Hey everyone

I'd like to do a blog post about the various swimming pools in the area - one of my 'round-up' posts which includes info on various parent and tot swim times (yeah, I know most of that is in the calendar but I think people find it useful to be reminded and have all the info in one place at times too), but also would love to include parents' opinions of what you like/dislike about the various pools.

For example, we really like Dartmouth Sportsplex because it has the small half pool for little kids, the water is pretty warm, and it has those big steps going along the side which means kids can just play up to their knees the whole time if they want. I think it's a great pool for young kids just starting out that might be a bit scared at first, like my son was. Also they have a family changing room with lots of space and cubicles, though now that I think of it I'm not sure if they have a baby changing table??

I've heard the water at Needham pool is really cold, but Sackville Sports Stadium is really warm. Anyone agree/disagree?

What do you think is the best pool and why?

Thanks!

We go to the Spryfield Wave Pool a lot and love it. Because the water gets deeper gradually the little ones can stand in the shallower part of the pool. The water is nice and warm. And of course the waves are a hit. The family change room should be a lot bigger, though.

Thanks Sarah! Had another vote via Twitter for the wavepool and on FB everyone was gushing about how great Cole Harbour Place is.

Anyone else want to chime in? Would be great to get opinions on other pools too!

Admin_Mom wrote:

I've heard the water at Needham pool is really cold, but Sackville Sports Stadium is really warm. Anyone agree/disagree?


I was under the impression that the Needham pool (up in the North End) was really warm. I visited the facility a couple of years back and put my hand in the water and it felt good. But that was a little while ago. I have registered the kids for swim lessons there, starting April, and I'll report back then.

We used to go to Dartmouth Sportsplex a lot. The toddler pool is great and *warm* for parents who have to watch little ones and so can't move around much themselves. The steps are a nice touch. I'm moving away from this pool as the steps mean my kids (almost 4 and 6) won't attempt deeper water, so I signed them up for classes at Needham which has a more traditional shaped pool.

We went once to Cole Harbour Place. Love the facility and the friendliness. Only complaint was that the water that day was more clorinated than we were used to. There is a kiddie pool and a larger kid pool with slide and deeper water.

We are members of the Dalhousie Dalplex. I love the pool for me, but haven't attempted the kids. The water is on the cool side (great for doing laps) and the shallow end is too deep for my kids. When they are older and can swim, I think this will be a great facility! The pool is so large (usually 2 25 metre subpools each with 8 or more lanes) that it is open for recreational swimming practically all the time. At special times they open up the diving boards and the long swinging rope in the deep end.

Would be interested to hear what you make of Needham. I think when I was told it was cold it was comparing it to Dartmouth Sportsplex, which is really warm - so maybe Needham isn't cold, but just not warm, you know?

You shared lots of great tidbits - thanks so much! Will be very useful for other parents, I'm sure.

I think that most pools are going to come up short compared to the Sportsplex kiddie pool because, warmth-wise, it is pretty much at one end of the spectrum. (The only water my kids experience that is warmer is in their bath
And Cole Harbour Place kiddie pool is right up there too. Very pleasant for young children and children who get cold easily and most parents. But these pools are too warm for anyone who is active in the water (like swimming laps).

That's probably why the Dalplex pool is on the cool side -lots of competative swimming going on in there.

I think that many of the city pools are somewhere between Sportsplex and Dalplex in temperature; it depends on the pool. It wouldn't be hard to ask around and find out what the average temperature is for a certain pool as pool conditions are generally monitored daily and kept within whatever range that facility decides upon.

We are so lucky to have so many choices here in HRM for swimming pools. I cannot wait for the Clayton Park Rec. Center to finish. They are going to have quite the pool.
In my opinion the best pool in HRM for kids under 6 would be the Spryfield wavepool. The set up of the pool should have been duplicated in other rec. centers. Next after that would be the Sackville pool. The Dartmouth Sportsplex and Needham pools aren't that great for young kids. I had my daughters 4th birthday party at the Sportsplex-NEVER AGAIN. This pool is an accident waiting to happen. The stair method is horrible. I had 2 kids playing go under-because they accidentally stepped off. These are kids that can swim. It's just that each step is I'm guessing 1/2 foot deeper and when they were playing stepped backwards off. Anyways...it was scary. The Needham pool is too deep to start. Excellent for older kids!!! Young kids being like being in the floaties and life jackets but sometimes they just want to play in knee deep water or sit and splash. I haven't been to the YMCA in years or the Dalplex so I can't give my 2 cents on them.

Hello,

We just got back from swim classes at Needham Pool.

Both my kids are in a Sea Turtle class which has a max size of 4. There was one other combined class with 3 kids.

The air temperature was 27C and the water temperature was 28.8C It was pretty toasty sitting on the bench poolside!

I am very impressed. A warm pool area and small class size. I spoke with an instructor who said that they don't tend to have many kids register for classes there.

It's a real gem! Especially for the little ones. The pool is run through HRM Recreation program. I paid $59 per kid for 10 classes.

Adele