you book online and arrange payment before you show up to your lesson. read more

So far we are happy with this school. It is very warm and clean. coach Zara is very nice and my daughter like her. I hope she can improve fast. read more

We're really glad we found Alva! The teachers are great. Coach Jaylene has been really clear and patient with our 8 year old, who has become fully water safe and developed confidence in a variety of strokes. read more

I have been taking my kids to Alva for a few years. This is a covered indoor pool in the back of a residential home. My oldest son is now a strong swimmer who knows all strokes. I like that there are at most 2 kids in the pool at the same time, so it's not packed like Waterworks. The pool is always heated nicely which is great for my kid who can't stand cold pools. The quality does depend on the instructor but when you find a good match it is really good. Very easy to book online and Alva is always super responsive to all your questions and needs. I would highly recommend Alva for swim lessons. read more

This school needs to work on their communication skill, Very unprofessional and sloppy. read more

My daughter LOVES Coach Bella! Ever since she tried out her first lesson with Coach Bella, she didn't want to look elsewhere for swimming classes or a different coach. That says it all^_^. Coach Bella is great at what she teachers; my daughter learned most of her swimming skills from her and has turned into a fine swimmer. Coach Bella is super nice to kids, gives clear instructions, and explains the body movements precisely. She also communicates well with the parents by keeping us updated on how our kid is doing. She helped my daughter become more confident in water. We really appreciate her! We also really enjoy the facility; the indoor pool kicks in all year round. Alva, the owner, is very easy to communicate with! She helps look out for spots available, gives promptly heads-ups, and makes booking a lesson such a breeze. read more

The instructor was wonderful! My son really learned from her on his first lesson. Unfortunately they have raised the prices listed on their website and they will not honor the price. read more

Looking for a experience swim coaches look no further. Alva Swimming School is great. They provide group lessons and private lessons. I personally love their private one on one lesson. I have looked at a few of swimming schools and most charge a lot for private one on one lessons and for only 20 mins with a share pool that have a lot of classes going on at the same time (doesn't really feel like one on one lessons where your child will get distracted easily by others around them). Alva Swimming School package deals are affordable and it's 30 mins per lessons and the max lessons they have going on is 2 swim lessons. My 2 oldest (8 and 6 yrs old) have been going to Alva Swimming School on and off for about 2 yrs (spring/summer). Before the pandemic they were almost getting it and then the pandemic hit we stopped going. Now we are back and my 8 yr old is really comfortable and is able to swim across the pool and back float with no problems. Just needs some work on her strokes. My 6 yr old needs to get out of his comfort zone and away from the edge of the pool. Lastly my youngest is old enough to join his sister and brother this year. He is 2.5 yrs old, he absolutely loves it! All the coaches are friendly, professional and have a lot of patience in working with children of all ages and adults too! Scheduling and communicating via text and/or email is very efficient. I always get a response back within 10-15 mins or less. read more

My son has been going to this establishment for almost a year now, and there are so many great qualities here. Alva, the owner, is very sweet and responsive. My son has had Coach Davina this whole time and boy has she turned him around! He was very scared of the water (2 y/o when he started) and she was nothing but patient and caring. Now, my son can't get enough of swimming class. We live about 45 min away and will find a way to come here weekly because it is worth it! I highly recommend this to any family that wishes to have their kids cared for and learn how to be safe in a pool. read more

I took my son here after spending $1,000+ on lessons at Swim Works and he was just learning to float. After three months with Coach Belle at Alva Swimming School, his fear of water disappeared, he was more comfortable using a goggle, he could do backstroke and freestyle. He enjoys swimming more. It is amazing when you find a good coach. Everything changed. One-on-one lessons at Alva was an excellent choice. read more

We were referred to Alva Swimming school by a friend of mine and my son has been working with coach Karol and Coach Bella for the past couple of month. Both coaches were great and very patient, and they were great with kids. The swimming pool itself is covered and heated, and it's a residential location. Alva has been also great to work with, she has been very accommodating and understanding for our schedule change. Overall I would highly recommend Alva's swimming school to anyone wishes to send their kids to learn swimming. read more

