Hayward Wanda the Whale Automatic Pool Cleaner for Above Ground Pools

Love our Wanda!! we have had three of these since 2015. She does a great job. We’ve never had a tail issue and the only reason we had to get the third one is cause I accidentally slammed her in the box that we store her in, and I broke her flipper on the bottom. The kids love watching her and we also have the leaf catcher that I add usually only the beginning of the year unless a storm comes through. Extremely happy with our purchase.

This is the 3rd year of Wanda and I am very happy with her. Pros: keeps pool clean with minimal effort on my part. Picks up more than my push vaccum head. Helps keep pool water warmer by circulating the cooler bottom water with the warmer water on top (in combo with solar cover). Can be used with solar cover on. Easy to take apart to replace parts/remove rocks or other stuck items. Cons: She sometimes gets stuck in place. I just pick her up and move her and shes fine. it doesn't happen often and is not even really a con. It's a more affordable machine so I do not expect it to be running like a thousand dollar vaccum. IMO, she is worth every penny. When she finally gives out I will but another one.

I bought this in July a couple weeks later it stopped working. I requested a return but I didn't have the original box anymore. I was told I could ship it in any box so I did when I saw the refund they only refunded me $15 out of the $170 because according to them 1- it was in the incorrect box 2- the one I returned was an old wanda the paunt was faded and didn't look new (I've only haded in the pool never out the pool unless it was at night when we were in there) 3- they said they get new equipment each year and the serial number on the wanda I returned is from March 2021 so according to them this couldn't be the wanda I bought in July 2025 I got my house this year and since we have the space we got our kids an above ground pool. So there is no way I would have bought it in March 2021 to have it ready for 2025 and if i want them to return wanda I need to pay shipping for it and all im getting back is $15. They sell old equipment and blame it on the buyer it's old Some one gifted me the shark and I can say we've had it for a week and it has worked amazing for us. It's nice how it has the brush in the bottom and gives the option to move it around manually as well if needed. DO NOT RECOMMEND WANDA. SAVE YOUR MONEY THEN THEY DON'T WANT TO REFUND AND BLAME IT ON THE BUYER THAT THEY RETURNED AND OLD EQUIPMENT WHEN THAT IS WHAT THEY SENT

Easy to use, works well even it requires me to remove the stairs so it doesn't get hung up. The included adjustment valve and flow scale allowed us to dial in the suction to the middle of the band easily to guarantee that we don't suck up and ruin the liner. Only reason for 4 stars is that Wanda's tail likes to pop off to the point that we're using it without it. It's a small thing, and it's cosmetic, but if you include it, you should be able to use it without issues. Pool looks great.

She may not look like a serious pool tool but this vac is excellent for keeping the floor of my pool clean! It's so easy to set up and works pretty much on her own (with an occasion unclog when the pine needles get in the pool.) I had a pool party and the pool started turning cloudy the next day, then a little green forming on the floor. We connected her and let her do her thing and she got the job done. At this point, I leave her on a couple days each week to make sure that everything gets picked up and to keep algae under control during this hot summer! I think we have finally figured out how to keep the water clean. I have been struggling each year that I've owned this pool to keep it clean and stabilized. The pool is situated next to a tree line with pine trees and mimosa (lots of little tiny leaves that drop all the time) and she is the perfect addition to the pool tools.

My review would have originally been five stars, when I first bought wanda, she did a fantastic job, I was overjoyed how well she performed. I just cleaned her up and put it to work for this season, and was reminded that I was upset at the end of last season because she stopped working. Couldn't figure out what was wrong I'm watching number of videos too trying to figure it out. Today I watch some more videos and have come to the conclusion that there is some mechanism that causes her to be mobile, that has stopped moving. Whether it be bearings, or some deer assembly the fact that it only lasted one season is very upsetting.

2 ND year for wanda, can't say enough good things, even with a couple of uneven spots, never had a problem. There are times it will get pulled over on its side but always rights itself. I have a 24' round and use all but one of the supplied hoses.... this gives it a little slack that it needs to get to the edges. We'll worth the investment!

Yes very satisfied with Wanda , she is doing a wonderful job keeping the pool clean, the only issue is that her tail won’t stay on but that doesn’t hinder her ability to do the job.

We returned our Aiper scuba and purchased this one instead. It does a way better job of cleaning up our 18X33 above ground pool including the wrinkles in the liner ! Well worth the money

Easy to use and way cheaper than any of the pool stores. Works great.

Wanda for the WIN!! Wanda makes pool cleaning so much easier. While I am perfectly capable of cleaning my above ground swimming pool the old-fashioned way, Wanda is so much more convenient. I drop her in and when I come back, the pool is clean. The tail is pointless, does not stay attached and does nothing. She can fall over onto her side , but can easily right herself. Wanda cleans the pool much better than I did manually. While I can’t comment on the durability as I have just purchased Wanda, I do highly recommend this pool cleaner

The title says it all: faulty design, the drive mechanism doesn't move so, neither does cleaning unit. This is a clear case of over-design, the much more simplistic Shark product works much better (of course, the whale doesn't work at all so, low bar).

Love it. Works great. Makes cleaning the pool easy