We we're looking for a swim school close to home for our 7 month old to go learn the swim basics…read more We signed up through the app and attended our first lesson a few weeks ago. The instructors are patient and caring. My son has flourished in the class (he loves water). Will be coming here the next few months fir him to gain confidence in swimming. The facility is very well laid out with a changing area complete with hairdryers.

After being at a few different swim schools, we found Big Blue Dulles a few years ago and never…read morelooked back. The staff and instructors are friendly, positive and encouraging. They are always training and promoting and hiring responsible, encouraging and caring instructors. We always know exactly what our son is working on and can easily track it in the app. Our son is neurodiverse and can need a lot of patience and Eddie specifically has been one of the best instructors we've ever found. We are so impressed with his willingness to work with every swimmer and feel lucky that we found him. He has been the perfect match for our son and his needs!

We truly enjoyed our years at SafeSplash, and the convenient location was a big plus. When we first…read morestarted, the experience was wonderful. The teachers were consistent, and the front desk staff was so kind, always greeting our daughter by name and letting us know which lane she'd be in that day. We loved the "splash and tell" sessions, where the instructor updated us on her progress, what she needed to work on, and whether she was ready for the next level. We could even track her progress in the mobile app, and she earned ribbons when she graduated a level. The scheduling flexibility has also been great; the makeup tokens make it easy to reschedule when life gets in the way, and that part hasn't changed. Unfortunately, much of the rest stopped around February 14th. We no longer get instructor check-ins or app updates, so it's hard to know where she stands. She hasn't moved up a level in a while, and with the newer instructors, lessons feel more like playtime in the pool. Our daughter loves that part, which is great--but we were also paying for measurable progress, and that piece faded. We also loved the community events, like the holiday gatherings and last year's pumpkin-in-the-pool party, a wonderful way to meet other families and feel part of something. We hope those touches come back. Honestly, this school is great depending on what you're looking for. It's the place for water safety and learning to swim -- your little one will come away genuinely comfortable and capable in the water, just not at a competitive or advanced level. If your goal is an intro to swim or just something fun for them to do in the water, then this is absolutely it. If you're after structured, measurable progress toward the next level, that's the piece that's slipped lately. Either way, we wish them the best.

If I could give this place zero stars, I would…read more We were customers for over a year and initially had a great experience under the previous manager, Jen, who was wonderful. Unfortunately, since the management change, this place has gone completely downhill. Instructor turnover, canceled classes, constant schedule changes, and a lack of consistency became the norm. The final straw was a safety concern. During a lesson with a substitute instructor, our son was underwater longer than we were comfortable with on multiple occasions and came up coughing after swallowing water. Thankfully, he was okay, but watching that happen was enough for us to decide we were done. What made an already bad situation worse was how management handled our cancellation. A manager specifically agreed to waive the notice period because we were leaving over a safety concern. That decision was later reversed by someone higher up, and we were charged again anyway. I then had to waste my time calling repeatedly, explaining the same situation to different people, and getting the runaround. At that point, it wasn't even about the money. It was about the complete lack of accountability, communication, and competent leadership. It's unfortunate because this used to be a place we genuinely liked. Based on what we've experienced since the management transition, I would absolutely not recommend this swim school in its current state.

I stopped by this past weekend to look at some fins. Grace is very, very knowledgeable and she was…read moreable to answer all my questions and more. She pointed out the trade-offs between various types of fins and fin straps. I was surprised there was so much to consider when buying fins. She also pointed out some other things about scuba (not about fins) that were very helpful. I also had some questions about regulators. My concern was that the hose I used at the OBX felt too short and was almost about to come out of my mouth so I had to hold the regulator in my mouth or bite down hard on the mouthpiece. She answered questions about that as well as concerns I had about water leaking into the mask. She pointed out many things to consider. In short, Grace is very knowledgeable. She definitely knows what she is doing. I hope Diventures is paying her well because she deserves it.

I did my cert and bought all my dive gear at this shop when it was Nautilus. I loved Jason and…read moreMelissa's care they took in their training. I felt so prepared. Now that the shop is part of Diventures, I feel like it has become a community, as well. Diventures is a wonderful resource for trips and making new friends. I love all the events that they are having to bring divers together in the community. I'm doing a trip with another shop with Diventures and I appreciate that Willie is working with me and that shop to make sure that my trip is seamless. They take care of you here!

It is impossible to imagine the Jacuzzi is so dirty as today. It's so cloudy. They never drained it…read morehere. Am I the only one that does not want to be sitting in filthy water

The location it's perfect and their housekeeping is the best. They keep the facilities clean and…read moresharp at all the time. I enjoy the classes, the pool, steam room and overall the environment.

We recently experienced the Herndon Community Center for an event called "Puzzle Palooza." The…read moreevent required pre-registration and payment - which we did. The event was on a Sunday afternoon - the event was held in one of the larger rooms in the Herndon Community Center. Nice space, clean restrooms! #HerdonCommunityCenter

great community center with lots of options for families and residents. would recommend especially…read moreif you are a TOH resident

The class curriculum and structure overall. We had a different instructor most weeks and they…read morehardly had a curriculum to follow. Not did they know how to lead and instruct a class. We were in the class for 2 yr olds. We attended class from sept 2025 till March 2026.

