Kitsilano Pool

Kitsilano Pool, better known as “Kits Pool”, is an outdoor saltwater swimming pool, located at Kitsilano Beach in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, featuring beautiful city, mountain, and ocean views. At 137 metres long, it is the longest outdoor swimming pool in North America.

History

Kitsilano Pool is situated at an area known to the Coast Salish people as Skwa-yoos, at the site of a former shell midden.

Kitsilano Pool opened August 15, 1931 by BC Provincial Attorney-General R.L. (Royal Lethington) Maitland and Vancouver Park Board chairman Fred Crone, and originally was billed as “America’s Largest Swimming Pool”. The original pool was an elliptical shape, 660 by 200 feet (200 by 60 meters) and 2-8 feet deep, covering 2.3 acres, and containing 1.3 million litres of water. The project cost $50,000 at the time. It was filled by tidal water from English Bay and sealife such as mud sharks and octopuses were occasionally found in the pool. It was designed as a spot for bathers to swim during low tide, and had a sandy bottom until the 1960s, when it was filled with cement. 5000 people showed up on the opening day to experience the magnificent new oceanside swimming pool.

To commemorate Vancouver’s 50th birthday in 1936, a 100 foot (30 metre) high diving board was installed at the pool. A group of Hawaiin divers known as the “Hawaiian Water Stars” and Olympic diver Mickey Riley performed diving as part of a daily entertainment show.

Opening plaque for 1978 upgrade

In 1978, the pool was replaced with the current design due to health concerns because of a lack of water circulation. The construction started in November 1977 and was scheduled to be completed by July 15, 1978, but due to delays was not completed until September 1978. This was too late for the summer swim season, so the new Kitsilano Pool opening was delayed until 1979. Designed by architect Ronald B. Howard and built at a cost of $2.2 million by Key Consruction Ventures, the new pool featured heated water and a pump that pumped saltwater into the pool from English Bay. A seawall walkway around Kits pool was constructed at the same time.

In 2018, Kitsilano Pool underwent a major upgrade to reduce the amount of potable water used by the pool by 80%. The upgrade cost $3.3 million, $500,000 of which was paid by the Government of Canada, and the remainder by the City of Vancouver. The pool basin membrane and caulking were replaced, and repairs were done on the gutter and pool deck structure.

Wind Swimmer at Kitsilano pool, sculpted by Douglas R. Taylor and installed April 22, 1996.

Today

Today, Kitsilano pool is a very popular swimming spot in Vancouver, operated by the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation. The pool normally opens on the Memorial Day long weekend and remains open until mid to late September. It is divided into three sections: a shallow section for children and family swimming, roped-off lanes for lap swimming and exercising, and a deep end for casual swimming, making it a great spot for a variety of people to do their summer swimming.