San Francisco Aquatic Park
San Francisco, CA, UNITED STATES
Facility Overview
Facility Name
Website
Address
Telephone
(415) 441-9329 for the Dolphin Club or 776-7372 for the South End Rowing Club. (See "Notes", below.)
Adult Admission Price & Policy
Drop-in/Casual
$10.00. [January, 2024]
Note: Admission policies and prices shown in Swimmers Guide listings are believed to be correct as of the date shown in brackets. If not correct now, please click on the "Edit" button and tell us so this listing can be fixed and the information brought current. This site works best when its users take an active role in the maintenance of the data.
Note: Admission policies and prices shown in Swimmers Guide listings are believed to be correct as of the date shown in brackets. If not correct now, please click on the "Edit" button and tell us so this listing can be fixed and the information brought current. This site works best when its users take an active role in the maintenance of the data.
Full-Size, Year-Round Pools & Boards
Pool 1
¼mi*, salt water, bay enclosure, outdoors,
unheated,
50º - 61ºF (10º - 16ºC).
Location
Location
On the bay at Fisherman's Wharf.
County/Region
San Francisco County
GPS
37.807683, -122.421374
Teams That Use This Facility
Masters Swim
It's not exactly Masters Swimming, but we don't have an "Open Water" category. Click on the link and find "Swim with Pedro".
Facility Notes
Year-round open water swimming in a protected area of San Francisco Bay, directly in front of the National Maritime Museum. A buoy is placed 1/4 mile from the clubs' dock; a swim around the circumference of the park is 1 mile.
The Dolphin Club and adjacent South End Rowing Club accommodate swimmers on alternate days. Information about the Dolphin Club's membership and public access can be found HERE. The Dolphin Club has a section with good advice HERE.
Facility Reviews
Two notes for pool swimmers: 1. As you swim you will want to adjust your stroke to bring your head out of the water to look around. Known as “sighting,” this will let you navigate without pool lanes or lane lines. 2. If you are wearing electronics, such as a watch, have it set to open water.
I got a day pass at the Dolphin Club for the first time on New Year's Day. I swim at Aquatic Park every week, but I always have someone on shore to watch my stuff. Not so on New Year's Day, I needed a secure place to put my clothes.
I suggest reading about the Dolphin Club online before you arrive, once you are in the door its DIY. There are waiver forms, envelopes and a drop box at the door. Dressing rooms and lockers are up a flight of stairs. It's DIY, but with lots of friendly faces and helpful suggestions.
Even though it is on solid ground, the Dolphin Club feels less like a gym and more like a sea-going vessel. Maritime personality with lots of history. I didn't take the opportunity to use the sauna or showers.
The swim is a once in a lifetime experience. As you enter the water from the Dolphin Club you have the 1886 Balclutha tall ship and other historic vessels moored to your right, and the Aquatic Park bleachers and Maritime Museum to your left.
As mentioned in facility notes, there are several buoys in a row running roughly parallel to the beach. The last buoy, about a 1/4 mile from the start, has a flag and is the turning point if you are doing pool-like laps.
Instead of laps, on New Year's Day we swam clockwise around the inside of Aquatic Park. Halfway through there is a buoy where you can pause and view the Golden Gate Bridge. After completing this swim, I did a lap on the buoys. Total yardage was a little over 2,500.
[January, 2024]
I got a day pass at the Dolphin Club for the first time on New Year's Day. I swim at Aquatic Park every week, but I always have someone on shore to watch my stuff. Not so on New Year's Day, I needed a secure place to put my clothes.
I suggest reading about the Dolphin Club online before you arrive, once you are in the door its DIY. There are waiver forms, envelopes and a drop box at the door. Dressing rooms and lockers are up a flight of stairs. It's DIY, but with lots of friendly faces and helpful suggestions.
Even though it is on solid ground, the Dolphin Club feels less like a gym and more like a sea-going vessel. Maritime personality with lots of history. I didn't take the opportunity to use the sauna or showers.
The swim is a once in a lifetime experience. As you enter the water from the Dolphin Club you have the 1886 Balclutha tall ship and other historic vessels moored to your right, and the Aquatic Park bleachers and Maritime Museum to your left.
As mentioned in facility notes, there are several buoys in a row running roughly parallel to the beach. The last buoy, about a 1/4 mile from the start, has a flag and is the turning point if you are doing pool-like laps.
Instead of laps, on New Year's Day we swam clockwise around the inside of Aquatic Park. Halfway through there is a buoy where you can pause and view the Golden Gate Bridge. After completing this swim, I did a lap on the buoys. Total yardage was a little over 2,500.
[January, 2024]