Was looking for a swim school for my toddler and noticed that this one was shockingly close to home, so we decided to give it a shot last summer. So glad that we found Donald, who teaches out of a residential pool in a sprawling backyard. He is a wonderful combination of patient, communicative, playful, and firm -- the man REALLY knows how to work with kids. My child has gotten so much more comfortable in the water since starting lessons at Aquafit, despite being super stubborn and beginning most lessons with tears for the first few months. At the end of each class I ask her if she had fun and she always says yes. Thank you Donald! read more

Aquafit Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Valley Glen, California

We have been going to Aquafit Swim school for going on now for 3 years. Donald is so patient and understanding with our son. We trust him 1000% and so proud of how our son has improved as a safe swimmer! read more

Aquafit Swim School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Valley Glen, California

I can't say enough amazing things about Aquafit. My 3 year old son is autistic and I was worried about how he would do with swim lessons. He is doing amazing, in large part to the care and patience that all the instructors at Aquafit provide to him. I couldn't be more grateful and my son absolutely loves going! read more

We've been coming here for two years after trying several other places, and I'm so glad we found Donald. The combination of reasonable pricing, flexible scheduling, and noticeable progress made this an easy choice for our family. Both of my kids, ages 5 and 10, truly enjoy their time here, and I've seen significant improvement in their swimming skills. It's clear they feel comfortable, supported, and engaged. Another big plus is the pool itself,it's large enough for lap swimming, which isn't the case at many other locations we tried. Highly recommend for any family looking for a professional and enjoyable swim experience! read more

Donald teaches my two kids (ages 3 and 6), and he's excellent! He really engages the kids, communicates well with them, and makes it fun for them. On top of that, he has been started to teach our kids proper strokes, and work on their endurance. They are very happy and confident swimmers, as a result of all their work with Donald. read more

Our son transitioned from taking swim in a group to private lessons w Donald. Donald is great w kids, very patient! Kids interact well w Donald and he knows how to maintain interest in learning to swim. Highly recommend, without reservation! read more

I am in my 30s and never learned how to swim. Perhaps I learned but didn't put it into practice so I grew up not knowing. I am so thankful for Aquafit Swim School, particularly Donald. Recently I completed the 10 1-hour sessions. Donald is a great teacher. He made me feel so comfortable and explained things so easily. My husband couldn't believe how much a learned after 2 sessions. Now it's just practicing to be a better swimmer. When I practice, I can hear all his reminders which is not a bad thing. I'm so happy I did it! Thank you so much Donald! read more

My kids have been taking lessons with Donald for 3 years now (starting at age 4). We do 10 private lessons each summer. The kids absolutely love Donald!!! He is the best!!! They have learned so much. Starting with swim safety at the beginning, then strokes and diving. I'm always impressed how engaged they are. Donald is great with kids and a fabulous teacher. He works in games and challenges that the kids love. If you are looking for lessons for your child do not hesitate to choose Aquafit! read more

My nearly 4 year old son is about to finish his first series of classes with Donald, and I couldn't be more pleased with his progress. From the first lesson when my son even refused to step into the water, and how Donald patiently coaxed him to get into the water with squirting toys (always so fun), to 7 lessons later when my son is much more comfortable and confident in the water, and really looking forward to every lesson. In the short 7 lessons he's learnt how to monkey crawl along the side of the pool (useful to build strength to climb out of the pool - so important for pool safety), to kicking and holding his breath. These foundational skills really help my son understand how to swim. Even my nearly 2yo daughter has started swim lessons with Donald and because she is so scared of strangers, my husband or I have to be with her. Donald teaches us techniques to hold her and make her feel comfortable, and how we encourage her natural instincts to float and kick. I really couldn't recommend Donald enough! read more

As an adult, I finally decided to learn how to swim with a friend and got eight semiprivate swim lessons with Zita. She was the ideal teacher - she was patient but also challenged us to improve and empowered us with the knowledge to do so, welcoming question and offering observant advice at every point. Zita knows how to pinpoint areas of improvement, to fix your technique and most importantly, to get out of your head. I have tried other swim lessons in groups and this was by far the most effective way to learn, and I'm so glad I did this! read more

cones I can say. waste of money. just one 15 minutes lesson charged me 50$ just home pool husband and wife runs it. no heated pool. no shower read more

