As the mercury rises, many hk residents turn to the city’s 44 public swimming pools for cooling off. While admission rates are reasonable ($17 for adults on weekdays and HK$19 on weekends and public holidays), kids are free, making these oases of cool water even more affordable. But the pools offer more than just a break from the heat: some of them have fountains, water slides and other attractions to keep kids entertained.
However, not all pools welcome children. The rules are set by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), which manages the hk pools under the law of Law of Hong Kong Chapter 132 sections 42 to 45.
The rules are meant to ensure a safe environment for swimmers. In a pool, children can easily become entangled in or swallow a foreign object, and the pools have to comply with strict guidelines to prevent such accidents. This means that children are allowed in only a limited number of swimming lanes, and the use of diving boards is not permitted, among other things. The rules are also meant to protect swimmers from sex workers and drug dealers, who might come to the pools to recruit young girls for sex work, or to steal valuables.
Despite the strict rules, many hk pools are still popular with families. The Hammer Hill Road pool, for example, has a number of water slides and games that are appropriate for varying ages of kids. It also has a leisure pool area, so mum and dad can relax while the kids play.
In fact, the swimming pools are a great place to meet other families. In a recent article on Expat Living, we highlighted some of the fun things to do with kids in Hong Kong and one of those was swimming at a pool. Another good reason to visit a pool is for the views. The 118th floor swimming pool at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong, for instance, offers a spectacular view of the cityscape and Victoria Harbour from its floor-to-ceiling windows.
Swimming pools are a summer staple in Hong Kong, and with an active trough of low pressure bringing heavy rain to the region, more people will be looking for places to cool off. Luckily, some pools have already opened their doors, and on Thursday Kennedy Town swimming pool received a steady stream of visitors in the early hours of the day.
But many pools will only open partially this summer due to the lifeguard shortage. According to the Hong Kong Recreation and Sports Professionals General Union, 20 of the city’s 45 public pools have told swimming clubs they could not operate their facilities because of staff shortages. This will affect swimming instruction classes and hurt local industry development, the HKRSPGU warned. The union called on the LCSD to allow schools and training centres to use the pools even without a lifeguard present, as long as the organisation can provide a lifeguard to supervise swimmers during their visit.
