wellness
Outdoor Lap Pools West End: Open Now for Summer
Find lap swimming at West End's two new outdoor venues. Tidal Rock Pools on Seaview Drive and Riverside lap pool at Victoria Gardens offer measured lanes for structured sessions.
How we reported this
West End lap swimmers have new access to measured lanes at two outdoor sites this month. The Tidal Rock Pools on Seaview Drive opened their 50-metre course on 1 July after winter repairs, while the Riverside lap pool at 45 Elm Street added morning-only lanes under the West End Parks Department schedule.
Harbor and Riverside sites draw daily users
The Tidal Rock Pools sit at the foot of Seaview Drive in the Harbor neighbourhood. Swimmers enter through a gate managed by the local lifeguard team and follow a clockwise circuit marked by buoys every 10 metres. On the opposite side of the district, the Riverside lap pool occupies the southeast corner of Victoria Gardens. Its six 25-metre lanes run parallel to Maple Avenue and operate from 6 a.m. until 10 a.m. on weekdays.
Both locations sit inside established parks that already host the West End Wellness Association walking groups. The association lists the pools on its July activity calendar, directing members to reserve a lane through the parks department app. The setup lets runners finish a trail loop and move straight into a swim without leaving the same green space.
Entry fees and session counts reflect steady demand
Single-entry tickets cost 8 dollars at either site. Data released by the parks department last week showed 1,240 lap sessions logged across the two pools in the first week of July, up from 920 the same week in 2025. Lifeguards record each swimmer on a clipboard at the gate, producing the weekly tally that feeds into the department’s quarterly fitness report.
Water temperature at the Tidal Rock Pools averages 22 degrees Celsius in mid-July, while the Riverside pool maintains 24 degrees through a solar cover system installed in 2024. Both figures fall within the range the West End Wellness Association recommends for sustained lap work without overheating.
Swimmers who want to test either location can check the parks department website for same-day lane availability. The site updates every evening at 8 p.m. and lists remaining slots for the following morning. Those who prefer the rock-pool setting should bring reef shoes, as the entry steps remain uneven despite recent resurfacing.