Aquatic Center Rules

Pool Rules

• No food and only water permitted on the wet deck.
• Lifeguards are on duty for your safety. Follow their directions at all times.
• Shower, with soap, before entering the pool.
• Swimming is permitted only when a lifeguard is on duty in the designated swimming area.
• Running, shoving, pushing and horseplay are prohibited.
• Diving is not allowed in the shallow end.
• Non-swimmers must stay in the shallow area; this includes those wearing life jackets.
• Patrons must stay off lane lines.
• Only Coast Guard Approved Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs, aka life jackets) are allowed; inflatables/pool floats are not.
• Only joggers, water walkers and rehab patients are allowed in the lanes with PFDs.
• Starting blocks may be used only during a scheduled practice time by swim team members when coaches are on deck. 

Diving Area Rules – Think Safety First!

A swim test of 25 yards administered in the shallow end may be used to ensure patrons are capable of swimming and using the diving boards.

• The diving well must be entered only from the diving boards.
• Only one person at a time is allowed on the diving board and ladder.
• Only skilled or trained divers may adjust the fulcrum. Lifeguards may restrict fulcrum usage.
• Make sure the person in front of you has passed the blue and white flags before entering the water.
• Goggles and fins are not permitted on the diving boards.
• No running on the diving board.
• Only feet may touch the diving board.
• Only one bounce is allowed on the diving board.
• Jump or dive from the front of the diving board, not from the sides.
• Swimming under the diving board is prohibited.
• High dive users must be at least as tall as the yellow line on the wall behind the diving boards.
• Flipping, back dives and inwards may be discontinued by the diving area lifeguard.
• High board divers exit at the left ladder; low board divers exit at the right ladder.
• All dive team members must obey the diving area rules when not at practice.

Adult Fitness Swim and Lane Swimming Rules

• Adult Fitness Swim is for patrons 16 years of age and older participating in fitness swimming and exercise.
• Exercise in lap lanes must include the participant moving across the pool. Otherwise, exercise should take place in the shallow section of the pool.
• RecWell does not limit the number of lap swimmers in a lane.
• Lap swimmers are required to share a lane during busy public lap swim times.
• Lap lanes are not reserved by individual lap swimmers during open public hours.
• When entering a lane already occupied, kindly notify the current swimmer that you are entering the shared lane.
• Limited lap lanes historically occur, more frequently during the fall semester, weekdays between 7:30-9:30 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. time blocks.
• When circle swimming, always swim on the right side of the lane in a counterclockwise direction, staying near the lane marker. When passing, notify the swimmer with a tap on the foot and pass in the middle of the lane. If you are continually passing or being passed, move into a lane of a more appropriate speed.
• The whirlpool and dry sauna are during open public hours. 

Sauna and Whirlpool Rules

• Patrons must be at least 16 years old to enter the sauna and whirlpool area.
• A ten-minute maximum is the established safety time limit.
• A shower is required before entering the whirlpool.
• The whirlpool is maintained at a temperature of 104 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Pregnant women are restricted from this area unless they have a note from their doctor.¹
• Do not put water or oil on the dry sauna rocks.
• Food and beverages are not permitted in the sauna and whirlpool area.

¹ Guidelines established by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists discourage competitive exercise and working out in hot and humid weather and recommend that pregnant women not exercise strenuously for more than 15 minutes. Their heart rate should not exceed 140 beats per minute, and their body temperature should not rise above 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit. Since the whirlpool and sauna both exceed 100.4 degrees, they are off-limits during pregnancy. 

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Swim Diapers/Swim Pants Policy

Children in diapers or those who are not completely toilet trained may use either disposable or reusable swim diapers or swim pants. Parents should be aware that even though swim diapers and swim pants might hold in some solid feces, they are not leak proof. Swim diapers can delay diarrhea-causing germs, like Cryptosporidium, from leaking into the water for a few minutes, but swim diapers do not keep these germs from contaminating the water. Swim diapers and swim pants are not a substitute for frequent diaper changing and bathroom breaks. It is recommended that swim diapers and swim pants are checked frequently and changed away from the poolside. Changing tables are available for use in both locker rooms.