Batgung

Hong Kong has lots of options if you like swimming. Here are some of my favourite places for a swim, plus details on opening times, costs, etc.

MrB's favourites

I'm writing this in December, so let's start with the heated pools. The indoor pools I visit regularly are the public government-run pool in Kowloon park, and the pool at the South China Amateur Athletic Association in Caroline Hill. As a family we've recently joined the Stanford Swimming club, so I've also been swimming there a few times over the last few months.

There are more options from April to the end of November, as the outdoor public pools are open then. I have to avoid the strong sunshine, so I only visit the outdoor pools in late afternoon / evening. Most often I'll head to the public pools in Kennedy Town or Victoria Park.

We're lucky to have lots of good beaches too. You can certainly swim all year round, though in winter it is more of a quick dash in and out. During summertime the seawater is very comfortable, and both you and your children can stay in as long as you want. I find it is getting chilly around November-time, which is when the government chart shows the sea temperature drops under 23 deg. C. It keeps falling, dropping under 17 deg. C. in February, then warming up til it passes the 23 deg. mark again around mid-April. Jun-Oct see the temperature hover around 27 deg!

On Hong Kong island we regularly visit Deep Water Bay and Chung Hom Kok beach. A little further away we like Lo So Shing on Lamma. Then my favourite is Tai Long Wan in the North-east New Territories. That needs a longer hike to get to though, so we won't be going there again until our girls are older.

Notes for visitors

If you like swimming, consider choosing a hotel with a swimming pool. Larger hotels heat their outdoor pools, which allow year-round use. When my sister & her family visited one Christmas, they got a kick out of swimming outdoors in December.

Otherwise the public pools in Victoria Park (April-Nov) or Kowloon Park (year-round) make a good choice.

Notes for residents

If you are moving to Hong Kong with children, think about swimming pool facilities when you are choosing where to live. It can be one of the advantages of living in a new larger development (eg Ocean Shores, Park Island, The Belchers, etc). These developments with several residential towers typically have a 50-metre outdoor pool plus a smaller indoor pool. Smaller single-tower developments may only have a small outdoor pool – too short for laps, but still fun for children to splash around in, meet other children, and burn off some energy!

What else you should know

SCAA

My favourite 50m pool for lap swimming. It's never too crowded, and the water is a good temperature – not too warm in summer and warm enough in winter. I can't find any details in English on the latest version [Sep 2010] of their website, You can contact them at info@scaa.org.hk, or visit them at 88 Caroline Hill Road, Causeway Bay, Hong Kong.

Points to note:

• They close each year from mid-Jan to end of Feb for maintenance
• Each session costs HK$22, but you must also be a member. Membership costs HK$100 a year, or HK$50 a month for visitors
• There's a warmer 25m pool too if you're just splashing around with children
• You need to bring your own padlock for the lockers
• The lockers are small, so don't bring a bulky bag!

Stanford Swimming Club

They run the swimming pool in Chi Fu Fa Yuen, which is convenient if you live near Pok Fu Lam. Only a 25m pool, and one that is kept at a very warm temperature. Good for swimming with your children (the main use of the pool seems to be for children's swimming lessons), but check the temperature if you're planning on swimming laps, as I find it uncomfortably warm.

Their website is all in Chinese, but there are english-speaking staff at the pool. Annual membership is HK$200, then per-session costs are HK$28-38, depending on how many tickets you buy. Locker keys are provided each visit.

Opening hours: 0700-0945, 1000-1245, 1300-1545, 1600-1845, 1900-2145.

Public Pools

The government-run public pools usually have one or more 50m pools, plus a shallow pool for children. Entrance is $19 per session, with three sessions each day: 6:30am-12:00, 1:00-6:00, and 7:00-10:00pm. Lockers are provided and you can either insert a HK$5 coin (refundable) to get a locker key, or lock it with your own padlock. Check the government website for a map of the public pools in Hong Kong and Kowloon.

Points to watch out for:

• Your neighbour's elbow. If you reach the pool at 7pm, you're going to hit the rush-hour for public swimming pools. You'll either need to perfect your slalom-stroke, or collect a few bumps and kicks along the way. If you can, swim during the daytime or later in the evening instead, or head along to the SCAA.
• Check it's really open! The pools may be closed for a variety of reasons:
  • It's a cleaning day.
    One day each week, the pool shuts from 10:00-7:00 for cleaning. Check the cleansing schedule for details.
  • The pool is booked.
    Sometimes the pool will be booked for a school swimming gala, and so closed to the public. This mainly seems to affect the Kowloon Park and Victoria Park pools. Again you can check online to see if your pool is affected.
  • There's a chance of rain later.
    Ok, they don't close if it's raining, but they will shut outdoor pools if there's a thunderstorm warning – which can often happen without a sign of rain or thunder anywhere nearby.

Beaches

Swimming in the sea is one of the pleasures of life here. The government has a list of 'public bathing beaches', where you can expect to find showers and changing rooms, anti-shark nets, and tethered platforms to swim out to.

Note that the Tai Long Wan beach mentioned above doesn't fall under that category, so there are no public facilities. Though when we've visited in the past, one of the cafes has a hose out front you can use to rinse off after a swim. The lack of facilities are part of the attraction though, along with the beautiful beach and waves big enough for body-surfing.

Points to watch out for:

• Sharks.
  Not really something you need worry about, though you'll see there are nets around the beaches, officially to keep sharks out. In the 1990's several people died from shark attacks in the Clearwater Bay area. Since the nets have been installed, there have been no further fatalities.
• Jellyfish.
  A couple of times a year we'll get a sting, nothing serious and the sensation goes away after a few minutes. I've only had problems with them at Lo So Shing beach.
• Sea-urchins.
  A pain if you step on one. They seem to come onto Deep Water Bay beach around April-May time each year, but we haven't had problems with them anywhere else. We've trodden on them a couple of times. They weren't poisonous, but it's a hassle having to dig out the spines.
• Dirty water.
  You can also check the local beaches' water quality online. The beaches we've mentioned all get the top 'good' grade, but you might still need to avoid them after heavy rain. The government suggests waiting up to three days after heavy rain before going swimming. There are two different problems – first is heavy rain after a long dry spell, when the rain washes accumulated pollutants from the roads down to the sea. Then there is a longer spell of heavy rain in areas where there is no mains sewage facilities, causing septic tanks to overflow... So, definitely worth checking those water quality ratings again if it's been raining heavily.

Where do you like to go swimming in Hong Kong?

Regards, MrB