Berkeley Parents Network: Places to Go Swimming

Berkeley Parents Network

Places to Go Swimming

Berkeley Parents Network > Reviews > Places to Go > Places to Go Swimming

Pool open on Christmas Day?

Dec 2007

Does anyone know of a pool that is open in the afternoon on Christmas day? I need to swim due to a back condition, and my pool is closed. I've tried Oakland Hills Tennis club on Redwood road, but the water is too hot and they usually close by 1:30 or 2.. A day pass to the Claremont costs hundreds. Also I don't want to bother my friends who have to show up with me. Any ideas?? I'm desperate.. it makes a huge difference in my pain level. swimgirl

All public pools will be closed and most private gyms will close as well. I think your best bet may be a hotel, since they can't close for the holidays. Some of them offer day-use passes for their pools. It's usually quite pricy, but you're desperate, right? Think of it as a Christmas gift to yourself. Maybe try the Claremont first? (I haven't done this locally.) Otherwise, do some research with Tripadvisor and then make some calls. Even if there isn't a candidate in the East Bay, I bet there's one in SF. anon

You could check the El Cerrito Swim Center. It's a beautiful outdoor pool. Rebecca

Check with the 24-Hour Fitness at Hilltop Mall. Its pool is usually open all the time. Perhaps the El Cerrito public pool will also be open. -- sometime swimmer

Indoor pool for toddlers

March 2007

Hello, I am looking for an indoor pool which is toddler friendly. Just something where my 21 month old can play around at rainy or cold days. I live in San Leandro but basically any place in the east bay would be fine. Thanks a lot!

We love the Silliman Center in Newark. My 2-year-old loves the little slides off the play structure, and the fountains. Afterwards we always have noodle soup and steamed vermicelli with shrimp at Vung Tau III just up the road. Then we drive home all drowsy and head to bed! http://bayareafun.googlepages.com/pools Vung

How to find a lap pool in LA/Pasadena?

Oct 2007

I need to find a hotel with a good lap pool so I can visit my son at Occidental College. It is essential that I swim every afternoon due to health reasons and back injury. The only pool I've found so far is the Rose Bowl Swim center; Hours are not ideal and would involve extra driving, which is hard for me. I'm looking in the Eagle Rock, Glendale, Pasadena area, perhaps even Burbank. Can't be a small pool, or a very warm pool.. I need to do real swimming to deal with severe back pain, especially with travel. Also I need frig with good freezer in the room so I can store gel ice packs for my back. Would appreciate any suggestions; I have spent hours on phone and on-line and can't seem to find a place that has pool and frig/freezer and close enough to the school. swimgirl

Have you tried looking at http://www.swimmersguide.com? It lists lap pools in cities around the world! I know because I travel a lot and I too need a pool and a frig/freezer when I'm on the road. There is a great pool at Occidental. I wonder if your son could investigate the possibility of you being able to swim there during your visit, especially since you have a medical condition. Sorry, I can't suggest specific hotels in the area, but Occidental's website (maybe via the Admissions Office) has hotel suggestions that you can call to check. Also, I have stayed at hotels that will put a frig in your room if you request it. For medical conditions they don't usually charge for it, but there may be a small fee. At other hotels, I have asked them to put a bag of my ice packs in their kitchen's freezer and they have been happy to oblige. Good luck! adisk

I don't know about a hotel, but you should check out the web site www.swimmersguide.com. It provides listings of public and hotel pools all around the world, evaluated by swimmers. I know that you said the Rose Bowl Aquatic Center isn't convenient for you, but I wanted to let you know that it's a really great pool for swimmers. I always swim there when I'm visiting my inlaws in ALtadena. The lanes are really long, and the temperature is right. It's rare for a hotel pool to provide an adequate lap swimming experience, since most are too short and/or too warm. Is there a pool at Occidental that you could use when you're visiting your son? Good luck, and I hope your back heals soon. Carrie

I can't help you with hotels that have lap pools; but can help you with places to swim. US Masters Swimming has a website with a link to ''Places to Swim'':

http://www.usms.org/placswim/placswimform.php?LMSCID=38

Often you can join a Master's workout (helps if you join the national organization for about $35/year). Usually you have to pay a small fee to join a team's workout (like $5 or $10). Also, you can often tell where they swim (local high school, college or YMCA or the like) and then just check out the public swimming hours there.