I stumbled upon Alva swimming school on Yelp while searching for a swim lessons for my kids. There isn't a lot of options around our area so I thought I'd give Alva and her coaches a try. I texted the number provided on their website and Alva responded almost immediately to my request. We scheduled the first lesson for my son within a week of my request and detailed instructions was provided on location, parking and access to the pool. The pool is in a private residential home in the back yard and it is clean and organized. The first lesson for my son went great and so I started my son on regular weekly lessons back in May. One of the best thing about this swim school is their coaches. They are patient and they very knowledgeable. Also, unlike other swim schools, they would provide a 10 min buffer between lessons so that the coaches has time to end prior lessons and sanitize/take temp before the new lesson starts. My younger daughter was extremely afraid of putting her head in the water prior to coming to The school. I've already seen how great they are with my son so I decided to let my daughter try it out. And within a month she is now diving to the bottom to pick up toys and she is no longer afraid of putting her head in the water!!! The coaches understood that she's a bit more stubborn than her brother and they allowed her to slowly come to terms with her fear while making the lesson fun and light hearted! I can not say enough great things about Alva Swim school. I've recommended them to my own immediate family members and my kids classmates! Great school and great coaches!!! read more

Not the top 1 of my recommendation lists but it's worth going if you want to find a responsible and friendly teacher. The water is clean but it's not a big pool. I will buy the swimming pack for teacher Belle. read more

I am an adult and know nothing about swimming when I came to Alva Swimming. I took a 10 class package. It was really experience. My coaches are really nice. Sophia and Carol are super nice and patient. Recommend to everyone first learner. 我刚开始来Alva Swimming School 的时候一点都不会游泳，而且已经成年了所以比较难学。但是教练都很耐心尤其是sophia和carol。很喜欢也推荐给我朋友了。点赞 read more

As an adult and with a bit of challenge to Retain information at times this can be intimidating. I'm so glad I opted for the private lessons with coach Caroline. She's truly amazing , extremely knowledge and patient. At times she had to repeat things multiple times bc I couldn't understand her. This had nothing to do with her it's my learning. Never once she showed frustration but found diff ways to explain to me. She rocks !!! read more

This swim lesson provider doesn't respond to calls, text nor email! They may be excellent swim instructors but their communication skills needs a lot of work. The least they can do is press the reply button and type a one sentence response that they're not accepting students or they're close for business forever! Press SEND and done! read more

Little future swimmer! Thank you to teaching my babies to swim! Love all the coaches, they are amazing patient!! read more

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Going on a snorkel vacation? Not a strong swimmer? Come to Alva Swimming School for your crash course 101! Haha... Unlike most people who come here I actually self taught myself how to swim in my early twenties through Youtube videos... From there on I swam quite frequently throughout the years. I'm now in my late 20s... Despite I can swim ok in freestyle I constantly find myself get tired really quickly, feeling out of breathe, and also I can't really float or tread water... In 3 short lessons here, 2 lesson with coach Alva and 1 session with coach Julian I picked up so much skill and knowledge about swimming that I would have probably NEVER developed on my own!!! Throughout the 3 short 30 mins sessions. I learned how to relax in the water which enable me to float, and tread water. In addition, coach Alva and Julian corrected my FreeStyle, and Breast Stroke form to be a lot more efficient. And further more the coaches also taught me how to control my breathing. I must say it was really eye opening to realized I was swimming wrong all these times. Every single session I learned something new where it felt like a complete wake up moment, which is really awesome! Both coach Alva and coach Julian are super encouraging. They are friendly, upbeat, but at the same time they are still able to go at a pretty fast pace so you can actually learn how to swim! Lastly, the pool we used was a private pool, it was clean, and warm. Which unlike most public pools that taste salty at best. And it was completely private with no one else in the pool! A truly wonderful learning environment. I really wish I would've had my lessons when I first learned how to swim, it would've saved me so much wasted energy in the pool over the years. Lol... Lastly, I do want to give everyone a quick heads up. The cancellation policy and late policy is quite strict, which is completely understandable. So if you do book a session make sure to give yourself enough time to get to the lessons on time. read more

