If you're looking for a swim school that truly builds strong fundamentals for kids, I highly recommend Flying Fish Swimming School. My son started with their summer camp two years ago, and I was genuinely impressed by his progress. Within just one month, he learned freestyle, backstroke, and even some breaststroke. The coaches are patient, structured, and very effective at teaching young swimmers. After the camp, we continued with one semi-private class per week. About a year later, during a tryout at PASA, he was placed into PC-4--the highest level for pre-competitive swimmers. That result really reflects the strong foundation he built at Flying Fish. What I appreciate most is that they focus on technique and long-term skill development, not just keeping kids busy in the water. My son has also gained much more confidence. Overall, Flying Fish is an excellent choice if you want your child to develop real swimming skills in a supportive and well-structured environment. read more

Flying Fish Swimming School - Swimmer and pool - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

Clean structured and organized My kid loves it! Group lessons allow to leet other kids and for her age 3 learning by also watching others is good read more

No Transparency, No Professionalism We had just finished a semi-private swim session and wanted to move to a group lesson. As required, my child needed an evaluation to determine the right group level. I arrived 20 minutes early for the scheduled test, but instead of Coach Joe (who originally arranged it), Coach Chen insisted it could only be done after class, despite me explaining we had other commitments. He reluctantly agreed to do it 5 minutes before class. When I asked for the results, he refused to share them, saying, "You wouldn't accept my result anyway," even though I had not been told the result at all. He then turned to a long conversation with another parent, leaving me waiting. When I followed up, he claimed he had already told me (he hadn't) and raised his voice at me. I don't know why he treated me so rudely, but I suspect it might be because he didn't want us to move from semi-private to a group class--possibly to keep us in his class or place us in a lower-level junior group, rather than the appropriate intermediate/advanced group. I was only asking for a transparent result, nothing more. This lack of professionalism and transparency led me to request a refund on the spot. read more

I came to Flying Fish (FF) because it has its own pool, flexible class hours, and afternoon summer camps. The heated and indoor pool are certainly an advantage when it came to winter and young children. However, the flexibility is because the majority of the swim teachers are inexperienced high schoolers. Further, there is no guarantee for teacher consistency, even when an experienced teacher is scheduled, Mng. Can change it at its discretion. unfortunately, It comes about with slow progress for the children. An additional con are the owner pro policies. No make-up classes, switching hours is costly, and there are no refunds for no reasons. very different from all other places. We went prior to swim splash in Mountain view, and the teachers are more experienced, but it is hard to find a time slot that works. In summary, I would come here if you can identify an experienced teacher, or while on a waitlist for a better school and teacher. read more

I've only gone to 2 lessons so far and it's better than the city of mountain view swim classes.b ratio is very good: 2 teachers for 4 girls and the water is nice and warm. I went because I wanted harsher teachers to force my daughter to swim but they're actually not harsh at all. She does more of the exercises because she likes it. You have to go in person to register and pay and it's unclear what dates/times are available but once registered it's been fine. read more