In terms of refrigerators, I have recently been through this at a lot of hotels as I needed to store breastmilk. Every hotel I have stayed at was able to bring in a small refrigerator into the room and only one of them charged me. Good luck. Nikki

Inexpensive Indoor pool for toddler

April 2006

Do you know of any indoor pools besides the YMCA (membership and pool fees are too expensive for us) in Oakland/Berkeley/San Leandro/Hayward area? We are hoping to find an indoor pool where we can pay a small fee to attend during ''open swim''/toddler-swim-with-parents time. Last summer we enrolled our daughter in the Alameda Park and Rec toddler swim program, but it was always so windy and cold at this outdoor pool, that we cancelled. We used to live in SF where there Park and Rec Pools (indoor) charged a small fee for ''free'' (no instruction) swim. Hoping to get our water baby into the pool experience asap. Thank you for your recommendations. Margaret

Last year I took my 2 year old--then one to the Hayward Plunge. It is indoors and located right off of Foothill in Hayward. The facility is indoors and family friendly. Kristie

I don't know any indoor pools besides the YMCA but the El Cerrito public pool and the San Ramon pool are great! Big slides, fountains, toddler shallow part and kid size and regular adult size areas. And San Ramon is definitely warmer than Alameda or even Berkeley. Check www.el-cerrito.com/recreation/swim http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/parks/activitiespdf/aquatics.pdf_center.html love the pool

Check out the Silliman Activity Center on Mowry in Newark. It has an indoor water park. Supposed to be absolutely wonderful, although I've heard it can get crowded in the summer. Monika

I recommend the Albany pool. It might be a bit too far north for you, but it's a great pool and quite reasonable. The web site with additional info is http://www.enterit.com/ALBANY6640/. Kara

Albany High Pool http://www.enterit.com/ALBANY6640/ cheap swimmer

Lap Swimming for Adults

Dec 2005

I'm looking for a place to lap swim. I can't afford a YMCA membership, but don't quite qualify for financial assistance. I also have no car. I need a pool that's cheap but not scary, easily accessible to public transit (or walkable - I live near Lake Merrit), and has lap swimming hours during the day. If it has childcare, that's a bonus! Dry and Flabby

Try Oakland Parks & Rec http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/programs/aquatics.asp (click on the pool names in the navigation bar on the left for lap swim times) Lions Pool at Diamond Park and Temescal Pool near Oakland Tech are both open for Lap swim year round. I know they are cheep and as far as safe, my 76 year old mother swam at both pools for many, many years. You might also want to look into the mommy and me swim class durring the summer. They used to be great. natasha

I missed the original question, sorry, but wanted to pipe up and recommend (Highly!) the lap swimming at Laney College. You can sign up online at http://www.peralta.cc.ca.us/ (they'll even give you a fake ID # instead of using your SSN if you request it). The classes are DIRT CHEAP, the pools are outside and gorgeous, and the instructors are terrific--patient, knowledgeable, and supportive. I believe it costs a total of $15. Per semester. For a 10-week, twice-a-week class! An undiscovered jewel of the Bay Area. (If you drive, parking is $.50/day extra and available in a lot.) Jennie

Pool near N. Oakland for family swim

May 2005

Hello everyone. I have checked the archives, and looked online some more, but I cannot seem to find what I want. I am looking for a nearby pool (nearby to North Oakland) where I can take my 20 month old swimming. I do not want a class, but a family swim time. The Berkeley Y is way too expensive for me. I'd like to pay a few dollars each time I go. I'd also like the water to be heated. Outdoor/ indoor doesn't matter. I live very close to the Temescal pool and would love to go there, but every time I walk by and ask, the person in the office doesn't know if they'll have a family swim time. Another Oakland public pool-can't remember the name- has a family swim time, but it is right smack in the middle of nap time, 12 to 2:( Any suggestions or leads for me out there? I need to get my son in the water! Thanks in advance, Katja

