I didn't know what to expect from the folks at Open Water Adventures, to be honest. When you go…read moreinto a dive shop, you can get anywhere from seasoned expert to hobbyist trying to make a quick buck. Open Water Adventures in Charlotte is definitely the former. Joe, who I'm learning now is the owner, gave me his cell number so we could stay in contact about my upcoming trip to the Galapagos Islands--a destination he's visited six times, if memory serves. He wants to put me in touch with his contacts there for tours, lodging, the works. That's the kind of out-of-the-ordinary service I wouldn't have expected but received anyway. Honestly, everyone in the place was outstanding. I made my appointment and paid with Marcela, did paperwork with Meghan, and trained with Anthony (Li'l Momoa) for my diving refresher course. Things were a little harried at first, but I didn't think I'd be able to finish this course in a couple of hours, so I cleared my schedule. As usual, it's a question of expectation vs. delivery. I think the quality of equipment, expertise, and instruction are well worth the time spent making sure ducks were in a row and all was prepared exactly right. Safety comes first--diving is a fun time, but it carries its share of dangers. Learning how to avoid them isn't something I'd prefer rushed. I want to know it all very well before I go giant striding into open water. Diving isn't a cheap pastime. But it's one that will be incredibly rewarding if preparation and equipment are in order. And I feel as though Open Water Adventures knows that and puts it into practice.

Did a refresher course with Dillon and this Dive Shop is FANTASTIC! They really do make the effort…read moreto go the extra mile - and Dillon gave a GREAT refresher for me (out of water 16 years) and was incredibly patient, never rushed and focused immensely on safety. I'd return here for any dive needs in a heartbeat. Clean shop, heated pool, all staff was professional & friendly!

There are a number of swimming instruction services in the Charlotte area and having used others we…read moreprefer the Charlotte Swim Academy. Classes are one-on-one with children from 18 months on up learning to swim, dive, float and overall learn how to be safe and survive in water. The instructors are almost all young ladies who stay in the water with your child, taking through their paces. A very sweet bunch, all neatly groomed and personable. Our grandchildren LOVE their instructors and the instructors reciprocate. Instructors pride themselves as family extensions helping in this one particular area of leaning. There are changing rooms with showers and toilets and from there you hand off your child to their instructor for a 30 minute session. Then you and any other people with you go into an observation room where you can watch through the glass wall. When the session is over you reverse the process, picking up your child, showering, re-dressing and leaving. There is also a "toy room" with books, blocks and other child safe materials for self-entertainment while they are waiting. Very clean, efficient, friendly and professional operation. You will leave each time with a slightly damp, but happy child.

I cannot say enough positive things about Charlotte swim academy. My son literally would not leave…read morethe stairs of the pool this summer. Within 5 private lessons, he is swimming on his own and floating on his own as well. He goes under water and has gained so much confidence. I honestly cannot believe this is the same child from this past summer. His instructor is so patient and kind with him. We drive over 40 minutes for his weekly lesson and it is worth every minute and penny!!

We've been at Little Otter Huntersville for almost two years now, and we've really enjoyed the…read moreprogram. My daughter was initially petrified of the water--she would literally kick and scream as her instructors tried to get her in. It has been incredibly rewarding to watch her progress, moving up through two or three classes to where she's now comfortable swimming on her own, jumping into the water unassisted, and really grasping the fundamentals of swimming. The facility itself is well-maintained. While there's occasionally a messy changing stall, it's somewhat expected with groups of toddlers and young children cycling through every 30 minutes. There are plenty of seating options, allowing parents to watch their children comfortably--close enough to observe but far enough not to distract from the lesson. Little Otter has clearly defined standards for advancing to the next level and provides opportunities for parents to receive feedback on how their child can improve. I'm not sure of the maximum class size, but I've never seen more than three students per teacher, so each child gets a fair amount of one-on-one attention. I would definitely recommend Little Otter Huntersville!

I enrolled my son in swim classes when he was 6 months old. We had a great experience with our…read moreinstructor, Miss Kaylie. She was very knowledgeable about babies and their swimming techniques. You could also tell that she loves babies and helping them succeed. She also had lots of fun stations to practice different things in the water. Highly recommend!

