Big Blue Swim School — Attraction in Watchung

We are writing to share a deeply upsetting experience our family had at Big Blue Swim School in Watchung, NJ, involving swim instructor Mr. Fred, a lifeguard, and two managers, Naomi and Lindsey.

During a recent swim lesson, our bi-racial four-year-old -who has a severe stutter and speech delay—was falsely accused by Fred of using a racial slur. In reality, she had simply said the word “later.” Instead of responding with understanding or care, Fred reacted with visible disdain. He mocked her, called over a lifeguard, and made her repeat herself multiple times in front of several staff members. This public humiliation was not only inappropriate but deeply hurtful to a child already struggling with communication.

Throughout the lesson, Fred displayed impatience and a discouraging attitude. He was visibly unkind and physically intimidating, which made our daughter uncomfortable and anxious. Rather than creating a supportive learning environment, he made the situation worse by escalating confusion into a spectacle.

When I intervened, staff claimed our daughter had said something offensive. She clearly and consistently told us she said “later.” Manager Lindsey later admitted that this kind of incident had happened before and that Mr. Fred had been trained on how to handle it—yet his behavior showed no sign of that training. While she apologized and acknowledged I was right, the damage was already done.

Manager Naomi’s response was equally disappointing. She smirked throughout our conversation and dismissed our concerns, showing no empathy or professionalism.

Because of this discriminatory and humiliating treatment, we’ve withdrawn our daughter from the school. No child—especially one with a speech delay—should be ridiculed, pressured, or made to feel unsafe. This experience revealed a clear failure in leadership, training, and compassion.

We strongly advise other families, particularly those with children who have speech or developmental challenges, to seek a more supportive and respectful swim school. Your child...

I've been a loyal client of Big Blue Swimming School since they opened, and for a while, it truly was a great experience. The teachers were knowledgeable, the facilities were appropriate for the customer base, and I felt confident bringing my children here.

However, over time, things have drastically declined. Today, I submitted my 30-day cancellation notice (yes, they require that), and it's unfortunate to see how much the quality has deteriorated.

The instructor quality has dropped significantly—many of the newer teachers seem untrained and unsure of how to handle baby classes. I say this from experience, having enrolled all three of my children over the years.

The facility is now overcrowded. At the end of each class, finding a locker or even space to change has become a chaotic scramble. It’s not uncommon to be left standing, wet and waiting, while juggling your child and hoping a spot frees up.

Scheduling make-up classes is frustratingly difficult. The front desk staff follow rigid, arbitrary policies rather than showing any flexibility or customer care. It seems like once the owners stopped showing up regularly, so did the accountability.

What was once a well-run, customer-friendly school now feels like a business more focused on volume and profit than on quality and community. Sadly, it's a clear example of how complacency and greed can ruin a good thing.

Update: Five hours after posting this review, the manager (Lindsay) reached out to personally discuss our concerns. She didn’t dispute any of the issues raised and showed genuine interest in understanding the situation further. Following our conversation, we were assured that steps would be taken to restore the quality and standards that originally made us loyal clients. With that in mind, we’ve decided to give Big Blue another chance after the summer and will update this review again once we’ve reassessed...

I would like to start of by saying that we initially enrolled our 2 year old son at a different swim school. This particular school was big on decorating their space with a different theme each month and offered lollipops. (We didn't care for these) They were also very big on submersion. While this may work for a lot of families, this did not work for us. Our son became so traumatized from being under water that he would shake just waiting to be called in to his class. He would cry uncontrollably from start to finish. The teacher did not even talk to him or give any advice on how to ease his anxiety with the water. All she would do is smirk and go to the other kids. We decided that this was not the place for us.

Enter... BIG BLUE! First off, the space is simple and CLEAN. No frills, no theme every month, and I have seen first hand how well they clean and how often. They are always cleaning door handles and drying wet floors. The staff is incredibly helpful and kind. As for the class and the teacher, I cannot emphasize enough how EXCELLENT they are. Our teacher is Coach Leigh and she is absolutely wonderful with our son. She is patient, very understanding and teaches in a playful way. She really engages with him that he actually looks forward to going to class!! Coach Leigh has been so patient and good with him that he finally felt brave enough and went underwater! She is outstanding and I cannot praise her enough. I cannot also forget to mention the other teachers we've had at makeup classes who have also been wonderful and always upbeat - Coach Malachi and Coach Nathaly. Thank you for making swim classes safe,...