San Francisco’s pool-time dispute is a question of how to allocate limited space: SF Tsunami says it has sought more practice hours for over a year, while the city says public swimming takes priority over private rentals. The LGBTQ+ masters club says the lifeguard shortage has made it harder to secure the pool time it wants.
That image comes from Leah Llach, who said the pool lanes have become so crowded that half the swimmers in a lane cannot touch the wall, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle. SF Tsunami, which has 135 active members and is part of U.S. Masters Swimming, a national organization serving swimmers 18 and older, has practiced at Charlie Sava Pool in the Sunset District and currently works out at Sava Pool most evenings, with a Wednesday session beginning at 5:30 p.m. The club has sought additional pool time from the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department for more than a year and says it has offered to pay higher fees to secure more hours, according to the Chronicle's reporting.
Staffing Limits Pool Availability
Staffing is one constraint on pool availability. San Francisco Recreation and Parks typically fields 160 to 170 water-safety staff for the summer season, but this year only 130 were on duty, according to KTVU. The station reports that the department has been recruiting and trying to move qualified swim instructors into the lifeguard pipeline. A department representative said people who know how to swim can be trained for free and then offered lifeguard jobs. KTVU also reports that pools may have to close on days when staffing is insufficient, and that thin coverage raises drowning risks.
The shortage is part of a nationwide challenge affecting lifeguards and swim instructors, KTVU reports. The Chronicle, citing an NPR report, said U.S. pools and beaches were short of lifeguard staffing by 30% in 2022. San Francisco’s Recreation and Park Department operates nine public pools, provides 550 hours of aquatics programming and has 34 full-time aquatics employees, including instructors and lifeguards, according to the Chronicle.
Pool Access Also Depends on Maintenance
Staffing is not the only factor that can affect when residents can swim. The San Francisco Recreation and Park Department says North Beach Pool is closed for annual maintenance from October 13 until November 2.
Rental Rules and Public Access
Pool rentals require at least two certified lifeguards on duty whenever a pool is open and must meet Red Cross standards, according to the Chronicle. Temporary lifeguard applicants must have American Red Cross lifeguard and CPR certificates when hired, and obtain advanced first-aid and oxygen-administration certificates within 12 months. The department pays temporary lifeguards $27.175 an hour and uses them to supplement regular staff. But public swim time takes precedence over private club rentals, department spokesperson Tamara Aparton said, adding that the department cannot expand rentals at the expense of public access.
The department offered to hire lifeguard candidates recruited by SF Tsunami, but the club declined, the Chronicle reports. Kat Anderson, a department representative, said the department is considering ways to bring young people into lifeguarding and that groups such as the Tsunamis can help. SF Tsunami raised its request for more pool time during public comment at the Recreation and Park Commission’s September meeting and plans to return this month. Club member Patrick Knudsen said the club faces too many barriers to securing more hours, according to the Chronicle.
Another Club’s Search for Pool Time
The San Francisco Merionettes, a private youth artistic-swimming club founded 70 years ago, has been capped at 14 hours of pool time by the Recreation and Park Department, though the club says it needs 40 hours a week to operate, the Chronicle reports. The Merionettes describe themselves on their website as the Pacific Association’s oldest club, swimming since 1956, with a mission to empower Bay Area youth through access to elite artistic-swimming training.
To make up some of the difference, the Merionettes rent pool time at Mercy High School in Burlingame five evenings a week and at a separate high school pool in Pacifica on Sundays, according to the Chronicle. The Mercy arrangement costs twice San Francisco’s regular rate but does not require the club to provide or pay for lifeguards. The club found two lifeguards who were hired by Rec and Park and would pay the department to cover them for hours beyond the 14-hour cap, which would raise the rate from $40 to $120 an hour. Eileen Horng of the club said the allotted hours are insufficient and additional hours would be too expensive regardless.
A Proposal to Expand Swimming Access
About 10 private swim clubs or programs across San Francisco are seeking more pool time, according to the Chronicle. Fran Hegeler is pursuing a Boundless San Francisco grant application financed by the Crankstart nonprofit foundation. The grants provide up to $50 million to foster what is described as a swimmable city. Hegeler said funding could support expanded pool hours and swim lessons, as well as lifeguard training through collaborations with the YMCA and Boys and Girls Clubs.
The swimmable-city effort, as described by the Chronicle, seeks to make swimming more accessible through lasting changes to city systems and policies. Its focus is mainly open-water swimming, but it also includes public pools.
Competition and Practice at Home
SF Tsunami members have also competed internationally. Neil Hart, a founding member, won three gold, three silver and two bronze medals at the Gay Games in Valencia, Spain, in the 80-84 age bracket, according to the Chronicle. The LGBTQ+ club team competes at the Gay Games and is holding a 40th-anniversary fundraiser, the paper reports.
The club wants to add morning workouts, ideally starting at 6:30 a.m., alongside its existing sessions, according to the Chronicle. Its website describes coach-led weekday practices at community pools and says each lane is capped at six swimmers. The Chronicle reports members swimming six or seven to a lane, leaving a difference between the posted cap and members’ account. A drop-in practice costs $17.50, or $70 for a month-to-month membership, according to the club.
