Updated for 2024
With our year-round terrific weather here in Los Angeles (and all over Southern California), getting into the water is always a fun idea. But water safety is a serious business. Teaching your kids to swim is very important, whether you want to go swimming in the ocean or in a swimming pool. Learning to swim will give your child confidence in the water, and will give you peace of mind.
Even if your child has never been in a swimming pool, or has previously expressed fear near the water, or simply needs a swimming refresher, you can find swim lessons that will provide your family with exactly what you’re looking for.
Please remember that water safety is very important. Always stay vigilant when your child is in the water, and be sure that all safety measures are being taken.
And don’t worry if your kids didn’t learn to swim as babies; it’s never too late to learn. (Adults who can’t swim, take note.) Think of the fun you can all have in the water when your kids know how to swim! And how much safer the experience will be. Get swim lessons and then get out there and have fun in the water!
NOTE: this list of swimming instructors is in alphabetical order.
19 Swimming Lesson Companies in Los Angeles (in alphabetical order)
Hall Swim Academy
Your pool or one of three other locations
The Hall Swim Academy was founded by a family of swimmers that includes Olympic medalists. They offer several swim programs including Parent-and-me, Learn to Swim (different versions for beginners, intermediate swimmers, and advanced swimmers), and more. They will come to your pool or you can choose to go to one of their three locations.
Head Above Water
Multiple locations including:
3156 Dona Emilia Dr., Studio City, CA 91604
Instructors at Head Above Water will come to your home if you have a swimming pool. If not, lessons are offered in their pools, which are all private residential pools. This means there is only one lesson taking place at a time. They offer Parent and Me Swim (for children 6-24 months) and swim lessons for children two and older. Some locations operate year-round while others are only available May-August. Check the website for details.
iSwimin10
Riverside Dr., Valley Village, CA
iSwimin10 is described as “a small neighborhood swim school taught from a private home in Valley Village.” Coach Brande, the owner, has received many five-star Yelp ratings.
Children aged 3 and older are taught to swim in a total of ten, thirty-minute classes. Lessons are taught with other children at the same time.
K & K Swimming LA
Your Pool
With 15 years of experience, K & K Swimming believes swimming is a life skill that teaches perseverance, and confidence while training the body and building character. The water safety instructors at K & K Swimming are American Red Cross-certified.
KidSwim
Your pool or one of their locations (private residences)
KidSwim offers lessons in your pool or theirs. They teach children “to love the water at each age and stage, focusing on specific motor/communication/sensory skill development.” They offer Parent/Child Classes (for babies 5-18 months), private lessons, and semi-private lessons (for children who are more advanced).
LA Surf & Swim
Multiple locations including:
West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Venice
The instructors at LA Surf & Swim strive to “create a lifelong love for the water.” Children are taught using “Coach Syd’s 10 Level Water Balance Method” which involves children becoming “comfortable and balanced in a horizontal position on their stomach and back. This position will allow them the best opportunity to master the art and athleticism of bending the water to create forward motion.” They offer Tot-N-Me classes as well as one-on-one lessons.
One With the Water
Your pool or one of their locations including:
Verdugo Aquatic Facility
3201 W. Verdugo Ave., Burbank, CA 91505
One With the Water, a non-profit organization, was founded in 2011 “with the mission of providing greater access to the lifesaving skill of swimming.” A variety of different swim lessons are offered as well as specialty lessons for “all special needs, service-disabled veterans, and adaptive athletes.”
Rose Bowl Aquatics Center Swim Lessons
360 N. Arroyo Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91103
If you’re in Pasadena, the Rose Bowl Aquatics Center offers swim lessons year-round for all ages and all abilities. Lessons are designed as a “balance between learning how to swim and having fun.” Select from group swim lessons, private swim lessons (for ages 2 1/2 and up), and semi-private lessons (for ages 3 and up). Check the website for details and registration information.
Sunsational Swim School
Your pool or community pools
Sunsational Swim School lessons are curated specifically to the individual’s needs. Classes are available for babies to adults, special needs, homeschooled students, and competitors. Sunsational Swim School is a member of the United States Swim School Association, the National Drowning Prevention Alliance, and the Swim For Life Association. Check the website for details.