Coach Julian and Coach Caroline is one of the best swimming coach for my daughter and I. We enjoy the class very much and I learn how to float for the 1st time on my own for 10 seconds on my 1st class. Also ask for coach Alva if you have any problem with getting your class online, she will try her best tho assist you read more

Coach Alva and her team are great with kids. I love the private lessons as it gives the kids a better opportunity to learn and pick up much faster. Love that they have Sunday lessons available at the Pasadena boys and girls club and it's indoors. Both my boys have been going there and enjoy it. They get very excited to learn new techniques. I highly recommend this swimming school. read more

Alva Swimming School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

This place has a very poor communication and the instructor is not knowledgeable I would not recommend anyone taking them to this place

Hands down the best swimming lessons ! I love the one on one and lengthy lessons . My 5 year old loved her lessons with coach Davina ; she kept asking to get back in the water . My 3 year old was a little nervous at first but I think with regular lessons he ll feel more confident . Coach was super patient and very engaged with both of them . Coach alva is super flexible and so friendly; Mommy may need to sign up for lessons as well! read more

My sister and I both didn't know how to swim. I'm in my late 20's and I was hesitant to start enrolling to a swimming school. I was pessimist when it comes to swimming as I always thought that I might be too old to learn. I finally decided to reach out to Alva Swimming. I was a little nervous since I had tried taking swimming leasons in the past but unfortunately never worked. I contacted coach Alva who is very nice and accommodating. My sister and I both had swimming lessons with coach Julian and since the first day of our lesson I knew that it will give me different and better results. Coach Julian is a very patient instructor and never rans out of various techniques for his students. He teaches all ages. I strongly recommend Alva Swimminng who needs swimming lessons. read more

My 4 year old began taking swimming lessons with Coach Caroline at Alva Swimming School one year ago. She's made great progress, and we like the individualized attention she receives because it's safer and also so our little one receives immediate feedback and corrections to help her become a better swimmer. The owner, Alva, is great and has taught our daughter a few times when Coach Caroline wasn't available. It's obvious why her program is such a success. read more

My daughter had biggest fear of water, we even struggled to wash her hair every time. I was a little afraid of signing her up for swimming, but I feel so lucky we found Alva's. They have great Coaches here, all very professional, caring, and friendly with kids. I have been amazed to see how quickly my daughter has learned. She's not only overcome her water fear, and she's always looking forward to her next class. I recommend Alva's to anyone :) read more

I couldn't give Coach Alva enough stars. My 4 year old daughter is a very shy and soft spoken little girl. In the short few weeks that she has been taking lessons not only has she leanred many swimming skills but also self-confidence. Coach Alva is fantastic with children and goes at their pace but still making huge strides where they feel accomplished. It's so fun watching my daughter grow into a little swimmer!!! I would absolutely recommend Coach Alva and her swim school. read more

Alva is an exceptional swimming instructor! I am an adult 25+ yr old who wants to explore what's underneath the ocean(scuba dive). But I gotta overcome my lack of swimming skills. Alva and her systematic approach allows me to be able to learn all four strokes in 10 lessons. I feel very happy that I can now finally jump into a pool knowing that I will not drown myself! For you adults out there who knows the struggle of not knowing how to swim... I highly recommend Alva to help you overcome this weakness! Now I am gonna go scuba dive.... read more

Coach Julian is an awesome instructor! I never had any formal swimming lessons as a kid and so grew up afraid of leaving the shallow end of the pool. My goal for this summer is to learn how to survive in water. Thanks to coach Julian, I am making progress- so far, I had learned/am learning how to breathe when swimming, float, kick, tread, relax in the water, and sort-of swim in the shallow side. Julian is patient and friendly, but also pushes you to challenge yourself more with each lesson. Coach Julian is also great with kids. I had seen him help some of the more nervous ones become more comfortable with the water first instead of forcing them into the water (aka the "tough love" approach, which I really do not agree with). My niece had shown me the starfish and other shapes they had taught her, which I thought was a fun and smart way to teach children. Excellent swim instructors for both adults and kids! read more

