Soda Aquatic Center
Campolindo High School
300 Moraga Rd. Moraga, CA 94556
CURRENT POOL HOURS:
http://www.acalanes.k12.ca.us/Page/106
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION:
BART accessible? no
Closest to Lafayette BART, connect from there to Country Connection Bus #6 (can also catch the same bus from Orinda BART)
COST:
$5 (book of 10 swims for $45)
INDOOR OR OUTDOOR POOL:
3 outdoor pools
CHLORINE OR SALINE WATER:
?
TEMPERATURE OF WATER:
?
DEPTH OR DEPTH RANGE OF WATER:
Shallow pool: 4′. Diving pool: 14′. Large lap pool: 10′ (I think)
PARKING:
Parking is plentiful unless there’s a swim meet going on in the large pool. There are 4 disabled spots.
MOBILITY ACCESS TO THE POOL AREA:
Distance between parking and pool? 100 steps? (there’s a slight grade, so it’s slightly uphill on the way back to the parking lot)
Are stairs required to get into the building? No – there are stairs (crushed stone path, not cement) from parking lot to entrance to pool facility, but there is also a ramp.
Are there ramps to get into the building? yes
Distance between shower/changing areas and pool? Large pool, just a few steps; to one of the other two pools, about 100 steps
Are there stairs required to get from the changing area to the pool? no
ACCESSIBILITY OF POOL:
stairs/ladders/lift? ladders only
ACCESSIBILITY OF POOL AREA:
seating nearby? yes
what type? There are bleachers alongside all 3 pools
is seating fat-friendly? The bleachers are sturdy enough for me (300+ lbs), but there are no handrails going up to the upper levels of the bleachers, so I need to sit on the bottom row.
non-smoking? yes
CHANGING ROOM PRIVACY:
private changing areas? Only in bathroom stalls
semi-private changing areas? ?
one big group changing area? yes
CHANGING ROOM FAT-FRIENDLINESS:
seating available? yes
what type of seating? Bleacher type benches
is seating movable? no
seating width/depth/sturdiness? ?
GENDER-NEUTRAL FRIENDLINESS:
gender-neutral changing areas? no
gender-neutral showers? no
can M/F locker rooms be avoided? no
gender-neutral toilet available? ?
SHOWERS:
single stalls? no
group showers? yes
shower seats available? one
TOILETS:
disabled stalls available? yes.
is it well marked? yes
CLOTHING RULES:
swim caps needed? no
t-shirts allowed? Unofficially, yes
AMENABILITY TO DIFFERENT STYLES OF SWIMMING:
water walking allowed? yes
recreational swimming? no
lap swimming? yes
are weights available/allowed? allowed
are noodles available/allowed? no
are toys available/allowed? no
other devices: kickboards allowed but not provided
LIFEGUARD ON DUTY?
Yes
RELATED AMENITIES?
none
CAN THIS POOL BE RENTED PRIVATELY?
?
WHO CREATED OR CONTRIBUTED TO THIS REVIEW?
Suzanne Corson
OTHER COMMENTS:
The biggest issue with this facility is that on weekends, the large pool is often used by kids for swim meets and/or water polo matches. One or both of the other two pools are usually open while these meets take place, so that’s the good news – the facility is very rarely closed for lap swimming (just one weekend a year, I think). However, one must walk past half of this large pool in order to get to the other two pools, and there are often A LOT of people one must walk past (families of the swim meet participants, etc…). I’ve never been overtly hassled, but I do get stared at during this walk.
There’s not usually a clock near the smaller two pools, so it’s good to bring a water-resistant watch if you need to keep track of time. The clock near the large pool can be hard to see when the pool is set up for short-course and you’re swimming in the outer lanes.
The large lap swim pool is usually formatted for short-course swimming (similar to Mills), but a few times a year it’s set up for long-course.
When the large lap pool is available, it easy to find lanes and only have to share with one other person.
Oh, and in the women’s locker room, there are air dryers that are at standing height, so they can be used for drying hair, which is convenient. (No swimsuit dryer, though…)
The water is usually really clean here (hard to describe, but it’s great!), and the pine trees surrounding the facility are lovely. No freeway noise, like at Mills!
But the lack of stairs to get in and out of the pool will make this inaccessible for some people, unfortunately…
