My daughter has been with CBD for 3 years now, taking private lessons and we are very happy of her progress.I highly reccomend this place. Instructors are very kind, helpful and friendly. read more

We are so happy with Blue Dolphin. Our daughter was super anxious about starting swim lessons. She has now finished her 2nd lesson and she is loving it! Anna has been so great! She is so patient and very encouraging, this makes such a difference. read more

My 4th grader could't swim independently and my 1st grader was adamant about staying out of the pool. Yet by the end of their first lesson, they were both hooked, and over the next several lessons, they each made impressive strides. So glad I found this school! read more

Took Clinics with CBD that they ran for Chicago Tri Club members in 2009. Overall a positive experience and fairly priced. As the sessions went on though we had some issues with instructors not showing up or showing up late. The times Fitz was there he was awesome, and helpful. read more

The mirror in the pool was very helpful , and the warm water was perfect. I also think my instructor is a pretty cool gu. Swam competitely in college so I count that as qualified to teach me. Left feelig more confident after my first 25 minute session, can't wait for more #judgementfreezonw read more

Took 2 lessons so far, first one not as expected so I changed to Erin reason for 4 stars not 5. Erin was fabulous, really explained everything and pushed only where needed. I am still anxious - almost 50 and never swam but willing to give it my all with Erin. read more

I'm learning how to swim as an adult and it's been a really good experience with Chicago Blue Dolphins. The class sizes are so small, it's only me and another student in my class with the instructor. The instructors are attentive and don't get frustrated if I don't get a concept or skill right away. They are patient to learn my comfort level with the water, and customize the instruction based on what I need. Coach Francesca makes it easy to learn from her, and she makes her instructions plain where they make sense. She's patient and good-natured. I definitely recommend her and Chicago Blue Dolphins for your swim-learning needs. read more

Coach Fitz is the best! Helped me so much as an adult and now he is helping my kids learn to swim!

Our daughter has been in Coach Elia's class for over a year now (we started when she was 6 months old). Cannot say enough good things about Coach Elia and her class! We have taken a couple of makeup classes from Coach Kora and really liked her a lot too. Would highly recommend CBD to anyone looking to have fun with their infant while beginning to teach them how to swim! read more

My son was in swimming lessons somewhere else for a year and when I got him in a big pool he had no idea what to do and was really scared. He has been taking lessons with coach Elia for about 2 months and he can swim a couple strokes on his own now! The teachers really give them freedom to learn but are right there when they start to sink. Lol she gives good pointers that are easy for a 5 year old to understand and she's very patient. All of the coaches there are all really nice! read more

Excellent instruction. This is only my second class and I can already see improvement in my swim stroke.

My parents were there with the kids (ages 4 and 5, each having a private lesson) and they said that the instructors were stellar and really focused on making sure the girls were comfortable with what they were doing. This is a big deal because the 5-year-old was crying that she didn't want to go to swimming because she was afraid to be without her floatie. Thank you for helping to ease the transition. They came home overjoyed with their experience and want to keep going forever! read more

We absolutely love Chicago blue dolphins. The facility itself is very clean, and functional. The instructors are wonderful. We have had our 16 month old in swimming lessons since he was 12 months old, and already I can see him learning new skills. Front desk is awesome and so easy to work with, they are always happy to switch around your make up classes and work with you. No hassle at all. Super happy we went with CBD read more

I love this place! My husband and I both took lessons here to help us prepare for a triathlon since we were both absolutely petrified about the swim portion. The skills I learned helped so much that the swim ended up being the EASIEST part of the race. We just signed my 6-year old up for private lessons here as he has been elsewhere and just wasn't comfortable in the pool. The size of the pool is less intimidating to him than the other large pools and is allowing him to become more confident. He LOVES it. read more

We have been so happy with our experience at CBD. We've been bringing our baby for class since she was 8 months, and now at 13 months, she continues to love the water, enjoy the routines in class, and even wants to do the songs during bath time at home. Coach Natalie is great with the kids, and always makes baby feel welcome and safe in the water. The facilities are clean and bright and easy to navigate. We are looking forward to our little fish continuing to advance in the CBD classes. read more

