PHTA Certified CPO Instructor Since 2017

Get Certified.
Without Losing Two Days
to a Classroom.

Self-paced online learning, a single in-person or Zoom test day, and a PHTA-issued CPO certification valid for five years. Taught by a working industry professional who comes to you.

See Upcoming Test Dates Train My Whole Staff On-Site →
SCROLL
+
Years in the Industry
Year Certification
100+
Facilities Trained
2
Pool Businesses Built & Sold
Why CPO PRO

Certification that actually
makes sense.

Not another generic hotel ballroom. Real instruction, real equipment, real results.

🎓

Flexible Format

Complete the 8-hour PHTA CPO Fusion online course on your schedule, then join a single one-day in-person or Zoom session for exam proctoring and live Q&A. No consecutive days lost.

🔧

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.

🏊
Your Facility
10+
students for on-site training
The Differentiator

We Come
to You.

Most 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 learns on your exact equipment, using your actual chemical feeders, testing your real water.

They walk away not just certified, but actually better at running your pool on Monday morning.

Request an On-Site Class →
The Process

Three steps to certified.

No consecutive days off work. No confusing ballroom setup. Just a clear path from enrollment to certification.

1

Self-Paced Online

Complete the PHTA CPO Fusion online course (approximately 8 hours) on your schedule. The portal saves your progress, stop and start whenever.

2

Live Test Day

Join Samuel for a single 8-hour day, in-person at your facility or on Zoom. Live Q&A, pool walk, and proctored exam.

3

Certified

Pass the 50-question PHTA exam and receive your official CPO certification, valid for five years, recognized industry-wide.

Upcoming Test Days

Next available dates.

Virtual on Zoom twice a month, every other Saturday, from anywhere. Need your whole team certified? We come to your facility for on-site training. Same PHTA certification, same $435.

View All Upcoming Dates →
Reviews

What students say.

★★★★★

“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.”

CL
Catherine Lugo
CPO course student
★★★★★

“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.”

KN
Keeley Naughton
CPO course student
★★★★★

“…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.”

BM
Boone Marker
Hosted a CPO class, Lincoln City, OR
The Instructor

Samuel Holmes

Samuel Holmes, PHTA Certified CPO Instructor since 2017

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 actual pool with your actual staff.

Read the full bio →
2017
PHTA Instructor
Since
14
Years
in Industry
2
Businesses
Built & Sold
5yr
Certification
Valid For
Get Started Today

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.

Enroll Now, $435 Train My Whole Staff
The Pool Operator Playbook by Samuel Holmes, front cover
New · 2026
New · The Pool Operator Playbook

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.”

Samuel Holmes
350Pages
52Chapters
159Diagrams & Tables
6Appendices
Get the Digital Edition, $24 → Read a Chapter Free

Also in paperback on Amazon, $33.95. Enrolling in a class? Add the digital edition for $15 at checkout.

Free · 33-page field guide

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 actually 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)
The Pool Pro Guide Book cover
Instant download, plus practical operator tips. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
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Book, $435