Goldfish Swim School - Waugh Chapel

About

Goldfish Swim School - Waugh Chapel, located in Gambrills, MD, offers a unique and engaging learn-to-swim experience for children of all ages, from infants to pre-teens. The facility is designed to foster water safety and swimming skills in a fun, safe, and family-friendly environment, utilizing a proprietary curriculum and small class sizes for individualized attention.

The pools at Goldfish Swim School - Waugh Chapel are consistently maintained at a comfortable 90 degrees Fahrenheit (approximately 32 degrees Celsius). This warm water temperature helps keep young swimmers comfortable and makes the learning process more enjoyable, particularly for infants and toddlers.

What are people saying (AI review summary)? Goldfish Swim School, particularly the Waugh Chapel location, receives overwhelmingly positive reviews, consistently highlighted for its exceptional staff and facility. Coaches are frequently praised for their patience, kindness, enthusiasm, and ability to effectively teach children, even those initially scared or overwhelmed, leading to significant progress in swimming skills and water comfort. The school's training program for instructors is noted for its consistency and effectiveness. The facility is described as clean, well-maintained, inviting, and bright, offering thoughtful amenities like private changing huts, family restrooms, suit dryers, and comfortable viewing areas. Parents consistently feel a strong sense of welcome, belonging, and safety, appreciating the attentive and accommodating nature of both the swim coaches (e.g., Sophia, Joseph) and the front desk staff. Many reviewers highly recommend Goldfish Swim School, with some even driving long distances due to their excellent experiences, which also include accommodating birthday parties and going above and beyond expectations.

Location

Gallery

Amenities

• Accepts Credit Cards
• Accessible Entrance

Reviews

Listing Reviews

February 27th, 2025

Maral Diniz

We love Goldfish swim in Waugh chapel! We had looked at a few schools and even attended a few trials at some other swim schools but felt so much more welcome and like we belonged at Goldfish Swim. The staff is excellent and answered all our questions. The facility is so nice and well maintained. Our son is 6 months old and enjoys his class so much, especially his coach Sophia, he always smiles when he sees her and she greets him with such enthusiasm! My husband and I feel so safe having him there with her and the lifeguards and all the other staff. I would recommend Goldfish Swim in Waugh chapel to anyone looking for a swim school for their young child to learn safety and the basics of swimming!

July 22nd, 2025

Cass Grady

Our first day at Goldfish Swim School was yesterday—my 3-year-old son was scared, crying, and overwhelmed. Coach Joseph was absolutely amazing. He stayed calm, kind, and patient the entire time, gently modifying the class to meet my son’s comfort level. I was SO impressed by his compassion and the support for my very emotional (and loud!) son. The other staff were equally understanding and unphased by this and I was very impressed. We’re truly grateful and excited to be part of this community for years to come! Thank you Coach Joseph!

June 9th, 2025

Sherri Davis

I brought my 7 year old who was terrified of water to Goldfish Swim School - Waugh Chapel in March and it is unreal how far she has come since then (only 3 months). The first class she wouldn't even get in the water but the instructors are so patient and one of the deck managers even took her one on one and got her to sit in the water before the end of the first class. I'm amazed at whatever training program is used for the instructors, we have unfortunately been through quite a few but they all teach exactly the same so progress continued for my child without skipping a beat. I drive almost an hour to go to this swim school even though we have closer options because of the great reviews I read so I thought I should contribute!

August 30th, 2025

Stephanie Kuldell

Never had a bad experience at a Goldfish establishment. We had our kids birthday party here too, and they were very accommodating; went above and beyond. My kid loves her swim instructors.

February 16th, 2024

Anny Turbyville

Clean, colorful, inviting. Plenty of space to sit and watch lesson. Lots of light! Cute lay-out with changing “huts”- offer privacy for kids which is nice. Family restrooms. Spinners to dry your suits. Surfboard benches at hair drying station are super cool. Front desk staff is helpful and attentive. Swim coaches are great with the kids. I’ve recommended the place to a few people already.