It's taken me an insanely long time to write this because I don't want to believe that it's over…read more I spent last weekend living on a dive boat with Dolphin and it was genuinely one of the top experiences of my life. As a greener diver, I went into this trip thinking I'd just take my time, see what it was like, and figure out what I could handle. Instead, it changed my perspective on diving and, to a much larger degree, the way I see myself. Steve Ramirez and Rich DeWitt made me feel so comfortable. They gave great tips and instruction without ever making me feel like I didn't belong there. I credit both of them for being able to do the dives and be fully present for them, knowing that they were nearby if needed with answers. Tell me why I live in Los Angeles and I'm considering driving up to Sacramento to further my dive education these two guys are the reason. The boat's crew was kind, helpful and incredibly aware. They anchored at beautiful dive sites, making it extremely easy to explore and look for whatever interested you on each dive. Their briefings were informative and helpful, there was always something available to refuel or hydrate, and they answered every question I had. They provided a type of hospitality I didn't even know existed. One of the crew caught a halibut while spearfishing and they cooked it right on the boat for us to try. I'll admit, I was scared to sleep in a bunk room with 21 strangers, with basically no privacy, on a little boat rocking to whatever degree the ocean decided was appropriate that day. But waking up first thing in the morning and getting into the water helped me achieve something I hadn't even realized I'd been looking for, to quiet the noise. I've always liked diving since I got certified. Now I love diving. I love the ocean. I love myself. There are places out there on this great planet where beauty and joy outweigh personality, follower count and financial class. Moments where you feel like you're on the moon. Underwater shapes of rock and rubble where you can almost see exactly where the earth crumbled, and just how resilient the creatures living there have become, willing to adjust to something new. There are little animals. Big animals. Kelp growing from rock. Silence. Awe. Moments laughing at dinner, wondering what the people on the other boats are doing, with people who were strangers a day ago and somehow already feel like friends. There's kindness. True hospitality. And this general sense of togetherness because everybody on board has the same goal: have a safe dive. Be able to go on the next one. Witness. Observe. Engage to whatever degree we're allowed, and leave the ocean as we found it. I thought what I was looking for out there would be something else. A shark. A ray. A seal. A dolphin. Turns out, it was me. I can't wait to go on the next one. Thank you, Dolphin, for giving me an experience I'll carry with me for the rest of my life.

I had the pleasure of attending a liveaboard trip in the Channel Islands this past weekend that was…read moreorganized by Dolphin Scuba Center. My wife and I are relatively new to diving so three days of nonstop scuba was both something we were excited for but also a little scared to do. Dolphin Scuba instructors Rich D. and Steve Ramirez were such an incredible pair that both taught us so much about scuba diving and allowed us to tag along with them on all of our dives. They made us feel very at ease in the water, gave us tips to improve our form and they both had endless stories to tell about diving while we hung out in the galley at night. This was our favorite scuba experience we have had thus far and I would 100% recommend joining them on one of the many trips they organize throughout the year. We can't wait to attend another trip with them in the future! Thanks again!

Amanda was fantastic! She was wonderful with our son and because of her he is now comfortable and…read moreconfident in the water. He has become 1,000 percent a stronger swimmer !! Amanda was patient, kind, accommodating, and so very knowledgeable. We loved her as a swim coach. Sunsational's customer service was also the best!! Literally always answer, always got back to me, and always followed up. I had to stop my daughter's lessons and they were very understanding. Totally recommend.

We had a great experience with Evan as our daughter's swim instructor. He was always on time, had a…read moregreat attitude, and was so patient with her. Our daughter was somewhat comfortable in the water when she started, but Evan never rushed her. He always checked in to make sure she understood what he was asking her to do and that she felt comfortable before moving on. He was kind, encouraging, and really took the time to get to know her. By the end of her lessons, we could see such a big difference in her confidence and swimming ability. She became much more comfortable and proficient in the water, and we are very happy with her progress. I would definitely recommend Evan to any parent looking for a swim instructor. Learning to swim and being comfortable around water is such an important, life-saving skill, and we are very thankful for the patience and care Evan showed our daughter.

We enrolled our boys, ages 11 and 7, at Safe Splash Swim School in July, and we have been so…read moreimpressed with their progress!They've already become such strong, confident swimmers, and the skills they've developed have made such a huge difference. They're now comfortable swimming in 12+ foot pools and have built the kind of swimming skills, confidence, and experience that really come from professional instruction. As a parent, knowing they have the proper techniques and water-safety skills gives me so much peace of mind. The instructors have done an amazing job teaching them while helping them become more confident in the water. You can truly see the difference that professional swim instruction makes. We're so happy we found Safe Splash and excited to see how much more they continue to learn!