Buyer beware. I can relate to an earlier reviewer that said "they are very nice, until you pay". We had a bad experience as a first time customer. They made us feel awful about keeping our child home sick.  They are averaging 1.7 star rating since 2021. This is the lowest rated swim school in the bay area and I'm not surprised. Wish I had looked closer at the recent reviews first. If you are the type of parent that would keep your sick child home from class, then be mentally prepared to keep paying for those missed classes. The refund policy in their fine print is not in your best interest. To put it plainly, they will squeeze you.   We missed 5 of 8 classes in a session due to our child catching Covid (possibly at swim class, we can't be sure). Of the $306 we paid, they offered $32 credit.  It is disheartening to me that with all we've learned about public health these past few years, policies like this continue to incentivize families to send sick kids to class. If you do decide to enroll, here are some tips in case you run into a cancellation scenario like ours: Don't attempt to provide notice verbally, or by leaving a voicemail. They will acknowledge you, they will make you feel heard, but those will not count as official notice. They will ask you to submit it in writing, and begin their "refund calculation" only from the date of writing. The refund calculation will not be retroactive to when the sickness, emergency, or positive tests began. Write to them immediately. You may think that a reasonable manager would honor a one-on-one conversation; not at Flying Fish. Here is their refund policy, quoted directly from the email reply we received: "Below are our refund policies: No Refund, Credits, or makeup will be given once the session start. There are no makeup lessons, credits or refunds for scheduled lessons you miss. Cancellation is offered with a doctor's note and 50% credit for remaining classes, plus $30 process fee. And we only take email requests  (written requests) for refund." I understand businesses need to protect themselves from being taken advantage of. Refund policies need to exist and that's fine. At the end of the day the reason we won't be back is the way they treated us: demeaning language both in conversation and via email. Our kids are very young with many years of swimming lessons left. We will be taking our business elsewhere.  Here are other businesses we are now looking into: SafeSplash. The Swim Pro. Privateers. Waterworks. Laurelwood. Killarney. Green meadow. Alto. read more

Great place for a beginner. They teach the basics and my son is having fun learning here. read more

Flying Fish Swimming School - Learning kicks - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

Our son has had an incredible experience at Flying Fish. Luke is a much more solid and confident swimmer. His progress in freestyle, breaststroke, and backstroke was considerable. He moved to Competitive level also with butterfly - a style he didn't know last year. Thanks to all the coaches, particularly Coach Michael, for the technique and enthusiasm he transmitted to all the students. read more

My kids love flying fish. The manager, Jennifer is great too. She is very helpful and tries to find the best fit for kids. I recommend this school. read more

We have been at Flying fish for 2 semesters and so far, so great! My 4 year old is really nurtured and taken care of by her teacher which is super important. A good option is offered for any missed lessons also with a voucher being produced to take your child (for free) to one of their open swim sessions. Price is about right and on par with other schools but the space to swim is dramatically more generous. read more

Worst experience ever! Don't recommend at all. 1. The manager and staff in front desk are very rude and don't know how to show proper respect to their customers. For example, they asked me to come in person for finishing the registration and starting the class but told me the spot was just taken by another customer when l arrived. They didn't feel sorry about the change at all and asked me to come in another day. 2. They frequently change instructors even in the same session. lt really hurts continuity and make my son progress very slowly. Although my son finished a session but still learnt the same thing in the new semi-private session because the paired student is at beginner level with zero swimming experience. When l talked the issue with a staff at the front desk, l wad told that's all my observation and subjective opinion so refused any changes even in a new session. Excuse me! l think they just use this trick on purpose for rentention and maximizing money earrings. l didn't feel they put customer's swimming skill and class quality first but feel like they are very money driven. 3. The pool is not clean. When they found a vomiti ng incident, they just took some vomit and poured some chemicals in the pool. Then they resumed the class although most people felt the pool is disgusting. They refused to reschedule the class and said only 10min left for the class. So over 10 students paid 30min class but were given 10min class at that day. We understand this is the incident but they didn't feel embarrassed at all. read more

Different teacher almost every class. Had 10+ different teachers in recent three months. Teachers are inexperienced and lack of passion to teach. Some teachers have very bad attitude. Have been taking semiprivate classes for several months but no progress yet. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

I never got to experience a lesson due to their poor scheduling. They will only schedule private lessons in series, and they won't book more than a few days ahead of time. We will be on vacation next week and I want to start in 13 days. When I finally got a call back, they didn't answer my questions about the instructor, and told me I couldn't book for 13 days out, I had to re-contact them the week of. I'll be escalating to a manager and really hope this was a mis-understanding of the person who called me back and was insistent without being able to explain why they can't book 13 days in advance. read more

