West Oahu Aquatics

Former swimmer here. The staff members are friendly and welcoming. The swim lessons here are fine. The swim lessons coaches are pretty nice and are pretty patient. But for the swim team, it’s a different story. Quite a few of the swim team coaches seem to have little to no patience. Some of the coaches talked to slower swimmers like myself the way a drill sergeant would. Two particular coaches definetly had a favortism problem. Although I understand that the swim team is designed for older and expirienced swimmers, I’d expect that the coaches would have at least some degree of patience. Also, the bathrooms here are extremely dirty, and smell terrible. These need to be cleaned asap.

Cheyenne,
We had high hopes for West Oahu Aquatics. It appeared as a great resource for kids to swim and excel. I still believe it can be for older kids but you need to listen to your critics and not just rest on what obviously isn’t working for people. However, this is your choice. It is also your choice to not return calls and emails. What do you expect from people who pay for a service and receive what you give them? Our only recourse towards businesses like yours are reviews on Unilocal and word of mouth. I’m sorry this didn’t work out for us. Mostly sorry is my wallet since it will never get its $ 120 back. I hope other people can heed these warnings and buyer beware.

We LOVE West Oahu Aquatics!!!
We started swimming there 5 years ago (when it was known as Hawaii Swim Club Kapolei). All FOUR of my kids swim at WOA all year round…3 kids on swim team and 1 in advanced swim lessons. We have literally been through every level of swim lessons and 3 levels of swim team. I think so highly of the swim club that I have referred many families. It has been a joy to sit with my friends (old and new) and watch as our kids improve their swim skills and advance through lessons/​team.
For SWIM LESSONS, I particularly like that parents do not get in the water with their children. The most important thing is that the coaches teach little swimmers to swim-​float-​swim and to get stream line. Usually, younger beginner swimmers will cry for the first few lessons. Not only is it new and probably scary to them at first, but the pool is not heated and the younger kids can not touch the bottom (they hold are taught to hold onto the wall until their turn). They quickly grow comfortable and excited about swimming. As parents observing, we love watching all the kids improve, gain confidence, swim further distances, and learn more strokes. The coaches are excellent at working with children and they have a structured plan as to what is to be taught each lesson. Swim lessons are twice a week, for 4 weeks, for a total of 8 lessons per session (unless you sign up for Saturday classes). If your swimmer is a beginner swimmer, then I highly recommend that you start during the spring/​summer when the water temperature is warmer.
For INFANT SWIM SMART LESSONS, I think they are amazing!!! I love to watch the infant/​toddlers learn the life saving skill of rolling to their back if they fall into the water. Again, they usually cry at the beginning of lessons and it can be heart wrenching to listen too. But it is absolutely awesome to see how quickly they can be taught (through these one-​on-​one lessons) to actually roll over onto their backs and float.
For SWIM TEAM, I love that the kids have close bonds with their teammates and are eager to cheer each other on at swim meets. The coaches are very knowledgeable and attentive. The kids bring their own swim cap, goggles, short fins, freestyle snorkel, and kick board. FYI, I usually order our swim gear from
. The girls wear snug swim suits (to prevent drag) and the boys wear jammers (or speedos). Swim team practice is 3 – 5 days a week, depending on which group your child is in.
PLAYGROUND: The kids that are not swimming (either not enrolled or waiting for their class time) are welcome to play in the large grass area off to the side of the pool. The entire pool premises are fenced in. There is a small play structure with slide, an old basketball hoop, and usually a few toys/​balls to keep them entertained. My kids thoroughly enjoy playing with their friends when it is not their turn to swim.
POOL FACILITY: There is plenty of seating around the OLYMPIC size pool (benches, picnic tables, shade areas, and lounge chairs). It is an OLD facility (a former military fitness center pool). They do a great job at cleaning the pool regularly and my kids never complain about burning eyes. The bathrooms have changing areas and showers… but they are gross looking. There is a large parking lot.
Hope this was helpful to anyone thinking about West Oahu Aquatics. :-)

This olympic sized 50M pool helps literally hundreds of kids each day learn the joy of swimming, water polo, CPR, lifeguarding, etc. while building the other intrinsic characteristics that will positively benefit them for life.
The team has wonderful coaches that will help swimmers of all levels and ages. From toddlers to seniors everyone has a place here.
This facility is used by many of the local high schools, military organizations, and can even be rented out for private use I believe.
This is one of the hidden little gems or oasis on the west side. Glad to be a part of the Masters swimming program that allows me to swim here daily.

My son has been swimming for W.O.A. (formerly HSC) since 2010. He started out on pre team and is now a high school swimmer. He went from not knowing any of the strokes to competing at State Champs. He absolutely loves the sport and looks forward to practice. I attribute this to the coaching staff and the family atmosphere of the club. He is a year round swimmer and spends, at least, 10 hours a week at the pool. I have spent many house myself at the pool and have observed practices and lessons. I have become very familiar with how the club is run and how the instructors and coaches run their lessons and practices. They care so much about each swimmer, no matter what age or at what level. I am amazed at the knowledge the instructors/​coaches have. I have seen many small children go from crying and not wanting to go in the pool one week to being so excited and wanting to jump in the next. The instructors helped them oercome any fears and helped them gain confidence to swim and ultimately love the water. My son has made many friends and feels very cared about. This is a great club and I recommend it to anyone I know that has children.

When we moved to Hawaii, I knew we would need to find swim lessons for my two 4 year olds who loved the beach. We were referred to West Oahu Aquatics by a friend, and we couldn’t have found a better place. They were very receptive to working with my son who has autism, and they had some of the most caring instructors. When we had trouble getting into some of the sessions, Cheyenne would work with us to help find dates that fit. What a great place and we can’t wait to start the summer sessions!

I have sent several emails requesting a full refund. The business is holding their ground, and keeps referring to the no refund policy. I understand that legally, they have a right to keep my money. But because this is a family owned business, they could actually give me a full refund, because they can alter any rules at any time, case by case. This makes me feel that they do not care/​understand where I am coming from. The bottom line is that my daughter is refusing to go back. We will not be using their facility. Why keep my money? This is not right. When signing up a child for an activity, it is up to the child, if they want to come back or not. I am expecting a full refund, because it is only fair.