Recommended:

City of Berkeley Swimming Pools

City of Oakland Swimming Pools (2)

Strawberry Canyon Pools (2)

Hello everyone. I actually posted the question and have received may replies via email. Thank you!! I'd like to share with everyone what I have found: You may download a summer schedule for Oaklnad parks at www.oaklandnet.com/parks This includes swim times for My Clymond, Fremont, deFremery, Like Oak, Lions and Temescal pools. Also recommended were Mills colllege pool, Roberts Regional Recreational Area, El Cerrito, Berkeley High- the old ''south'' pool by the softball field, Diamond Park, and Strawbery Canyon. Hooray. Thanks for your suggestions. Katja

Non-chlorinated swimming pool

April 2008

I want to start swimming with my 2 month old but don't want him being in all the chlorine. I have been reading about ozone pools where they don't use any chemicals. Are there any pools around that we can go to? Willing to drive fairly far, he loves the water so much. mom of a swimming baby

This probably isn't appropriate for a two-month-old, but by June or July you might find it to be a good option: Lake Temescal, near the junction of Hwys 24 and 13, is a lovely little gem of a lake managed by the East Bay Regional Parks District. At this time of year the water is too cold for little ones, but during the warm days of summer the water in the shallows gets quite warm, and the sandy beach is a hit with toddlers. You can find info on the EBRPD website. Carrie

I did an extensive search for non-chlorine pools in the greater Bay Area about 3 years ago. I got alot of leads that turned out not to be chorine-free. The best I found was in Santa Rosa, a low-chlorine city pool where they make their own chlorine from salt, and the concentration is MUCH lower. It's Ridgeway Pool, (707) 543-3421, but that's still at least an hour away from Berkeley. Also,Ridgeway doesn't use muriatic acid, which is a chemical used in most public pools and may be more hazardous to our health than chorine. Some of the Cal pools used to use bromine, which is similar to chorine, but more benign for some people. As far as I know, Cal has converted all their pools to chlorine, because it's much cheaper. I actually looked seriously into the idea of building a pool in our backyard, but decided not to because of the expense. I hope someone answers your question with some new info about a pool I don't know about! mwk

I have the idea that the lap pool at El Cerrito Swim Center is not chlorinated, but only found this info on the website: ''What types of chemicals are in the water? In order to keep the water sanitary and safe and adhere to health regulations we use liquid chlorine (sodium hypochlorite), Hydrochloric acid, sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), and calcium chloride.'' I guess you can call to find out. we love the el cerrito pool

June 2006

I am looking for a non-chlorinated pool in the Berkeley area, or else for someone with a private pool who would accept a modest financial donation (or trade) in exchange for regular lap usage. Any ideas out there? I know the non-chlorine question has been asked before on this list, but not recently. Many thanks! Jane

the pool at the el cerrito community center on moser lane is not chlorinated. it is bromine (sic), and the pool itself is a gorgeous lap pool. the lap times can be spotty, and the masters swim a lot. i believe the week day times are 6-8 and 10-1 right now, but you can get a schedule from the front desk. you can get a 10 swim pass for about 50.00 juliet

Feb 2005

I am looking for an enzyme pool in the East Bay. Our son (15 mos) loves to be in the water, but I am reluctant to let him swim/take swim lessons in a clorinated pool due to his somewhat severe eczema. Is there one out there? Thanks! Nancy

This question--which pools have no chlorine?--was asked (for an adult) in Sept. 2004. To the best of my recollection, the only answer given, which I'll repeat, was to swim in a freshwater lake such as Lake Anza. David

Sept 2004

I am looking for a non-chlorine swimming pool to swim in, in or near Berkeley. I've become allergic to chlorine, and swimming is my favorite form of exercise by far. I would love to find a private or public pool using an alternative form of water cleaning. I'd be more than happy to pay someone a monthly fee to swim (2-3x week) in a backyard pool, and would be very respectful of their place and schedule. If I don't find a pool to swim in regularly, I'd consider building a lap pool, and would then be seeking to try out someone else's non-chlorine pool a few times to make sure my body could handle the filtering/cleaning method. I'd be really grateful for any offers, possibilities - swimming lights me up and puts me in great shape! mwk