Chaotic Management and Rude Owner Worst experiences ever! Our older kid has taken swimming lessons here for the past 3-4 years until last spring the school was suddenly shut down due to Covid19. By that time they sent an email saying credits for remaining classes would be issued back to student's acct. Today I went there to register summer camp for both of my kids. It took the front desk almost 30min to find out my elder one's acct. However when I said I'd like to apply credits she got confused: there's no credit in acct. The system showed we didn't even register in 2019-2020. How possible? Luckily I was able to find the proof of payment we paid to them in Jan 2020 through my bank account. It took them another 30min to look into this while I was standing there waiting. Finally the girl at front desk said that there's another acct with exactly the same student name and they wrongly put my kid's info under the other acct during 2019-2020. It seems they have outdated registration system and things are easily messed up. Ok that's fine. I was about to pay for summer camp and just mentioned if 2020 registration fee could be carried over. I wasn't expect owner's reaction. He was extremely impatient and raised his voice saying other parents don't even ask this question! Excuse me? Is there anything wrong to ask?! We all understand the hard time for a swimming pool during pandemic but could you please show a little respect to your customers/parents? I'm done with this place. Suggestions to parents who send children here: 1. Make sure your kid is registered under the correct account, double even triple check every information; 2. Keep all proofs of payments since they don't send you electronic invoices or emails saying you're paid! read more

Extremely rude customer service by the manager and the admin. High instruction churn. Would not recommend. Don't waste your time and money

We bumped around to the usual swim lessons such as community pool programs and YMCA, all went OK but not to our expectations. Flying Fish has totally exceeded our expectations and our kids are excelling! We're Stickin with the Fish! Both the pool and facility are large, clean and warm. Was surprised to read that others felt the water is too cold. I'm guessing that they have finally found an acceptable temperature to suit most. There are dedicated coaches to the groups which I think makes a huge difference in the progression of kids. The concentration is on stroke and technique. There are "Tests" given at different periods with a written report provided to update you on how your kids are improving. There is an observation room for parents to watch without distracting the kids. There is also free wi-fi in the observation area. Potential challenges for non-Chinese parents and children are language, coaching style (very direct and to the point w/no real soothing of feelings), chaos theory when it comes to collecting your kids (very loud, very crowded and forget about personal space). But honestly we live in one of the most diverse places in the world so this kind of thing should be more exciting than problematic. Cheers! read more

I'm still on the fence with this place. In general I think they are pretty good. The place is big. It's clean. The people are friendly. However, I don't think the instruction is personalized to each student. The classes are a little too big and the not all of the instructors get in the water. The instructor watches the kids start out doing a lap, but then moves on to the next kid and doesn't watch the kid for the full length of the pool to correct them as they go. Last week I watched as the kids in my daughter's class (6 years old) looked confused as the instructor tried to teach them the breast stroke from the side of the pool. Many of them ended up not doing it right because the hand motions he was showing them made no sense whatsoever. That said, I think the kids here do learn to swim. I just think they would progress quicker if the instruction was more tailored. They have lessons for pretty small kids as well and kids who have never swam before. For those they do do more personalized instruction and give the kids a lot of attention. read more

Flying Fish Swimming School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Mountain View, California

See all

They are all really nice up until the point where you pay them. From that point on , don't expect anything ! I have asked to reschedule a class after my daughter went through a bad allergic reaction and the manager refused to even take my calls ! I'm totally shocked from this experience!!! read more

NO REFUND, NO Make ups, NO Credits after 1st day of the class. Please be aware of this policy, they never told me about it when I was making a payment for 2 kids for 4 months. read more

This swimming school changed, I gave it one star because no choice of "zero" star. My 5 yera old son feels insulted during swimming class and we decided to stop swim class here. No money was returned even we quit the class. Why???????? They don't care about store reputation? read more

It's a hit or miss. My summer experience was great. But in fall, my son had 5 different teachers in 5 weeks. When I went to talk to the owner, he was extremely rude and walked away from the conversation. He said he couldn't help with the situation. I am not obligated to teach the owner in running his business. Short staffing. High teacher turn over. I only see 2 teachers continue teaching from Summer to Fall. New teacher is not enough experience in teaching or let the kid free play. Pretty disappointed experience. Also, the continue student does not guarantee for continuing spot for the next semester. Parents waiting for hours in line to fight for a preferred enrollment spot in the first come first serve basis. No make up class or free play even though your child was sick with doctor note. read more

