Get Certified.
Without Losing Two Days
to a Classroom.
Do the PHTA course online at your own pace, then join Samuel on Zoom for one live test day. $395 all-in, and 97% of students pass on the first attempt.
Virtual test days every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
- Classes every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday
- 3 exam attempts included
- Certificate the day you pass
Training a team of 10 or more? We come to you →
Certification that
makes sense.
Study on your own time, test in one day, and learn from an instructor who still works on pools every week.
Flexible Format
Complete the 6-hour PHTA CPO Fusion online course on your schedule, then join a single in-person or Zoom test day for live Q&A and the proctored exam. You only give up one day.
Taught By a Working Operator
You're not learning from a textbook. Samuel Holmes is still on pool decks every week, diagnosing equipment, running chemistry, fixing what the last guy did wrong.
Trusted by Facilities
Hotels, HOAs, municipalities, apartment complexes, and aquatic centers across the country train their entire pool staff with CPO PRO, usually on-site, on their own equipment. And in English-speaking countries worldwide.
We Come
to You.
Plenty of CPO courses put you in a generic hotel ballroom with strangers and a chalkboard diagram of a pool filter. We bring the certification to your facility. Your staff trains on the equipment and chemical feeders they use every day, and tests water from your pool.
They walk away certified and better at running your pool on Monday morning.
Request an On-Site Class →Three steps to certified.
No consecutive days off work. No confusing ballroom setup. Just a clear path from enrollment to certification.
Self-Paced Online
Pick your test date first. PHTA emails your course login within 1 business day, then you complete the PHTA CPO Fusion online course (about 6 hours) on your schedule. The portal saves your progress, so you can stop and start whenever.
Live Test Day
Join Samuel for a single day, about 6 hours, in-person at your facility or on Zoom. Live Q&A, a pool walk when the class is on-site, and the proctored exam.
Certified
Pass the 50-question PHTA exam and Samuel issues your official CPO certificate the same day from the PHTA instructor portal. Valid for five years and recognized nationwide.
Next available dates.
Virtual on Zoom every Tuesday, Friday and Saturday, from anywhere. Need your whole team certified? We come to your facility for on-site training.
“Sam is an excellent instructor! I have been in the pool and spa industry for 21 years and Sam’s platform, availability, and workbook made this the most well rounded experience I have had obtaining my CPO. Mine recently expired and we had some staffing changes so the need to obtain mine was immediate. I signed up for his class on a Friday evening and was able to test on that Tuesday. I received my actual certificate within 30 minutes upon completion of the test. Very informative, and a true pool and spa professional! Thank you Sam”
“Sam with CPO PRO not only knows his stuff, but genuinely wants you to succeed. He created a relaxed, supportive environment where we could actually learn, ask questions, and feel confident going into the test. I walked away feeling prepared and passed my CPO exam with flying colors. Couldn’t recommend Sam and CPO PRO more.”
“Had a great experience with this CPO class. The instructor, Sam, was extremely patient and helpful! Best in the business.”
“Samuel was great, his workbook and guide he put together was perfect for preparing for the test. I had a couple questions on a few of the exam questions and he gladly answered them in a very good and informative manner. Would definitely recommend again.”
“Take this class! Our instructor was Sam Holmes, and he was very professional and knowledgeable. He made the class so engaging with ACTIVE discussion and real world examples… I learned so much and it has ALL been used since this class. I understand my pools way better and the information is not hard to remember.”
“The instructor, Sam, was knowledgeable and did a wonderful job of engaging the class. Sam stayed in touch after the class to offer support for any pool-related questions or help needed.”
“…great class instruction as well as very knowledgeable staff to answer all questions. We were lucky to host a class where people from all over the county were able to come and participate as well as see our operation first hand.”
Samuel Holmes
PHTA Certified CPO Instructor since 2017. 14 years in the swimming pool industry. Built and sold two pool service and remodel companies, most recently The Aqua Academy in Bend, Oregon (sold 2024).
Still on pool decks every week, diagnosing equipment, running chemistry, fixing what the last guy did wrong. When he teaches on-site, he walks your pool with your staff.
Read the full bio →Since
in Industry
Built & Sold
Valid For
A pool tip every day.
Chemistry, compliance and running a route, pulled straight from the Playbook. Save the ones you want on the deck.
Ready to get certified,
or get your team certified?
Virtual from anywhere, or on-site at your facility. One flat price. Five-year PHTA certification.
Every pool has a personality.
But the fundamentals never change.
“When I first got started in the pool industry I was incredibly nervous every time I went to a new pool I didn’t know. I had no idea what to expect once I got on site, and somehow I had to walk through that gate and be the expert.
With each new pool I serviced that nervousness waned, because through experience I had learned that no matter how complicated the system, the process of troubleshooting followed the same principles.
That is why I wrote this book. It gives you the foundation, plus the real-world and sometimes contrarian tips that help you show up as the expert you need to be.”
Also in paperback on Amazon, $33.95. Enrolling in a class? The digital edition is included free with your seat.
The Pool Pro Guide Book
A professional reference for commercial pool operators, written by a PHTA CPO instructor. Every calculation, chemical dose, compliance standard, and contamination-response procedure, in one place you can use on the deck.
- The full CPO calculation library, worked step by step
- MAHC operating ranges and an inspection-ready checklist
- Maintenance schedules and filtration know-how
- Fecal, vomit and blood response (CDC / MAHC procedures)
