LA Surf and Swim

Los Angeles, United States

4.4

Closed now

14 reviews

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Telephone:
+1 310-954-7909
Website:
www.lasurfandswim.com
Address:
Los Angeles, CA
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
760 ftMetro 70, 78
0.2 miCivic Center/Grand Park
0.3 miLittle Tokyo/Arts District
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Bussiness info

Good for Kids
Yes

Today

Today 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Los Angeles) 06:50 Friday, 29 November 2024

Business hours

Monday –
Tuesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Wednesday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm
Sunday 9:00 am – 3:00 pm

Description

Specialties

We teach swim and surf lessons to people of all ages. Swim lessons start as young as 3 months old. Our lesson schedule is as follows:

Weekday One-​on-​Ones: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday mornings

Weekday Tandems: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday after 12pm and all day Thursday

Weekend One-​on-​Ones: Saturday-​Sunday 9AM-​3PM

Tot-​N-​Me: Wednesday 2:30pm, Friday 10am and 10:30am

We now teach 20-​minute one-​on-​ones on Sundays at Lincoln Middle School from 9am-​1pm.

Swim Team Classes are Sundays at Lincoln Middle School at 10:45am, 11:30am and 12:15pm.

Beach lessons are held on weekends in Santa Monica. We teach intro to ocean safety, boogie boarding, body boarding, surfing, stand up paddle lessons and ocean swimming. These can also be booked during the week by appointment only.

History

Established in 2002.

Coach Sydney brings his proven aquatic methods and over two decades of coaching & teaching swimming to the Los Angeles community.

Coach Sydney moved from Nashville in 2002 and started LA Surf and Swim in 2004.

We currently teach out of private residences in West Los Angeles and Malibu.

Coach Syd has perfect his body balance method over the last 2 decades.

We previously only offered semi-​private lessons because we have found that a low student-​to-​teacher ratio makes for a quicker progression in acquiring water skills and techniques. These classes have a maximum of 2 children per coach in the water at a time.

We now offer 20-​minute, one-​on-​one lessons every weekend as well.

Meet the Business Owner

Sydney L.

Business Owner

A Florida State standout in butterfly and the IM, Coach Sydney has been a full time aquatics coaches since 2001.

Originally from Nashville, he still has a franchise there that bears it’s original name, «SydsKids.» While living in Nashville from 1991 – 2001, he launched and ran 3 successful swim teams. The prestigious Belle Meade Country Club has an award dedicated an award of excellence in his honor, the Sydney E. Lovelace reward. It is given out at the end of each summer to the top swimmer in the community.

When he moved to LA, he was the Guest Head Coach at the all girls school, Marlborough Prep as well as the Interim Head Coach at the Hollywood High Club Team.

To focus on more individual attention rather than coaching, he has consistently turned down offers to focus solely on LA Surf and Swim.

From Olympic Trial Qualifiers and High School All-​Americans to Special Needs Children and 3-​month olds, Coach Syd has taught some of the nations best swimmers.

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14 reviews of LA Surf and Swim