I had my baby attend the mommy and me classes from 10 months until 15 months, and I had an okay…read moreexperience! Positives: indoor facility with tons of rooms, changing tables and heated pool. Waiting room has a coffee machine and plenty of chairs. Areas of growth: I didn't realize til later but your first lesson you are supposed to receive a welcome bag with some goodies, but I didn't get that. Not sure if it wasn't noted in my account, but not a huge deal. They had I would say one amazing mommy and me and instructor but a lot of the instructors have greater strengths with the older kids. So if my instructor was out, my substitute was not the best and sometimes made it where I shouldn't have come, because they legitimately didn't know how to run the lesson. I wish overall there was just a bit more transparency on progress with the little ones, and more opportunities to test skills. From January til June I want to say he only had two evaluations where we received a paper for his progress. I'll start him back up around 2 years, but will go to another business.

Teacher Jackson, has taught my teen in the past, and currently teaches my toddler and both my sons,…read moreloved/love his friendly, inviting energy. For my toddler's class, he is so sweet to the kids and you can tell they trust him even when they're scared to do something. My baby looks forward to seeing teacher Jackson every Saturday morning! Keep up the great work! I'd also like to mention, both my boys have autism and the patience he has for these kids is remarkable. This mama can't thank you enough for your kindness!

I would be very cautious about enrolling at Little Whale based on our experience with their billing…read moreand cancellation practices. I emailed on September 7 to cancel both of my children. No response. I called on September 8 to follow up. No response. I followed up again on September 15 by phone and email. Still no response. I finally had to track down and contact the CEO directly before anyone addressed my cancellation. Despite all of this--and despite my having documentation of the original cancellation--Little Whale charged us anyway and cited its "perpetual enrollment" policy to justify the charges. That policy is a secondary concern, but also worth knowing: enrollment automatically continues and you continue to be charged until you cancel. In my experience, this significant recurring-billing arrangement was buried in the enrollment policies rather than clearly highlighted. But my primary complaint is much simpler: I did cancel. Multiple times. They failed to respond or process it, and then tried to charge me as though I hadn't. That is incredibly frustrating and, in my view, unacceptable. I will update this review if Little Whale resolves the charges appropriately. (Cross posted)

We love Steve Wallen Swim School! Kids have been attending for awhile and have grown tremendously…read morewith their skills! They have more confidence in the water and that is something as parents, we feel good about too. The coaches are wonderful! They are so patient and kind with the kids and really get in there to help them grow their skills. Office staff is so great and helpful too. Highly recommend!

What a disappointing and careless experience this has been. My son had been taking lessons for 7…read moremonths, once a week. There has been basically 1% progress. The instructors are all just youngsters that seem to care less about how to actually teach a child to swim, than to just hang around snd talk to each other during an already short class. My son won't even jump in the pool, or be loose on his own for more than 5 seconds. That's after 7 months. I stated my concerns to both instructors he had lessons with and the manager. No ribbons, not even the face in the water one, no motivation, no progress, and no bother even caring when we said we were just going to quit the school. This place is an overcrowded joke of a "school".

This is LONG Overdue review of Coach Bella!…read more Coach Bella taught our oldest to swim (from 2.5-5!) ... once you have Coach Bella, there is no going back. She make swim fun and challenging all at the same time. Her patience is second to none! We followed her around as our oldest leveled up. Now - we have a 3yo who is terrified of the water. She finally became unafraid and stated swimming on her own with Coach Allison's help! Coach Allison gave her some incredible ques to learn how to look down while swimming and how to "dive" in properly. Shout out to Coach Allison! When our 3yo transferred to her level 2 class.... She regressed.... Then Coach Bella came to the rescue! The way our girl swam in her first class with Bella, you would have never known that She was hysterical in the parking lot and refused to go in. No tears were shed and she had fun! Bella and Allison are incredible coaches!

I am writing this to warn other parents about the lack of basic safety supervision at this facility…read moreand their inability to take accountability. My 4-year-old daughter is a capable swimmer who just transitioned from private lessons to a group class here. On her very first turn, the instructor directed her to swim to the steps and then completely turned her back to focus on another child before my daughter reached safety. She did not yet have a grasp on my child's level of ability, or her confidence in this new environment. My 4yo went underwater, panicked, and was left unassisted sinking in the water. Completely losing visual contact with a swimming 4 year old is a massive safety failure. She spent the rest of the lesson sobbing and frightened after that event, and now does not want to return to swim after months of joy and success doing it. When I brought this to management via email and phone call, they refused a refund of the annual registration fee and of the remainder of our lessons since the last lesson was less than 7 days away. Instead, they would only offer a class transfer, and even shockingly suggested we put her back with the exact same instructor to "push through" the fear- totaling $160 for our scary experience. I understand their policy dictates no refunds, but policy should not override accountability when a child's safety is compromised. We will not be returning. I strongly urge other parents to look elsewhere if you want a program that guarantees eyes on your young child while they are in the water.