SwimLA
At LA City Pools
Stay cool in the pool this summer with SwimLA! As a City of Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks program, SwimLA offers FREE or affordable swim lessons for kids ages 4+. Choose from family-friendly schedules and convenient locations at LA city pools across Los Angeles. Swim lessons keep kids healthy and active — and they save lives. Spaces are limited. For more information, visit the website or call (323) 906-7953. Scholarships are available.
Swim Like a Fish LA
Your pool
Swim Like a Fish LA was established in 2008. The owner and instructor swam competitively, served as a lifeguard, coached a swim team, and worked in elementary schools as a behavioral instructor.
Lessons are conducted in your swimming pool and are usually on a one-to-one basis, though two students may swim and learn together. Lessons are 15 minutes for children under 2 1/2 years of age. Lessons for children older than 2 1/2 are generally 30-45 minutes long and can be purchased in sets of twelve.
SwimRight Academy (formerly Lenny Krayzelburg Swim Academy)
Westside JCC, 5870 Olympic Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90036
de Toledo High School, 22622 Vanowen St., West Hills, CA 91307
1914 S. Bundy Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90025
At the SwimRight Academy, instructors use the SwimRight Method which utilizes the swim-float-swim technique as their foundation. The SwimRight Method has seven levels of learning. Students wear color-coded swim caps, chart their progress in their own student progress book, and more. The swim academy was founded in 2005 by 4-time Olympic Gold Medalist, Lenny Krayzelburg.
SwimsCool
Your Pool
SwimsCool values its hands-on value-filled lessons that work directly with your child’s specific goals and learning style. SwimsCool provides at-home, private, one-on-one swim instruction and coaching to kids ages 1 – 16 years old.
The Jim Herrick Swim School
11846 Kling St., Valley Village, CA 91607
The Jim Herrick Swim School “began as The Sherman Oaks Swim School and is now the longest-standing, established swim school in the area.” The Herrick Method is “based on core principles of trust, comfort, and consistency” and has proven effective for “children of all learning styles and physical abilities, including special needs.”
The Manning Method
Your pool
Coach Shea Manning has extensive experience, both as a swimmer and as a coach. Children as young as 6 months can learn water safety skills. Lessons include those for babies and parents as well as private or small-group Instruction. The Manning Method describes the progression of swim lessons as “safety, comfort, technique, endurance, speed, performance.”
UCLA Recreation Swim
Sunset Canyon Recreation Center
111 Easton Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90095
A variety of swim lessons are offered through UCLA Recreation Swim Program. Families can choose from group swim lessons, private or semi-private lessons, water babies (for babies as young as 6 months old), adaptive private instruction, and more.
Water Otters Swim School
Private pool on Jumilla Ave., Winnetka, CA 91306
Water Otters Swim School offers swim lessons for students from 6 months old to adults. All lessons are one-on-one and are 20 minutes long. Their heated pool is outdoors and is covered. Owner Jennifer Golde opened the school in 1999 but has also been a nursery school teacher.
Instruction is child-centered and is focused on the “belief that learning to swim is an opportunity to develop a valuable life-saving skill, promote physical and emotional development, and open the door to a lifelong love of the water.”
Waterworks Aquatics
Multiple locations including:
Culver City, Diamond Bar, Rancho Palos Verdes, Torrance, and more
Waterworks Aquatics offers swim lessons for children as young as 3 months old. Lessons are taught in a 1:1 or 2:1 student-to-teacher ratio, and instructors “encourage children to have fun in the water while improving their water skills.” Lessons are about 20 minutes long, and a variety of lessons are offered including private lessons, semi-private lessons, and Parent-and-Me lessons.
YMCA
Multiple locations including:
Mid-Valley Family YMCA
6901 Lennox Ave., Van Nuys, CA 91405
The YMCA offers a variety of youth swim lessons so that no matter what type of exposure your child has had to the water, you’ll find a lesson that is right. They use a “progression track based upon age and ability,” where students “build confidence to reach swimming skill milestones.” Lessons feature three different phases with multiple stages within each phase.
Disclaimer: MomsLA has made every effort to confirm the information in this article; however, things can often change. Therefore, MomsLA makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy of the information published here. MomsLA strongly urges you to confirm any event details, like date, time, location, and admission, with the third party hosting the event. You assume the sole risk of relying on any of the information in our list. MomsLA is in no way responsible for any injuries or damages you sustain while attending any third-party event posted on our website. Please read our Terms of Use which you have agreed to based on your continued use of this website. Some events have paid to be listed on MomsLA.