If you can't find such a pool, you could swim in Lake Anza, weather permitting. David

Pool for handicapped woman

Jan 2005

My mother-in-law is coming to visit for an extended stay. She is handicapped and gets her only exercise by swimming. Does any one know of a handicap-accessible pool, that she could use on a drop-in basis? Mary

Recommended:

Albany City Pool

Berkeley City Pools Berkeley High (2)

Oakland City Pools Lion's Pool

Richmond Swim Center

Swimming places for women only

Sept 2004

Does anyone know of a women swimming group where only women are present(including life guard)? Something similar to Curves but for swimming activity? Areas of convenience are Berkeley,Albany or nearby. Thanks

Check out UCB's Hearst pool. There is a small, little used women only pool outside the women's locker room. As recently as a month ago I found it was open Tues & Thurs 6:30-7:30 for open swimming, although I can't find further information on their website right now. I know they also hold women-only water fitness classes in that pool several times a week. If you've never been, the Hearst pool is beautiful, and the women's pool is very private. The number & website for the entire Recreational Sports program is 510-642-6400/calbears.berkeley.edu Sofia

Does the downtown Berkeley YMCA have this? I know there are three pools, and they do have workout rooms for women only, so you might stop by and see if they have any women-only swim sessions. Also, what about Mills College? Bets

Pools for toddlers

July 2004

we just came back from santa fe and the city there has 2 wonderful toddler swimming pools-12''-18'' deep, with water slides and animals that are really just decorated showerheads etc. is there anything like this near berkeley? i found a lot of info about swim lessons on the site but not about pools like this. thanks! jc

Recommended:

El Cerrito City Pool

Place to swim with toddler and dogs

July 2004

Summer is here and the whole family, including the dog, would like to go swimming. Our children are young, under six years old and not good swimmers. Are there any swimming holes for both dogs and their humans within 3+ hours from the Bay Area? Any good swimming/camping combinations for families with dogs. Ann-Marie

I took my Labrador to Lake Del Valle about 6 years ago, with some friends. We rented a rowboat (with motor attached; rowing got old REALLY fast), and found a 'private' cove. Tied up the boat and enjoyed the water with the dogs. I'm not sure how well that would work for very young kids, but it was fabulous then. Jennie

Pool for family swim near El Cerrito, A.M. hours

June 2004

I'm looking for a public swimming pool (preferably indoor) near El Cerrito that my toddler and I can use during A.M. hours (anytime before noon). I have checked the Hilltop Y, the El Cerrito community pool, and the Richmond swim center- none offer family swim time before noon. Does anyone know of a facility? Kim

Recommended:

Albany City Pool

Public Pools in Lamorinda?

June 2004

Love Berkeley, but swimming indoors at the Y during the summer just doesn't do it for me, and it just doesn't get warm enough for me to want to head up to the Strawberry Canyon pool. I'm looking for recommendations about public pools in the Lamorinda area. I'm willing to go through the tunnel to get some heat, and am hoping to find public pools with a bit of grass, shade, a wading pool for my 10 month old, as well as waist-high water for when he wants to ''swim''. Chilly Mama

I live in Orinda and belong to the Sleepy Hollow Swim and Tennis club, which is close to my house, and has been a lifesaver during the hot weather. I have some friends from Berkeley & Oakland who are members of the Orinda Park Pool. It it close to the freeway and has some great programs. All the pools here are great. Orinda Swim Mom

Deep Pool for Aquajogging

May 2004

I'm looking for an East Bay location for aquajogging (running upright in the water with a float belt). Ideally it would be a separate deep diving pool, but maybe there's a pool where the deep end is sometimes available for aquajogging? Pools with the lane markers in place won't work, and a crowded free swim isn't ideal either. I'd prefer a pay-as-you-use-it place, but would consider a membership. We live near Lake Merritt, but would be willing to drive a bit for the right situation. Thanks! Amy