The instructor we had was really young and didn't know how to teach. We paid for semiprivate, but didn't really worth it. I don't think they hire experienced instructors. Don't recommend. read more

My daughter has been going to Flying Fish for the past 2years. The 1st year the teachers were consisting. This past year she has not learned much and since August she had 3 different teachers and went down in a level. This is unacceptable with such a high turnover in teachers. We won't be going back. read more

My kids have been really happy going here. Its pricey though. I prefer private lessons to the group lessons (at least when they are young). When they are young they only get a fraction of the teachers time. When they're older they get the whole time since they can swim on their own. read more

My daughter stopped going to swim in the middle of one session in Jan. They agreed to refund me half of the price and were saying to mail the check to me in two weeks in Feb. I have NOT received my refund after FOUR MONTHS. I asked them several times by emails. NO ANY RESPONSE AT ALL. I understood COVID-19 affected lots of business. But at least they should response their customers in a reasonable time. Very disappointed about their service. I won't come back there anymore for sure. read more

Disappointing service towards customers. Only cares about making money and not about making swim a priority.

If you want you kids to lose passion swimming, look no further. We had classes here for both of my kids in and out for last couple years. Since last year, the instructors here became below average or really bad. Unfortunately, my younger daughter's instructor, Catherine, falls into the really bad category. In her private lessons with my daughter, she is usually lack of passion teaching. In one instance, she even said to another instructor in front of my 6yr old - "she (my daughter) is bad, do you want to swap student with me?" during her private lesson. This is in front of a 6yr old student. As a sensitive girl, my daughter ends her lesson in tears. I don't think this is even appropriate in front of any student. read more

This is where you send your kids if you want them to be actually good. I only cried twice at this school, but I was swimming faster than most kids my age under the tutelage of coaches here. My olympic dreams were dashed when I was mistakenly signed up for a elementary school age class at the ymca even though i was 13 and a former volunteer instructor. Man once you lose the coach authority, those kids really let you have it. Anyways, the training here really works, you definitely will improve swimming with coach gu, even though he's pretty tough. Just dont be intimidated by how loud he blows the whistle. Plus if you're tired, just do what I did and chill in the bathroom for half the class #thanksgregheffley. Anyways, it was a pretty nice experience swimming with them, as much as I hated swimming lessons, at least I was good at swimming, and that's all thanks for flying fish. But you do get a little overconfident once you reach the front of the pack. Oh, and the scary looking white faced ghostly figure isnt an apparition, I think she's the coach/owner. She used to coach the advanced class and was pretty nice, then they put coach gu in charge. All the memories of this place was when they used to swim at the moffett pool. good times. read more

We joined Flying Fish about 6 months ago and my daughter learned how to swim within a month. She's been to JCC for 3 years and learned very little from them. We lucked out with a new instructor, Andrew who is very dedicated and works well with kids. He also communicates well with parents vs. we've tried a group lesson with another instructor who I never even got his name, that instructor hardly spoke with the kids when teaching them. (it's very confusing to me) We highly recommend Andrew to any families who is looking for a qualified and good instructor. I would have given 5 stars if the receptionist could be warmer and more welcoming when answering questions. read more

(Caveat: I'm taking adult swimming classes) Sam is a great instructor, and is very patient and helpful. The place is clean and the water is warm. However, class size varies as people join and leave, and it can get crowded sometimes. read more