We love Goldfish Swim School - Ashburn! Everyone we've interacted with from management to…read moreinstructors have been so warm, friendly, caring and attentive. Our family has felt cared for from day one when we joined a few years ago. Our kids really enjoy their classes each week and are learning valuable water and life (patience, respect, listening, etc.) skills. When we bring feedback, questions or concerns to management, their responses and solutions have been prompt, fair and reasonable. We appreciate having this school in our community and highly recommend it as we have to our family, friends and neighbors. We love seeing our kids get more comfortable and confident in the water each week.

EDITED TO ADD: We did not show up late to the trial class. It was our friend with their own account…read morethat showed up late. However, instead of calling me directly to confirm what happened, the owner of this location assumed (incorrectly) and then tried to use that to justify our poor experience. Their young instructor was not safely handling my child and for that reason as well as how unprofessional the owner is, we will not be back. My child's safety( especially in water) is of the highest importance to me. As well as having management who can take responsibility and making positive changes. Today I took my daughter for a trial class. We recently went to the beach and also swam in a pool and I noticed she was a bit nervous about the water. She is 3. I will say the whole sign up process was easy and the front desk staff was very helpful. Our trial class was at 4:30pm. This started off hard because my daughter has never been in the water alone with anyone except me or her dad. There were two instructors and I did explain to both that my daughter was very afraid of the water. The instructor with brown hair was not great with kids and was not very social. When she got my daughter in the water the way that she swung her around made me super concerned for my daughter's neck. You just don't move a 3 year old around like that.. and the worst is she kept splashing water in my daughters eyes which ended up with my daughter hysterically crying and we had to leave 15 minutes into the lesson.

Short version: Really happy with swim progress and child's…read moreteacher Tim. Included some info about amenities and helpful staff. Only reduced one star due to recently increased class size/reduced swim time (25 minutes for 4 kids is around 5 minutes in water), but can't complain due to how much my kids confidence in water has improved and glad she was able to be in smaller class while she improved then Long version: I really love this swim school-my kid who is not only shy but also a bit anxious about swimming grew so much here with the instructor Tim. Tim is incredibly patient and great with kids. We also did trial with a different instructor before committing and the staff were all so responsive and supportive. The kid my daughter was paired with has some behavioral issues but we manage. Recently two more kids were added to the class and so there isn't too much swim time for a 25-30 minute class-think my kid was in water twice for last class (think 25/4 is pretty much around 5 minutes in water). With that said, my kid now wants to practice swimming in bath-this would have been unheard of before. I think she isn't too far from learning how to swim all on own and it's been a few months-she's been practicing both on her belly and back and now perfecting some mechanics and increasing confidence even more. We are really proud and overall can't complain. For us, we noticed its same instructor every class unlike other reviewers so think Goldfish may have improved our experience based on some of reviews, which I see as a really good thing that they are willing to listen to feedback to improve. The pool seems heated and clean, also great space with showers/changing rooms/bathrooms/hair blowdrying stations/candies/goggles for sale in case you forget, etc. There's large waiting area for parents to watch swimming which is great with lifeguard. They also let you go in to watch your kids progress after every class and hear the teacher's feedback which is great.

YMCA childwatch hours are as follows: Mon-Sun: 8 am - 12 pm…read moreMon: 4 pm - 7 pm Tues-Fri: 4 pm 7:30 pm I started going to group classes with a friend last winter with a similar aged toddler so that helped with accountability. Not sure about non walkers but I've seen other people bring babies in and it seems fine. They don't do diaper changes so they'll either call or physically find you if there's a bowel movement so I wasn't comfortable swimming but weights, walking or group classes seem fine. You can bring a snack (without peanuts) and drinks to make the transition easier. I guess I've seen some parents bring a meal like pizza. As others have said it's not as premium of an experience as Lifetime or Worldgate but it has a pleasant neighborly feel. Really wish the pool had a bigger leisure area for kids. It's mostly overrun by lap swimmers whenever I've visited.

I wish one of the YMCA's in Maryland had an indoor track (well, let me add, I haven't done a full…read moresearch, but the one's I've visited do not). It's small, but it's a good option on cold days when you'd rather NOT get on a treadmill. This is a pretty big Y! I was here to perform a PT test for some applicants. They allowed us to use their space, which is great. Kenny at the front desk was very helpful in pointing me to where I needed to be. The trainer was also very helpful in assisting us with dedicating one lane of the track to the applicants. I would love to work out here. I didn't do a full tour, but I never met a gym I didn't like! There was plenty of equipment and again, the indoor track is a plus. I saw women in what appeared to be an aerobics class and I must say, that room is huge! There's plenty of space for anybody who wants to join a class. It's also very bright and airy. I see that they also have childcare which is huge! I saw them playing outside. It appears to be a pretty spacious area. Some kids were down on the basketball court going through a workout. Too cute. But yeah, I'm a fan of the Y and this one looks pretty inviting.