Recommended:

Spieker Pool UC Berkeley

Pool near Albany for recreational swimming

March 2003

I recently asked for advice on getting my reluctant nine-year old to learn to swim. Based on the advice I got, I am now looking for a swimming pool in the area where we can spend lots of fun non-swimming time together this summer. Ideally, the pool is: WARM, about 3 FEET DEEP or so (NOT a kiddie splash pool full of toddlers), no more than 20 minutes drive from Albany, allows us to bring some toys, and has convenient weekday open swim. I guess I'm not too picky about indoor vs. outdoor. I prefer not to have to pay a huge ''membership'' type fee, but might consider it for the perfect place. R.K.

Recommendations received:

Richmond Swim Center (2)

Other suggestions:

This might be kind of a strange idea, but a friend of mine used to live in one of those apartment buildings that abut the El Cerrito shopping center on the Albany side and there was a pool there that was almost always empty, and there are several such buildings near there. I'm wondering if you approached the manager of one of those buildings and asked if you could pay a fee to swim there with your kid if s/he would go for it? You could maybe draw up some sort of liability release form to sign ahead of time too. It's kind of a wacky idea, but there are so few swimming options in the area, but I had a brother with a lot of water fear, I know that crowded swimming spots only added to his anxiety.

Check out the Orinda Park Pool. The pool has sloping sides so it's got a lot of shallow water. The water is warm, toys are ok, but floatation devices are not. There is a separate toddler area. I'm a Masters swimmer and I think OPP is too warm for a workout. You have to purchase a membership and pay annual dues so this might be more of a commitment than you were looking for. You can sell the membership when you want to give up membership, in fact I think OPP sells it for you. We go from N. Berkeley over the hill and down Lomas Contadas to the pool in about 20 minutes.

You might try the pool at the Piedmont Rec. Center (although I am not sure it'll meet your ''20 mins. away'' criterion). The facility has a big, deep lap pool, another pool which sounds like what you are looking for, and a baby pool. I should say, however, that there almost certainly will be a lot of littler kids in the medium-sized pool, at least ''littler'' when compared to a 9-year-old. But it's a nice facility, and otherwise sounds like what you want. Wendy

Pool for Hanging Out

July 2002

I am a Southern California transplant to Berkeley and it's taken 19 years to develop this craving, but I want a sunny summer hanging out by the pool with my kids (ages 6 years and 21 months). I am interested in hearing recommendations for public and private pools. What is the Strawberry like? Is there a good toddler pool? Is it crowded? Sunny? What's parking like? Do the summer sports camp and swim lessons interfere with pool use by the general public? Can anyone tell me about Orinda Park Pool? Any other private or public pools I should know about? We live in North Berkeley and I am willing to drive about 20-25 minutes to find a warm, sunny summer haven about three times a week. Thanks! Karen

Recommendations received:

Encinal High School Pool

Lake Anza

Lake Temescal

Lakeridge Athletic Club

Encinal High School Pool

Re: Pool for Hanging Out (July 2002)
If you want a toddler pool and don't need a lot of structure, check out the Encinal High School pool this summer. I went last year with my son (then just over 1), and we had a blast. They have a toddler pool from 2' to 3.5', a larger pool with standard depths, and even a diving pool (torture to this single mom--I wanna go dive!). The kiddy lessons, as I recall, are for an hour on Saturdays and just $2--and the best part is, after kiddy lessons are over, it's Free Swim and your $2 lets you stay as long as you like! The ''lessons,'' at least for very little ones, are nothing to write home about, but did serve to make my son more comfortable in the water and to start to kick. We didn't get to blowing bubbles or even putting faces in the water, but I hope to get to that this summer. The pool is open for about 10 weeks. If you email me, I can let you know when I get the schedule. These classes are on a drop-in basis, so there's no paying ahead of time & missing classes. Hope to see you there! I have reddish brown hair and freckles, and my son is pale like me and has curly blond hair. Jennie

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