After browsing through prices to prepare to swim before my trip to Hawaii, I opted to go to alva's swimming school. In comparison to other local swimming schools, this place has a pro/ rate per class and also offered packaged options. Whereas most classes required a set package. Alva taught the adult swimming class. True to the website, it was a 4-1 ratio. She was very professional, patient, helped me get more comfortable with water. FYI. I'm in my mid 20s. And could do some basic swim movements. However, I had trouble staying afloat and issues learning how to come up for air. I felt like I got a lot out of my 1 hr groups lesson. I will go back until I can swim fluidly. read more

Alva is such an awesome teacher. I had originally used the city recreation swim classes, but I realized that my kids were just waiting in line in the public pool for their turn with the teacher. The Recreation classes were an hour long daily for a week, but most of it was spent just waiting in the pool. What a waste of time for the kids! They were getting cold. :) I found Coach Alva last year and I had each child take 20-30 minute private lessons once a week. All of Coach Alva's attention was focused on my child only and they learned so much. What took a week to learn in the city's recreation class was done in ONE lesson with Coach Alva! Coach Alva is the best-- take a lesson with her. You will be impressed! read more

FIVE STAR FOR MS. ALVA！ Ms. Alva is both my son's and my swimming teacher. She is very professional and patient. My son learned how to swim in Ms. Alva's class when he was 7-year-old. Amazingly, he can swim by himself right after the first class. After a few classes, my son can swim in all different styles and join in a swimming team. That's entirely because of Ms. Alva's excellent teaching. Ms. Alva is good at teaching not only young kids but also adults. I'm scared of water a little bit and thought that I will never be able to swim by myself. But after I took Ms. Alva's class, I don't fear swimming anymore. All in all, Ms. Alva is an outstanding swimming teacher. Thank you, Ms. Alva! read more

My daughter loves the swimming class there. Her instructor is very nice and patient. She only had a very basic skills and I saw her improvement at her very first class there. read more

My son is enrolled in swim lessons at the Alva Swimming School. The location and environment I love it. I never could have believed that one day a week swim lessons could produce the results that I have witnessed with my son. Your swim program and instructors work miracles. read more

Alva is a great swim coach!  My 4 year-old daughter started swim lessons with Alva last summer.  She is knowledgeable, patient, and encouraging.  My daughter felt comfortable in the water within minutes and had told me that she likes Ms. Alva.  I took swim lessons from Alva too.  She is professional and approachable. Additionally, she pushed me to go further in every lesson. My daughter and I want her to be our swim coach every summer if possible. I highly recommend swim coach Alva! read more

Alva Swimming School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me

I can't say enough good things about Alva Swimming School! I'm in my late twenties and have always been afraid of water my whole life. To give you a context, my nightmares only have three different contents, and falling into the water drowning has always been one of them. A recent caving trip to Mulu National Park in Borneo, finally motivated me to take steps to overcome this fear. (The caves were too pretty I wanted to go back again for more adventurous ones). I'm basically a chicken in water to begin with. Through the past few weeks, I have had the chance to get lessons from all the different coaches. I started with coach Jocelyn, coach Alva, coach Caroline, coach Brandon, and most recently coach Julian. They were all wonderful and very encouraging. Each has their own way of teaching and I really appreciate how they are all attentive to why and how I am struggling with a certain drill. Being terrified of water, they all made me feel very comfortable in the water and I really trust them. It's still some time till I can tread water and not panicked but just to be able to relax a lot more than I usually could, has been a huge relief. I have only had classes at the Pasadena Boys and Girls Club since I live in Pasadena and only have weekends free. It's an indoor pool with clean facilities and bathroom. My roommates take their two kids (age 2 and 4) here too, and the kids have always loved their swimming lessons so far. It has been 6 weeks (5 half-hour lessons and 1 one-hour lesson) since I started, and I can finally swim without a board, and still manage to change breaths a few times in between doing freestyle. I could be really slow, but all the coaches have always been very good about guiding me at my pace. I look forward to more lessons and am excited to be able to finally swim one day. Coach Alva is also really helpful in helping schedule lessons. Thank you, Alva Swimming School, for all the guidance so far! read more