No registration required
Place rating: 5
San Luis Obispo, CA
I don’t want to nit pick this place because at the end of the day the instructors are nice, seem to genuinely like kids, and care. My daughter was completely water safe before she was 3 ½ and she loves the coaches. Yes it gets crowded at peak times but they work well in the space. The water is really warm, so winter is a great time to snag the time slots that are sought after come the warmer times. Great year-​round swimming to teach your little ones if you don’t have a pool at home!
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
We started with LA Surf and Swim this summer. I have two kids, one who was pool-​safe and a decent swimmer, and one who was scared of the pool and of swimming. After four months, my older child has developed into an even stronger swimmer with solid fundamentals should she decide she wants to be part of a swim team. My younger child now LOVES swimming and has progressed astoundingly. When he started, he wouldn’t let go of the coach. Now he swims comfortably across the width of the pool. All the coaches are well-​trained, and they show unending patience and cheerfulness with the kids. LA Surf and Swim worked beautifully for us, and I’m so pleased with my kids’ progress in such short time.
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
I’m disappointed because I believe they have too many kids swimming at the same time. Running in to each other and the kids bumping their heads on the other end of the pool with no one to stop it.
I feel like they care more about the bottom line ($$$) than the children!
For example, I have 3 kids going to their school and pay monthly for them to go. So, today my 2 year old school woke up with a fever of 102.7. I cancelled the class as soon as I checked his temperature & asked if they could reschedule him they said it would be $ 10 to reschedule a makeup because I didn’t give them enough notice!
Very disappointed!
Place rating: 5
CA, CA
I was feeling pretty bad that my 6yo son hadn’t learned to swim. He wouldn’t enter a pool without his floaties, even if I was holding him. He didn’t like to have a drop of water touch his face, so any splashes in a pool he was in were not acceptable. I felt I hadn’t done my job as a parent, and worried it would take years before he made any progress. Just to give it a try, I took him to LA Surf and Swim, with low expectations. I figured he’d hate it and it would be a waste of time.
I was shocked that he had fun in his first lesson (even though he cried once after his head went under water), and he actually wanted to go back for a second lesson. He ended up looking forward to his swim class every week! The school has figured out a ton of games that kids enjoy, that also teach them how to swim without even realizing it. It’s really amazing. The teachers are patient and nice with the kids.
Five months later, my son now will jump in a pool, swim under water, and can basically swim on his own (though he’s still a bit unsure about swimming on his own without swim fins). I’m completely amazed by his progress, and couldn’t be more satisfied with LA Surf and Swim. To me, the change is a miracle. I highly recommend them.
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
Coach Syd is awesome!!! Coach Syd and his LA Surf & Swim team have taught both of my children to swim starting at age 3 and now has taught both my now 9 year old daughter and me to surf. As parents, we are lucky to have Syd’s influence in our children’s lives. Thanks Syd!!!
Place rating: 5
West Los Angeles, CA
Great experience all around. As cool and casual as the vibe is, these guys have never let us down or screwed up a lesson, appointment time, staffing, etc. Our son has been here since 8 – 9 months old, loves the water, loves all the coaches. It all just works — easy to drop and makeup classes, good culture and camaraderie among staff, convenient location and times.
Place rating: 5
El Segundo, CA
I love it here my kids get swimming lessons and the instructors are great they are patient and make the kids feel comfortable and they are fun I really recommend this place. It gets pretty full so make appointments ahead. The classes are a good price too. Highly recommend!!!
Place rating: 5
San Francisco, CA
I have two kids: ages 2.5 and 4 and we LOVE LA Surf and Swim. The coaches are great and my kids absolutely love it there! They always look forward to their lessons (and are equally upset when they are over), they love their instructors, and appreciate the stickers they get at the end of each lesson. Also, Courtney, the office manager, is fantastic! She is very good and passionate about what she does! Our overall experience has been nothing short of amazing! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!
Place rating: 5
Santa Monica, CA
We’ve had a great experience with LA Surf and Swim.
My 5 year old son, who never had consistent lessons prior to this, is now swimming freestyle, breast stroke, backstroke, and butterfly (all still need some work!), loves swimming, loves his lessons there, and most important, is completely water-​safe now! We went 1−2x/week for about 4 months to get to this point.
My daughter, 2.5, was very scared and wouldn’t go near the pool. After trying many different tactics patiently, they decided it was best to let her play around the pool with the toys and observe the other kids swimming until she was ready. It took about 2 weeks, and they allowed our nanny to bring her for these «sessions» free of charge (at least the ones where there was no plan to go in the pool). Ultimately, she got in, and she loves swimming now. She’s close to being pool-​safe.
At LA Surf & Swim, they combine education of swimming strokes/​technique with fun games, like swimming to the bottom to pick up toys and balancing on a moving surfboard in the middle of the pool until they fall in (laughing happily). There is a core group of instructors who both of my kids love. They have a colored wrist-​band system to inform teachers of progress and abilities, so there is consistency. In response to another review, I’ve never felt it was unsafe, and neither of my kids could swim when we started. Courtney, who manages the day-​to-​day schedule, payments, etc… is awesome. Most of the scheduling is online, but she is always ready to help if we have questions or need to reschedule a class. When my daughter was having trouble initially, she kept in touch with me via email to let me know of her progress (when our nanny took her).