I can't recommend Tia & First Stroke Aquatics enough! The instructors are amazing--super friendly,…read morepatient, and really know how to make swimming fun while still teaching proper technique and safety. You can tell they genuinely care about every student, no matter their age or skill level. The classes are well-organized, and you always leave feeling like you've made real progress. It's especially great for kids--my girls absolutely love going every week and they have gained so much confidence in the water. If you're thinking about signing up for swim lessons, I definitely recommended First Stroke. You won't be disappointed!

As a mother of busy toddler twin boys, water safety/swim lessons was at the top of our list of must…read morehaves. My husband has always loved the water and is a great swimmer so we knew when the time was right, we would enroll our boys in lessons. Unfortunately, our plans to begin the process were derailed with the pandemic but as 2021 ushered in safe options we hopped right on it. Initially, we chose a brick and mortar school but quickly realized that our needs weren't being met. Frustrated but eager to find an option that felt more personal, I found Tia and First Stroke Mobile Swim School. I was interested in the 1:1 option and that she came to you. It sounded like a win-win and it was also important that my children saw themselves reflected in the water which isn't always the case for African Americans. During our initial conversation, Tia asked about my sons and what were our goals. It was during that conversation that I mentioned I wanted to become a swimmer as well. It had been more than a decade since I stepped foot in a pool and I didn't know where to start. So, we scheduled our consultation and immediately following the three of us were signed up. Our plans included six lessons each and with every lesson we became more confident and comfortable in the water. Tia was flexible when needed and the boys absolutely loved her. In the end, they learned key skills for water safety and I became a swimmer! We cannot wait for our next season with First Stroke because our first was truly life changing. If you are in the market for swim lessons that are personalized, fun, and effective please consider making First Stroke Mobile Swim your top option. You'll be so glad you did. Thank you!

We started with little otter when my son was only 11 months old. We took a break during Covid. Now…read morewe have been attending lessons for the past year and a half. Miss Greta is my son's instructor, she is amazing. She is very patient with my son. She is very encouraging with him And he looks forward to seeing her every week! His skills have improved, he went from being afraid of the water to now swimming under the water, using goggles, holding his breath very well, having very good technique, swimming with his arms and kicking with his feet. we have enjoyed little otter thus far and we superduper love Miss Greta!!! Andra

We started each of our two children with lessons here beginning they were 6 months old. Our…read more2-year-old can swim very short distances independently and looks forward to swimming every single week! We love Miss Maddie and all of the staff. The process to schedule makeup classes when you have to miss a class is super simple. The app has great functionality and they are always helpful at the front desk or over the phone.

Not a good experience..kids are not closely monitored.. my kid gulped a lot of water while the…read moretrainer and the lifeguard were preoccupied.. such an incident happened previously with another toddler too in-front of our eyes..manager of the facility is not prompt to take any actions..earlier it was much better but off late it has deteriorated a lot Response to the message in google- 1. The lifeguard wasn't in his place when the incident happened. The incident happened on the backside of the trainer and i am not convinced that the gulping happened for 4 secs. So there was a lapse in safety. 2. There is no emergency contact to report or talk to. Academy following paper and email approach but when a kid is shocked and stopped talking for quite sometime, you should have a proper communication mechanism with the manager or owner which isnt there. 3. I wasnt sugary to the front desk since i was very agitated but neither i used any unparliamentary words neither i was unruly.. aggressive approach isnt the right phrase..The lady at the front desk was rude. Instead of calming a parent she just shrugged off her responsibilities by giving a pen and paper. So training issues there. 4. Email from the manager was really really unacceptable. Next step I shall post that email to different forums to show how inconsiderate you are. 5. You asked not to accompany my kid which is unrealistic.. baseless allegations of past unruly behavior was cited with front desk when I literally spoke in length with the front desk person for the first time..

