Founder & Certified Pool Operator
Ray Thornton
Started Tradewinds in 2009 after a decade in commercial pool maintenance. Still rides along on routes most weeks.
Tradewinds Pool Service is a local, licensed pool service company built by people who genuinely like taking care of pools. Here's our story, our values, and the team you'll actually meet in your backyard.
Tradewinds Pool Service started in 2009 with one truck, one route, and a simple idea: pool service should be dependable, honest, and easy to schedule. Our founder spent years working for larger pool companies in the San Diego area and kept hearing the same complaints from customers — missed visits, vague pricing, and technicians who never explained what they were actually doing. Tradewinds was built to fix that.
Fifteen years later, we've grown into a full-service pool care company caring for more than 2,400 pools across the greater San Diego metro, from La Jolla to Carmel Valley. What hasn't changed is the approach: the same technician on your route every week, clear communication before any repair, and a genuine focus on doing the job right the first time. We're still locally owned, still San Diego-based, and still answer our own phones — 24 hours a day for repair emergencies. And yes, our techs are pet people: gates get latched, and route dogs get treats.
Our mission is simple — give every Southern California pool owner more time by the water and less time worrying about it. Whether that means a routine Tuesday cleaning or an emergency green-pool recovery before a weekend party, our team treats every pool like it's the only one on the schedule that day.
We tell you what your pool actually needs, not what pads an invoice. If something doesn't need fixing yet, we'll say so.
Same day, same technician, every week. Our customers plan their week around a visit they know will happen.
We show up in our scheduled window, work efficiently, and leave your pool area as tidy as we found it.
Our technicians train year-round on new equipment, chemistry standards, and safety codes — this is a trade we take seriously.
We're San Diego-based and San Diego-focused — sponsoring local youth swim programs and hiring locally as we grow.
Tradewinds is led by a small, experienced crew that treats every route personally.
Founder & Certified Pool Operator
Started Tradewinds in 2009 after a decade in commercial pool maintenance. Still rides along on routes most weeks.
Field Operations Manager
Keeps every route on schedule and trains new technicians on Tradewinds's chemical-balancing standards.
Lead Service Technician
Our go-to for equipment repairs and green pool recoveries — nine years of hands-on San Diego pool experience.
CSLB License #1090482 — fully licensed and insured for residential and light commercial pool work statewide.
Every lead technician holds a current CPO certification in water chemistry and equipment safety standards.
Tradewinds Pool Service maintains BBB accreditation, reflecting our commitment to transparent business practices.
Active FSPA membership keeps our team current on state code changes and industry best practices.