I had a great experience with my 13 month old at Blue Dolphins! The location is easy to get to, with free street parking, and easy access to the pool. The swim area was warm enough that she didn't get cold in the water. The instructor was very attentive and friendly and the class size was small. The changing area was a little small and cramped, but it had 2 showers, 2 changing tables and a couple little seats for the kids too. Totally manageable in the tricky situation of changing a sopping wet baby and self after class. All in all a great experience! read more

Awesome toddler swim class! I kind of don't want to write a review because it took me awhile to decide on one; and I do not want these classes to fill up. I don't know about the reviews that others posted on here regarding masters classes, but the toddler swim class was great. It was small ~5 kids, the pool is kept warm. You get lots of personal attention. The facilities are nice and clean. read more

The staff at Chicago Blue Dolphins is amazing and super knowledgeable. I am happy to be coming back for a little-tailored refresher to improve my swim technique and efficiency. I highly recommend them to anyone who would like to improve their own technique or learn how to swim. They taught me how to properly swim two years ago. Coach Fitz and his team are amazing, and I could not be happier with my experiences. read more

Kyle was our coach and did a fantastic job! Everything was on time, the facility was great for training and his instruction was actionable and improved my stroke. Thank you. read more

Film of your stroke and position in the water is key! And, of course the corrective instruction to follow. The instructor breaking down the stroke from his own footage is powerful pedagogical tool. It gave me a lot of confidence in the method. read more

Wonderful facility. Very understanding and great instructors. My son has autism and Mr. Fitz is wonderful with him.

I got a 1 hour private lesson with Jason and it was money well spent. I started swimming a mile a couple of times a week for fitness but I've never felt comfortable in the freestyle. After just one 1 hour session I've upped the freestyle portion of my workout from 10% to more than 50% and I'm much faster and smoother in the water and I don't get winded. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to work on their technique. The underwater mirrors and video capture playback are very helpful to see what you are doing wrong. read more

So far I've had 3 teachers here. The first one was a pushy and drunk guy, but the rest were a lot more kind.

The small class size is wonderful, ensures you are not getting lost in the crowd, the instructor is knowledgeable and skilled, and the pool with the current is ideal for the instructor to really be able to see your form and make corrections to your form. read more

Chicago Blue Dolphins has played a major role in taking my child's swimming to the next level. The use of the Endless Pool with underwater video analysis has been amazing. I feel fortunate to have found someone that uses this type of cutting edge technology. As a 10 & Under, my child was able to achieve multiple Illinois regional times swimming strokes that CBD refined over a two year period. My child loves the lessons and Fitz and continues to progress forward. As a side note, I have also swam with CBD Masters and found it to be what I consider one of the best Master's Swimming Programs in the city (have participated in three other programs). As a former college swimmer, I found the workouts to be varied and challenging. The program has high attendance (which is great in keeping motivated) and accommodates many ability levels. read more

I've been taking Freestyle 1, to improve my stroke and get a bit of much needed coaching. The water is warm, the facility is clean. I've met a few different teachers, and none of them has been bad, though Erin was a stand out! The mirrors and video are a big help in making the adjustments to my strokes. The office is a bit disorganized, so be patient getting the info you need . read more

I wanted to learn swimming as a teenager but chose a wrong school (outside US.) I had extreme fear of water and was humiliated among a bunch of kids. Of course I never wanted to return to the school after that. I wanted to give it a try again in the US in my late 30s since I thought the teaching methods and people skills are much better here. I was not disappointed - I found coach Kora to be extremely helpful and her teaching skills beyond exemplary. She understood that I may not be their regular student and let me learn at my own pace. She is very patient and never rushes through her sessions. I'm still learning and still have fear of water but I have gone a long way from where I started. Thank you coach Kora for being the best! If she can teach someone like me, I'm pretty sure she can teach anyone. -Kay read more

Elia was super instructive and helpful. I still have a lot to work on but Elia gave me a head start. She also wrote down instructions of exercises I need to work on + access to multimedia database. Dressing room was clean and pool excellent for the purpose. I would definitely come back if I didn't live 6800 km away. read more