- Hygiene was hit or miss, both in the pool and other facilities. During our final lesson, the…read morewater was so murky that you could barely see the lines in the pool (photo attached). The bathrooms were so neglected that we usually opted to wait until we got home to change. Even at peak-pandemic, hand sanitizers and hand soap dispensers sat empty for weeks at a time. - Safety was another concern for me. We were comfortable in a 1:1 lesson, but some classes were larger with teachers dividing their attention. The lifeguards frequently had headphones in and were actively engaged with their phones, and were sometimes not even present at our evening lessons even with a full pool (photo of empty stand attached). - Scheduling became a nightmare towards the end of our time here. We had a weekly scheduled 1:1 swim lesson. During our last month, two regular lessons were cancelled (one after we arrived at the pool due to a no-show sub, and the other in advance because they couldn't find a sub.) We scheduled two makeup lessons, and BOTH were cancelled after we arrived due to hygiene issues in the pool. So, a total of four cancelled lessons in about a six week period, three of those cancelled after we arrived, and we were only offered a $30 refund. - The pool where lessons are held is small and often overbooked. Sometimes there would be so many kids in the pool that there was no room for a lesson, so my son would be taken to the larger lane pool and would have to wear a life jacket for the entire lesson even though he can swim independently. It defeated the purpose for us a bit. - Customer service was what really killed our experience. After showing up for a lesson and finding out that it was cancelled (see above, a frequent issue), I sent an email to the director of the swim academy asking for a refund of that lesson. The response I got was angry and highly inappropriate. I spoke discreetly with a few staff members who confirmed this is a frequent problem - the swim academy director is married to the owner and often causes issues with her unpredictable outbursts and rude correspondence. There are dozens of other reviews in local neighborhood/mom groups complaining about her behavior towards parents who try to bring up legitimate issues. It's a shame, because we loved my son's teacher as well as all the makeup teachers we had over the past couple of months. Unfortunately we just can't in good conscience continue to ignore all the red flags at this location.

A great value for adults who want to get some laps in. Check their website for closings due to…read moremeets but for the most part they are open early morning and late evening Monday-Friday with at least three lap lanes open in the main tank. Only $5 for adult Mecklenburg County residents per visit, there is ample parking in the lot out front. Large lockers and a basic locker room with no amenities. Bring your own lock for the lockers or store your stuff in the bleachers by the pool. Don't forget flip flops for the pool deck and showers. Pools are Olympic size and there is warm lap pool for cooling down that is less crowded. Enter through the warm pool for the HOT TUB. Easy access for my triathlon training and a good value.

My son's in the junior swim league and loves it. At times there are too many kids per lane (10-15…read morekids) but overall great swim instruction. The coaches have very minimal contact with the parents (I don't even know the coaches name) but maybe it's a good thing they don't get overly involved with the parents.

There seems to be no order in which they teach skills. There should be a progression as the student…read moregains confidence with the teacher but during the second lesson she just submerged my child. Also, the young teacher didn't interact with the students or even seem to enjoy them. To top it all off they put my credit card on auto renewal without my knowledge, after only two lessons!

This swim school has been amazing for us! We started out at the YMCA but they kept putting her on…read moreflotation devices which didn't really give our daughter a sense of being able to swim on her own. Once Goldfish opened up we quickly jumped on board. The instructors are great, Jaime is a wonderful leader (and sometimes dabbles in instruction herself), the facility is clean and the staff are friendly. I've read complaints about students not being moved up as quickly as parents would like. We appreciated the timing of it all. We never felt she was rushed to the next level without being ready for it. The communication about this was also on point. We knew where her progress was at the end of each lesson. She was earning those ribbons! It has been such a great experience we are continuously referring families to join and once they do, they love it just as much as us.

We went on a Saturday around noon and this place is just a little too cramped for my liking, and…read moretoo small for the crowd size. Please open another location in Concord. I didn't love the treadmills as much as I like the ones in Albemarle. I do a lot of circuits so I often sprint and then walk, and the treadmills at this location take a little too long to slow down or speed up. Due to the crowd size the location isn't the cleanest but its not terrible. We tried the hydromassage chair and my husband said that's the only thing he liked lol. One of the hydro chairs is broken and shuts off halfway through. The team is aware of it so hopefully it gets fixed soon.

Solid gym with a lot to like! The men's locker room, showers, and bathrooms were really clean,…read morewhich I always appreciate--clean facilities make a big difference. The workout area is spacious, with plenty of room to move around without feeling crowded. The staff were very friendly and welcoming. Overall, a great experience and a gym I'd definitely recommend.