My son is 5 years old. We've been to several different swimming lessons and none of them seemed to help my son progress much. Until one day I found Alva swimming school and talked Coach Alva on the phone. She sounded very sweet, confident and knowledgeable about how to teach younger kids. I decided to give it a try! We were so happy about our decision!! We have coach Caroline and she is the best! She knows exactly how to coach my son, sweet but also firm. She encourages him to challenge himself to do better. She shows him the best posture of free style and he is able to follow it because she works so well with kids! Coach Caroline works so hard for the kids. She is always there for you, comes early and stays late. She is professional, extremely nice, patient, very hands on, works very well with kids, and technically strong. My son has made a huge progress from the day when he started at Alva swimming school. I haven't worked with other coaches but from what I have seen, all of the coaches are really good! Coach Alva is a very strong coach herself. She was one of the top swimmers in her team when she was competing. We highly recommend Alva swimming school!! You will be very happy with her and her team. No matter whether it is you or your kids who are interested in learning swimming from the beginning or just wanted to improve your swimming skills, y'all are in good hands with them!! We love this school and their coaches! They are the best!! read more

Taking lessons here was honestly a lifesaver! When I called Alva, I was scheduled to take a swim survival test in three days. I hadn't ever swam in my life and was basically mortified to even stick my head in the water. After explaining my situation, Alva opened up her schedule to help me, even though I was so unexperienced and last minute (meaning: don't procrastinate to take a test needed to graduate, but Alva is truly kind and supportive). The day of the call, I was able to get into the pool. I learned a lot in even a short period of 30 minutes, from breathing exercises and floating to just getting acclimated with the water. Only two lessons later, I could swim! The results were amazing and so quick, just what I needed! As someone who's always just lounged around the shallow end of the pool while everyone else had fun, I am so grateful and glad to have found this school. I honestly believe that I couldn't have passed my test with the help of anywhere else!! The pool here has the perfect atmosphere to learn, being clean and private. As opposed to a gym or YMCA, it is free of distractions and large amounts of people, allowing me to focus and not feel judged whilst exploring and pushing my boundaries in the water. The instructors are also what make this school a great place to learn swimming. There were countless times where I was just SO scared and couldn't make that leap forward. But Alva always made me feel safe and comfortable; she never ceased to be patient and encouraging with me even when I was especially difficult and apprehensive. Each lesson felt very personalized to my skill level and goals, and I really admire her ability to be just the right amount of challenging. She didn't push me so hard to the point where I'd break, but to the point where I'd make progress and feel motivated to try the next step. If you're another high schooler like me, don't feel that it's too late or hopeless to swim! Alva Swimming School is more than resourceful, and I highly recommend it to anyone! read more

Having a pool in the house it is very important to have the kids know how to swim. It's for their safety. We've tried so many places ( and many swim teachers ) to get our kids to learn how to swim but they would always lose interest and end up just playing on the stairs of the pool fearing water. Coach Julian is amazing with kids. My daughter who's always been too scared to swim, coach Julian got her to swim with the whole pool length with ease and even got her to jump into the pool. His patience and knowledge with kids is amazing. I have never seen my kids excel this much and this fast. The swim class is only 30 mins with each kid. If your kids are having difficulty learning how to swim, give coach Julian a try. You will be amazed !!!!! read more

Honest Kind Patient Knowledgeable Efficient Proficient Professional If you are looking for all of these qualities in one instructor then book with Alva. You will get your money's worth and more! BTW, I have used multiple companies (large and small) including private lessons throughout the years in the SGV and Alva is exceptional. read more

Alva is the best! I didn't give much hope when I came to alva cuz I am extremely nervous in water. Although it was a bit challenge to me in the beginning, but after the second lesson, I was not afraid of water anymore, and swimming just got easier after that. I also recommend her to my friend who had no swimming experience whatsoever, now can swim on her own after five lessons! So highly recommend her for adult swimming to anyone! read more