Finally, it’s a pretty, relaxing yard with nice lounge chairs for parents to sit while kids swim. Most parents (or caretakers) take advantage of this and just sit and watch their kids have fun.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
I cannot say enough positive things about L.A. Surf and Swim. We started coming to this swim school when my daughter was about 4 and couldn’t swim, and was afraid to put her face in the water. She progressed very quickly, with the gentle, but challenging coaching by the instructors. As some have mentioned in other reviews, you don’t necessarily have the same swim coach from week to week, so if your child is extremely sensitive to change (which I thought my daughter was, but she was always fine with this), it may be hard for you. We’ve had many swim coaches here over the years, and most are extremely intuitive, and know how to get the most out of the child, while still making it a positive experience that they want to come back to. Most recently my daughter started taking their «pre-​swim team» classes, held at Samo-hi’s pool, and they are just what she needed to get to the next level. She had progressed so much at the residential location that the challenge of a larger pool, and a more structured lesson where all the kids are a similar level, was great. Syd, the owner, is an excellent teacher who has so much experience with competitive swimming, yet he’s able to make it understandable to kids of all ages. He really has a way with kids and senses how they need to be challenged or eased up on. From getting my daughter to put her face in the water, to dive to the bottom of the pool, to work on her butterfly stroke, he’s done this in a kind way that gives her the confidence to do it. Courtney, who does most of the scheduling and day to day contact at the lessons, is so organized and efficient. She’s always receptive to hearing parents concerns, and addressing them, if not immediately with the instructors, before the next lesson. Would not go anywhere else.
Place rating: 5
Los Angeles, CA
My four year old daughter enrolled in LAS&S last fall after another mom’s recommendation, and within a month she was swimming on her own. She’s been doing a tandem swimming session with her friend, so that really worked out well since they are both a bit slow to warm up in new situations. The instructors are very patient and the class is really fun. Also, the pool is very warm, so it’s great to swim in even when it’s cold. Another nice thing it is that it’s a small house/​facility and my younger daughter can play with the toys while her big sister is swimming. Overall, we’ve had a great experience.
Update: 6÷24÷15
My 3 yr old daughter has joined LAS&S and immediately felt at ease with the coaches. She was beaming the entire first lesson, it was so cute! For beginner one-​on-​one lessons, they gently carry them around the shallow end of the pool to get them use to the water and use fun toys, floaters and flippers etc. to help them learn the very basics. The new coaches are all really super sweet. My older, 6 year old daughter is still taking and enjoying her swim lessons as well. Each coach has been very effective in helping her hone her techniques and extend her endurance.
I also love the staff! Courtney, Brandon and Tommy are so accommodating and nice, it’s been such a great experience for us.
Place rating: 1
Los Angeles, CA
there was one serious negative. while we were there a 3 year old fell into the water and no teacher saw or helped. the mom screamed and nobody heard, the mom ended up jumping into the water with all her clothes on to save her daughter. after this the teachers still did not seem to understand what had happened.
This was at a two kid lesson, the way they do it is one kid is with the teacher and one kid «rests» unattended at the corner of the pool. It was the kid who was «resting» that fell into the water and was unable to keep her self above the water and was flailing her arms and gasping for air.
before this we liked the school, but after this we are very disturbed. We might still go back, but will watch our child very closely
Place rating: 5
Holly Park, CA
Nothing but a great experience. All teachers I have seen are exceptional with kids. My son is a bit of a ‘negotiator’ and tends to want to get off the target of instruction. The instructor keeps the instruction upbeat and on target. Nice facility — great instruction. Sometimes you get cut short 2 minutes — which I know doesn’t sound like much — but hey — it’s only a 20 minute class altogether.
Unrelated to the school — parking is kinda a stinker. But where isn’t it. The old man across the street on the corner somehow has gotten a red zone painted, handicapped zone painted, has no parking for street cleaning until 11:30 on Tuesday s and now is asking no one to park there either — yeesh! He must know somebody at the City!
Place rating: 3
Los Angeles, CA
This is a review for the swimming lessons, which are held at a private residence in the Mar Vista area.
Pro’s:
— Flexible scheduling. LA Surf & Swim has an online calendar where you can check availability and schedule lessons. You aren’t bound to one day of the week and time, though that’s an option if you’d like
— Good student to teacher ratio
— Reasonable rates for private lessons
— Pool is under a canopy which provides shade in the summer. Toys are on the deck for siblings who aren’t swimming
— Parents do not have to go into the pool with the child
— Instructors knowledgeable and friendly, with one exception below
Con’s:
— The «open house» format doesn’t allow for much consistency, which can be an issue for some kids. The child shows up for the lesson, wades into the water and the nearest available teacher grabs them. The instructors don’t seem to have a set schedule so you could have a different teacher each lesson
— With the above scheduling format it’s possible for your child to be in a class with kids that are nowhere near his/​her age. Teachers adapt to the child’s skill level so it isn’t a big deal — but my 5 year old was in a class with 1 year olds, which wasn’t much fun.
— After the lesson there’s zero time for free play. You have the lesson and get booted out, which is fairly standard for swim lessons. City pools have open swim, though, so free time can be dovetailed after lessons if you schedule properly.
— Most of the teachers here are great, with one exception. My kid was excited and wiggly during the first lesson and the teacher threatened to make him sit on the deck where it was cold. Seemed a bit harsh.
This school gets rave reviews and was recommended to me by a friend. It was not a good fit for us, but I do believe it’s a good school.