Donald was great with my 5 year old daughter and her same age bff. He's patient, fun and communicates instruction with ease. My daughter went from being afraid of dunking her head to being able to hold her breath and swimming a couple feet in just a few lessons! Would recommend Donald to anyone. read more

I just got done with two 10 pack swim sessions, and boy did I learn a lot!! Donald retrained my body how to swim correctly, with better strokes, and he helped me so I wouldn't pull any muscles or hurt myself. He is a great, knowledgeable swim teacher who pays attention to what your body is doing while you're swimming, so you can make corrections. Most importantly, he is great at communicating back on how to fix what you need help with, all the while teaching you and helping you learn how to problem solve on your own so your body can be aware. He is very easy going and friendly, but he will also work you so you can benefit fully from your workout! read more

I have been taking lessons at Aquafit for the past several months. I am a 33 year old adult who never learned to swim as a child so I started from square one. Donald and his network of swim instructors, especially Zita, are amazing. Both Donald and Zita know how to teach adults, break down each movement into easy-to-remember techniques and are very patient. I went from knowing nothing to learning front crawl (freestyle), back crawl, elementary backstroke, and breast stroke (still trying to learn that one as we speak). I intend on signing up for more lessons to continue working on my technique. It's a lot of hard work, and I still need to master the breathing, endurance, and stronger kicking/treading water but I am determined. I take individual one hour lessons so I have adequate time to practice. Individual attention is beneficial. Thank you Aquafit, Donald and Zita for being great instructors, life coaches and friends! read more

Definitely the best swim school!! Donald is a great swim instructor. He taught both my 9 year old daughter and my 5 year old son. Donald made them feel comfortable in the water and gave them confidence. He's great with kids and makes the classes super fun. I will definitely sign up for more lessons in the near future. Thank You Donald!! read more

First off - I want to begin this review by pointing out that my 5 and a half year old son is very picky. Picky when it comes to everything and everyone. Just like any 5 year old he speaks his mind at all times and he does not sugar coat. With that being said- I knew that finding a suitable swim instructor would be challenging. It's safe to say my son and I were very grateful and blessed to have found Aquafit Swim School. Donald managed to gain my son's trust within their first session. I approve of his teaching style- mostly because it was the right balance of play, teaching and fun while instilling safety guidelines in the water that little kids can comprehend. I enjoyed watching my little boy grow more and more confident in the pool. Prior to swimming lessons with Donald- my son always had a life vest while in the water. It's been wonderful having the peace of mind that my son is self reliant and that he now has the skills he needs to be safe. I highly suggest Aquafit Swim School. Call Donald soon! read more

I am an adult who finally decided to take swimming lessons. Donald has been a fantastic teacher and life coach (really, he ends up being a life coach! It's a great bonus!). I am on my second series with him. I have loved that he not only teaches the basics of swimming, he has also taught me survival skills in the pool, ocean and other situations. Had I known about Donald and this school when my teen boys were younger, I would have hands down enrolled them. Not only is Donald a great instructor, he's just an overall fun, caring and good guy. I cannot recommend him enough! read more

Donald is an amazing swimming instructor. I did not know how to swim at all and after a few classes, I was able to swim and now I love swimming. Getting swimming lessons from Donald were one of the greatest gifts I have given myself. I highly recommend him. Betty read more

Donald is amazing teacher!!! He is patient understanding and actually takes the time out to make sure you know what you are doing. I took his classes and I can say I definitely feel more confident in the water than I ever did before. Donald made it fun, his technique is impeccable! I've had other teachers before but he is hands down the best!!!!!!!!! read more

Donald taught me great technic and gives me a great workout in every lesson. I highly recommend him if you are looking to make swimming your sport to keep you fit or if you need help to improve your triathlon overall! read more