Update of review from 1/9/2015 CBD saw my review and realized that my lesson was not scheduled correctly. They offered to refund the cost of the lesson and offered me a free lesson with the lead instructor and TI coach. That lesson was very productive and helpful with lots of verbal and video feedback. They went out of their way to correct the miscommunication. Great customer service. Great lesson. read more

A great place to learn or improve your strokes. Coach Fitz is patient and precise in his feedback. The equipment is really helpful to truly visualize movements and make meaningful adjustments. read more

CBD is awesome. The instructors are great - my son was really scared of the water and could not swim at all, but now he LOVES swimming! Small class sizes and smaller pools at the studio really build confidence quickly. They are also great at communicating with parents and email report cards so you know what they are focusing on during class. Highly recommended! read more

I'll start by saying that I'm a adult who just turned 49 who never learned how to swim before coming to Chicago Blue Dolphins. So far I've taken six 25 minute lessons, and the progress I have made under their lessons and coaching has been unbelievable! I started learning front and back floating, then moved on to elementary breaststroke, backstroke, side float, and now into freestyle. From week to week I can see myself improving. My regular instructor is Kyle, and he does a great job in providing instruction, identifying what I'm doing correctly, what I need to do to improve, and maintaining a fun and positive atmosphere conducive to learning and improving. The facilities at the swim studio are also first-rate. I had some reservations taking swimming lessons at my age, but after going to CBD, it's one of the best investments of my time and money that I have made. I highly recommend CBD to anybody, regardless of age, who wants to learn to swim. read more

I am an adult student - very much a beginner student. I was referred to CBD by a friend after I signed up for a supersprint triathlon. I took a level one group class and have also taken a series of private lessons. I can now swim. That pretty much says it all. My instructor is a college student, an experienced swimmer - and in contrast to earlier reviews of instructors - could not be more professional or attentive. He is patient and supportive, and quite knowledgeable. I have spent a significant amount of time observing 2 other instructors there at the same time (instructing adult and child beginners) and have found them to be equally professional. I would highly recommend Blue Dolphins for adult learn-to-swim classes. read more

Chicago Blue Dolphins has some of the best customer service I've ever encountered in a business. They are responsive, helpful, friendly and understanding. The swim instructors are all great, especially Coach Fitz. I've witnessed their patience with crying children and distraught parents alike. My only reservation is the Swift School pool site, as the locker rooms leave much to be desired. Besides that though, I highly recommend Chicago Blue Dolphins. read more

Great place to send your little one for lessons. Not crowded, very friendly staff and coaches, easy to reschedule missed lessons. All-in-all I am very very happy that we chose CBD. My son loves going to swimming each week and I feel confident he will be swimming on his own soon! read more

Elia is a great instructor - so patient, yet exacting, she encourages me to push past my limits.

Very happy with this place! Love their format. Have taken both kids for semi-private lessons and both can swim after two 5-packs. The older kid really took off after that. Expecting the young one to do the same. We'll be back for more. Thanks Blue Dolphins and CJ. read more

My son began swim lessons here at 6 months old. We noticed how much he loved bath time and wanted to encourage him. He now loves the pool, and is extremely comfortable in the water. Additionally, it is a great opportunity for parent-child bonding. I have been very impressed with both the swim coaches and customer service staff who make changing days/times a hassle free process. In particular, coaches Natalie and Alex have been great with my son in the pool. They are always friendly, encouraging, and energetic. Swim class is definitely one of the highlights of our week. In terms of the facilities, there are plenty of showers, changing tables, etc. In short, if you are considering a new activity for your child, I would definitely give CBD a shot. read more

Chicago Blue Dolphins offers both longer and drop-off lesson options for kids. It's quite a bit less crowded than other swim schools. We've done both Goldfish and Foss. With Goldfish, I tried multiple times to coordinate private or semi-private lessons with no success. Also, with 1/2 hour class of four students, kids only get 7 minutes of swimming by the time you add in instruction. Foss was too focused on safety (for my child who was already swimming quite well) rather than combining water safety info with swim skills. For us, CBD is the best option in the city! read more

Coach Fitz is patient, knowledgeable and encouraging. His understanding of the Total Immersion technique and his ability to disseminate the information is superb! I would highly recommend CBD! read more