FAQs
The pool is heated! The water temperature is usually about 27 degrees C.
1m at the shallowest point and 3m at the deepest end.
No. We are open EVERY day from mid-April until mid-September. Keep an eye on our social media for updates of our out of season swims.
Yes “The Dive Thru” café is open all day during the season. Coffee, tea, hot chocolate, baked goods, snacks and ice cream are always available and during the peak summer season (school holidays) an expanded menu of paninis and burgers (BBQ’s on site) is available.
There are hot showers and individual changing rooms plus a big sun terrace and picnic benches.
No. We do not currently provide lockers. We advise you to leave all valuables in your car, or at home.
The is 25m in length
Only small inflatables are allowed. Larger inflatables restrict the lifeguard’s vision and therefore is a health and safety hazard. We do hold specific inflatable sessions during the school holidays. Find out more here.
Lost property is held in the reception for 2 weeks and then given away to charity. If you think you have left something at the pool then please ask at reception. We often post on our social media about lost property, so keep an eye on this.
We are proud of our high water quality and have been rated at 97% out of 100. In order for us to keep this high, everyone must shower before entering the swimming pool. Hot showers are provided in the changing rooms and there is a cold shower poolside
You can help us by:
- Showering before swimming.
- Wearing a rash vest rather than sunscreen. Rash vests for children are available on loan at the pool and have an SPF 50+
- Applying sunscreen 30 minutes before swimming as it will absorb into the skin and not come off in the shower (or our water).
Sunscreens applied directly before swimming do not absorb into the skin and come off in the pool leading to very poor water quality and a dirty scum line on the pool. Read more here
Under 8’s and weak swimmers: Always accompanied by a parent in the water (max. 2 children: 1 adult)
Under 10’s who can swim: Always accompanied by a parent on site
Over 10’s: No supervision required.
We only close temporarily for lightning and pre-booked swims are refunded. We do not provide refunds for rainy weather.
The diving board is available during General Swim sessions
Parking is available in Festival Hall car park, or a short walk in Waitrose Central car park, Petersfield.
You are free to lock your bike on the railing in front of the pool. If you have a very expensive bike and are visiting at non-peak times, we may allow you to bring the bike on the site via the side entrance. We will not be able to accommodate this during peak / busy periods.
Yes. You can find out more info here.
The pool capacity is 85 (in the pool). We allow up to 150 people on site during a General Swim.
We run reduced rate Quick Dip sessions as they are only for ½ hour. General with a Lane is also a slightly reduced session as this is run at non-peak times. These sessions can be booked online.
Yes. We offer weekly swimming for children in term-time with intensive swimming courses during the school holidays. Private lessons are also available for adults and children. You can find out more here.
We currently offer 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 swimming lessons. These can only be offered in non-peak periods outside of the summer holidays. Please email lessons@petersfieldpool.org
We run various events, including the Twilight Swim which is 16+.
During the peak-season, we have dedicated inflatable swimming sessions. This is a huge 15m giant inflatable that will take over the pool for 1 hour and 30-minute sessions. We currently have an age restriction of 5-15 year olds in place.
POASP had a pool hoist for disabled swimmers in the past. Unfortunately, this experience has shown that while it may sound like the right thing to do, in practice the pool hoist was rarely used. The main reason was because the pool and air temperature were too low to be comfortable for disabled swimmers. Normally the recommended temperature for disabled swimmers is 30-32 with an air temperature which is slightly higher. We currently keep our pool between 26-28 degrees, and the air temperature is rarely in this vicinity. We run as a charity, therefore we simply do not have the funding to be able to heat the pool to higher temperatures and the cost challenges associated with heating are only going to get more acute in the future. Having a pool hoist also has a number of annual certification costs associated with it because they fall under the LOLER regulations. Maintenance requirements due to the harsh outdoor conditions make having a permanent hoist undesirable. While there are currently portable hoists on the market they do not take well to being used in the rain or being stored in damp conditions. Based on our experience in the past with a pool hoist, the still considerable obstacles to being able to cater fully to disabled swimmers needing a hoist and the fact that there is another more suitable facility in Petersfield for disabled swimmers, we felt we had to take a decision to opt out of having a pool hoist available at our site.
No. Sadly we cannot accommodate your furry friends and do not allow dogs onto the site.
Sadly our baby/toddler pool is currently unavailable and will be closed until further notice. The regulations covering paddling pools have changed and they must now have their own filtration system and drainage to the mains sewer. The old paddling pool had neither of these.