I could not be more pleased with Aquafit Swim School. Donald has been my daughter's swimming instructor for 3 years now. All I originally wanted was for her to be safe and independent in the water. That first summer, Donald brought her further than I could have ever dreamed: happily putting her face in the water and doing all the steps that, put together, would allow her to swim. He took her from afraid to get in the water to the verge of swimming in mere weeks. But even more importantly, she had fun. We've come back every summer since. By now he has her swimming (really swimming: freestyle, backstroke, elementary butterfly) and diving and doing all sorts of activities all over the pool (deep end too). Donald has taught her more about swimming and water safety than her mommy ever could. :) read more

Donald is an amazing swim instructor. He is very professional, understanding, patient , supportive and knowledgeable. Donnie helped me to overcome my fear of being in the water. Prior to going to Aqua fit swim school I have tried to learn to swim with different instructors but no result. I would stop going after the second lesson.But Donnie's instructions are clear and easy to understand. His excellent knowledge of kinesiology helped me to feel comfortable in the water. All his classes are fun and you'll get a great workout. If you are new to swimming like me or you want improve your technique or get a great workout during water aerobics class , Aqua fit swim school is definitely the best place where u need to start . read more

Donald is the instructor for this swim school. He not only teaches children and adults how to swim, he provides a pool exercise/aerobics class for adults as well. He is professional, nice, creative, energetic, supportive, and has expertise in kinesiology. This guy is very knowledgeable regarding specific exercises for individuals who are rehabilitating from injuries or age-related disabilities. This guy is great and very trustworthy..... I would entrust my kids and my grandparents in the pool to him, as well as my self.... read more

Donald has been teaching my nine year old son and getting really great results. From the first lesson he understood that my son was intellectualizing everything and started sharing the theory behind the lesson--what muscles he was using, how to optimize his breathing, the physics behind proper technique. Perfect! He's a chill, grounded person with lots of patience but applies enough pressure to encourage growth and improvement. I also love the location of the pool, which is outside with the smell of flowers and herbs. read more

Donald is great. I'm an adult who took swimming lessons once when I was a child but I never learned how to swim. In fact I was pretty nervous about the water because I remember this instructor making us jump off the diving board into the deep end of the pool when I could not swim. Fast forward about 30 years later when I finally worked up the nerve to try lessons again. I researched here before I selected Aquafit. I saw some places that had more reviews but Donald had positive reviews for teaching both adults and kids. I'm very happy I chose Donald. He's very knowledgeable. He's also patient. And he is just an all around nice person. I went from being nervous about putting my face underwater at the first lesson to being able to swim from one side of the pool to the other in just 6 lessons. I still have two more lessons to go but can already say that signing up for Aquafit was the right decision. I'll update this review when I finish my last few lessons. read more

Donald is just the BEST. Really. I've been taking his classes for four years - swimming, water aerobics, aquafit. He's a wonderful instructor, he's funny, warm and patient. He keeps bringing new exercises to the class and he really listens when you have a problem area. For instance, I broke my foot twice (NOT in his class, I did it executing a tricky stair dismount and then a rubber mat hurdle). I hardly missed any classes because Donald modified exercises for me to put less strain on my foot while it was healing and because water is easier than land. My work involves an extreme amount of sitting so these classes have saved me. Sure, jogging is great, but the ground is dangerous and it's hot out - do both, but check out Donald's Aquafit Swim School because he is awesome and you'll be happy. read more

My sisters and I recently took 5 swim lessons with Donald (none of us learned as kids) and I have to say, we loved his classes. Donald is patient and really knows how to teach adults; besides the basics and techniques, he taught us about survival skills and to not overthink everything when you're in the water (he uses great analogies to explain the harder things). All three of us feel much more comfortable in the water now and are signing up for another 5 lessons to work on perfecting our technique and our breathing. We highly recommend Donald - whether you're just starting out, or want to be a stronger swimmer! read more

Love Donald and Zita! Zita was my instructor. She's super patient and encouraging. She was always honest with me and tried to make me feel comfortable in the water. I also appreciated Donald's advice and tips from time to time! Def recommend! read more