Trying the YMCA for two years was an utter disaster for us. We did private instructors at the Y -- they were always really nice but our daughter was learning nothing. Then we heard about the Flying Fish School-- we were told that the instructors were all about teaching and not too much on the warm fuzzies. We gave this place a try and have been happy ever since. The first instructor was not all that friendly. Never bothered learning her name and never smiled-- but we honestly didn't care about that anymore -- we just wanted them to teach her how to swim, and that is what they did. As far as the water temperature, I've been in the water before with my kids during the open sessions. It is plenty warm. The reason the instructors wear those body suits is to keep the part of their body above the water (chest, shoulders, back) from getting cold. The depth is only 3 1/2 feet. For the kids who are up to their neck in the pool, they'll be fine. Don't mind see the low rating, because honestly, the slots get filled up so quickly, so this might make it easier for us to get the times we want. read more

My 3 yrs son started swimming here, after a week my son started doing good in water much comfortable. All credit goes to the coach and their training program. Now my son can swimming to the steps and jump in water without any scare of water. I can say this is best swimming classes in bay area. read more

Flying Fish Swimming School - Swimming Lessons/Schools Near Me - Mountain View, California

I gave this a shot in 2019. I still feel terrible about bringing my child here. The instructors are not very good--seems like some just need a summer job. To my left, there would be 3 small kids having a lesson at the same time. The instructor would half pay attention, and it seemed like the kids would go in and out of falling too deep in the water. The instructor I had was a young woman too distracted trying to get the attention of another young man who was also an instructor. At one point she left my 4 year old in the middle of the pool! So she could talk to a guy by the edge of the pool. Literally the child, who had only learned to put their face in the water and was learning how to dunk their head (while being held) was going under--bubbles and all and I screamed for her to go get the child. She did but didn't apologize. She didn't care. Although she was in the middle of teaching my child to trust holding her while the child dunked her head. The instructor the let her go mid lesson to go talk to the guy. How is that ok? Um hello that's why we are all here, for the children to learn how to swim. We are not paying for flirtation and water trauma. There might be some good instructors here but I'm still tormented thinking about those moments the instructor literally left my child in the middle of the pool--and no one noticing the poor child going under. What if I hadn't been there? They had a lifeguard but the teen was on their phone. I'd never go here again. read more

We have been a flying fish family for a long time. My older daughter spent 2 years in another swim school and had terrible form - she was 6-7 years old at that time. At the very first trial class, the teachers at flying fish we're able to pinpoint the issues and correct her right away. She has been at FF for 2 years now and has progressed extremely well - all her strokes are effortless! My younger daughter started when she turned 5 and had had great teachers from the beginning. The swim teachers we had so far have been great. Yes, occasionally there are issues (ie, last minute subs) but everyone here from admin to teachers are great at what they are supposed to do - teach kids how to swim and how to swim well. read more

We have been very happy here! We decided to start lessons at Flying Fish because we felt that our children weren't advancing at their other swim school. The instructors here have been wonderful. Our kids are comfortable and they are gaining new skills! read more

What we like about this place is how result driven they are. My son started at 3 in the beginner class. Fast forward three years later he has completed two kids triathlon. At five years old he can swim laps for a whole hour. Yes it is true that sometimes management is a bit 'different' (I truly believe is cultural differences). But we see such great results in our boy, we feel ok to put up with the minor inconveniences sometimes. read more

Great school! Ian is a super teacher. Patient, skilled and safe with the kids. Very happy with the experience.

My kids have been going to this swimming school for the past 6 yrs and they usually did the summer camp sessions but occasionally they would do the year round sessions. I think taking the class weekly have improved their swimming skills tremendously. So sad it's closed for some time but we can't wait to go back when it's opened. read more

Great service! My kids had a thorough assessment with the manager. They are taking one hour lessons to work on building core strength. The school is really helping my kids with what they need. Thank you! read more

My kids look forward to their weekly swimming lessons at Flying Fish. Jerrell is a great instructor who is very professional, patient, and encouraging. He also knows how to make swimming fun and engaging. He takes the time to explain the criteria for each stroke to ensure each child knows what position they need to be in. Tamara is also a great instructor who is very patient and great with young children. I can tell they enjoy being instructors and look forward to seeing my kids continue to strive at swimming! read more