I had a very disappointing experience with SafeSplash. My daughter showed up for her scheduled swim…read morelesson only to be told she could no longer participate because they claimed there was no active authorization. She was turned away without any prior phone call, email, or text warning us that there was an issue. This wasn't just an inconvenience it was heartbreaking for my child, who was excited for her lesson. What made the situation worse was how it was handled afterward. Every response I received simply quoted company policies and shifted the responsibility to Alta instead of trying to resolve the problem. This is not the first issue I've had with SafeSplash. Whenever there's a problem, they don't work toward a solution, they just refer back to their policies. After speaking with my Alta coordinator, I was informed that my daughter's services had actually been extended. However, by that point SafeSplash had already dropped her from the class. Even after learning the authorization had been extended, they told me they could not put her back in her original class because her spot had already been filled and that she would have to join the waitlist. So my daughter lost her place because of a situation that could have been prevented with better communication. A simple phone call or email before removing my child from the class could have avoided all of this. Instead, she was denied services, dropped from her class without warning, and now has to wait for another opening despite her services being extended. Policies are important, but so are communication, accountability, and customer service. Unfortunately, our experience showed very little of any of those. I would NEVER recommend this company to other families.

Before I get into it, first off, I want to genuinely thank Makayla (swim instructor) for being such…read morea fantastic, knowledgeable, & engaging teacher. I sincerely appreciate her patience with me, & kindness when directing me to the hallway showers & family restroom when I asked her where my baby & I could wash off the pool water & change into dry clothes. Even though I greatly appreciate Makayla, it really bothers me that paying customers, such as myself, don't have *any* access to the facility's locker rooms, making me feel like a second-class customer, as if we have no right to be there. Additionally, not having a designated & more importantly, a *safe* space to put our belongings while we swim, having to shower in a not-private hallway (!), and having only one family bathroom among multiple families makes me feel like I might as well go back to the YMCA. At least their locker rooms are open to children! It makes absolutely no logical sense to prohibit *children* from being in so called "adult only" locker rooms when there is literally nowhere else but a dingy tent to change into, and one family bathroom to shower in. Absolutely ridiculous. I'll be spending my money elsewhere.

Thank you to Y&G for providing one of the best experiences of my life…read more All year, you train to emulate a fully functional state government for five days in Sacramento. Delegates use REAL Capital court rooms and board rooms. They dress and play the part of senators, congresspeople, governor, lt. governor, NIA, judges, education board, reporters, lobbyists, and so forth. They receive coaching from people who have careers in media and politics and speech as well. It's amazing. I'm glad I found Y&G at the point of my life that I did. I was coming out of a dark time and Y&G filled a void that the rest of everything going on in my life couldn't. I was a reporter my first year and a lobbyist my second. Some funny things I have done in my time with Y&G - invited a senator to a fancy luncheon as a lobbyist, use someone's argument against them in an article I wrote, scoffed at an abrasive interview by an unfavorable reporter given to my good friend as candidate for governor, gotten in intense arguments on the floor with my opposing PAC trying to persuade a senate committee. It's intense. This program is constantly evolving. They now have political parties delegates can subscribe to. Those at Y&G are doing a great job enhancing the experience of delegates. I am in no way rich. Y&G was an expensive experience - $900 (much more for delegates who pay for more expensive transportation to Camp Roberts and Sacramento). But the board gave me a hefty scholarship both years which allowed me to afford my way to Sacramento. In the amount of time I spent at Y&G I learned so many skills. Public speaking, networking, people skills, and how to research and construct a very persuasive dialogue. The people I met have a great effect on my life. If you have a teen entering high school, run to the nearest YMCA and sign them up for Y&G as soon as they are eligible. If you have a child in middle school, run to the nearest YMCA to sign them up for Model United Nations. MUN people go on to do Y&G and I wish I had discovered these great programs sooner.

This is one of the best programs available to middle school and high school students. I went…read morethrough the program several years ago and it was a life changing experience. It was the catalyst that allowed me to convert the things I learned in school into real world actions that make a difference. The program was engaging, taught values, and encourages leadership not only in schools, but everyday life as well. Awesome program!

Natomas Dance Method has been such a great addition to our families activity list. They are so…read moregreat and our family loves all that they do for us. Our daughter asks weekly if she has ballet class more than once a week because she's so excited to go and learn. I have recommended this dance studio to every family I can and I recommend it to you as well.

The owner Shelly is an amazing, talented, and kind human with a larger than life personality who is…read morepassionate about her craft and loves bringing the joy of dance and fitness to others. She's someone with great integrity and infectious joy who really puts her heart and soul into this work! If you work with Shelly, you won't regret it!