Where are under-16s actually supposed to swim at the new Adelaide Aquatic Centre?
Genuine question — I feel like I must be missing something.
Over the last few visits, I’ve become increasingly confused about where under-16s are actually supposed to go if they want to casually swim, not just splash around.
What first made me notice this was the learn-to-swim area. Previously there seemed to be at least one lane families could use casually, but the last two weekends we went, it had been fully roped off and we were told we couldn’t enter.
After that I started looking more closely at the setup and timetable, and now I’m honestly struggling to figure out what options are left for ordinary kids.
From what I can tell:
- the warm water pool is 16+
- the indoor leisure pool is only 0–0.7m deep
- the learn-to-swim pool seems mostly reserved for programs/classes
- the 50m pool is mainly lane swimming/training
- a lot of after-school/weekend times seem dedicated to squads/programs
So if you have a child who:
- is under 16,
- isn’t enrolled in lessons/squads,
- but genuinely enjoys swimming,
where are they actually expected to go?
I know stronger swimmers can technically use the 50m pool, but realistically that feels very different from normal casual family swimming.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding how the centre is intended to work, but compared to the old aquatic centre, it feels surprisingly difficult for ordinary families to just take kids swimming.
A bit more clarity on the case. There was a lane that was empty and not in use in the learn to swim room, so it is not 100% full, but it was still roped off, and we were not allowed to enter (my kid and his friends were swimming in this area two weeks ago ). Also, after the lessons finished, the learn-to-swim area was not opened up for public use. So the whole room is empty and locked...