# Why are pool deep ends disappearing? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 25, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274 "2012-06-25T18:33:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/21 "2012-06-26T01:13:42Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, has anyone been to a pool recently which still had a deep end and a diving board? Yes–I was in [Glenwood Springs](https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/csnnZK1TnCKzvDN6dFri79MTjNZETYmyPJy0liipFm0?feat=directlink) last month. Jumping off a diving board is one of my greatest joys in life. When I’m on the road, I’m always on the lookout for a public pool with a diving board–they’re getting harder and harder to find. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/22 "2012-06-26T01:19:13Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, has anyone been to a pool recently which still had a deep end and a diving board? How about a high dive? I used to love jumping off of the latter… Hell, I was at a [pool](http://www.kingcounty.gov/recreation/parks/pools.aspx) this weekend that had a 10 meter platform! ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/23 "2012-06-26T13:14:08Z")
I’d have thought a pool with no deep end would be more dangerous, as people diving in stand more chance of hitting the bottom. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/24 "2012-06-26T14:42:17Z")
> [@Colophon](#): > > I’d have thought a pool with no deep end would be more dangerous, as people diving in stand more chance of hitting the bottom. There are probably “no diving” signs all around the pool, and no diving board. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/25 "2012-06-26T14:53:52Z")
> [@Emtar\_KronJonDerSohn](#): > > I put my heels on the main drain and my nostrils are 1/2" above water. I would suppose it’s 5’10" or so? How can you thread water with your heels up against your crouch? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/26 "2012-06-26T15:03:31Z")
The two coolest public swimming pools I have ever been to: [Tenino, WA](http://www.ci.tenino.wa.us/newsite/quarry-pool/) Town pool created from an abandoned quarry, features an apparently bottomless deep end and an enormous waterfall from the top of the quarried wall. Couldn’t do this today. [Ahalunui Park](http://funhawaiitravel.com/Puna%20Hot%20Springs.html), Puna, Hawaii A rich guy carved this giant pool out from lava, between a hot springs and the sea, fed by both. Donated it to the state. Both of these pools are worth a day trip. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/27 "2012-06-26T15:16:20Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, has anyone been to a pool recently which still had a deep end and a diving board? How about a high dive? I used to love jumping off of the latter… I go to the Y daily. I’ve been reading this thread with interest, because the pool at the Y, while small-ish (it’s only 20 yards) they certainly do have a deep end. I can’t remember if it’s 10 or 12 feet deep right now, but I think it’s ten feet. Anyway when I go, early in the morning, people are using it for lap swimming, so they certainly use both ends. There are diving boards but I’ve never seen anyone use them. I assume they are used in “open swim” when all the kiddies come and pee in the pool. ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/28 "2012-06-26T16:59:27Z")
Edinburgh’s international-sized pool has recently re-opened after extensive renovations - it still has a deep end, in fact, it _only_ has a deep end! The shallow end has been deepened and it’s now 2 metres deep for it’s full length. I never was a very strong swimmer but I had been thinking of taking it up again after many years. But I think for my first few efforts I’ll go somewhere else where I’m not so likely to drown! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/29 "2012-06-26T17:00:34Z")
> [@Meurglys](#): > > Edinburgh’s international-sized pool has recently re-opened after extensive renovations - it still has a deep end, in fact, it _only_ has a deep end! > The shallow end has been deepened and it’s now 2 metres deep for it’s full length. > > I never was a very strong swimmer but I had been thinking of taking it up again after many years. But I think for my first few efforts I’ll go somewhere else where I’m not so likely to drown! Yeah even if you can swim it doesn’t feel as safe. I can swim but I really need to build up my cardio, so for the first week I didn’t go anywhere near the deep end. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/30 "2012-06-26T17:05:09Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > So, has anyone been to a pool recently which still had a deep end and a diving board? How about a high dive? I used to love jumping off of the latter… My local rec center was built in 2002 and has a deep end. But it’s perpendicular to the not-deep lap pool (the whole setup forms an L), so you can’t really swim laps there. It doesn’t have a high dive but 2 low diving boards. IIRC a local Y I did a Swim for Diabetes at had a deep lap pool, but it was quite an old facility. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/31 "2012-06-26T17:34:46Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > There are probably “no diving” signs all around the pool, and no diving board. This actually might be a good thing. I love the pool, but get really annoyed at the teenagers/young adults who fling themselves (or throw their girlfriends) into the deep end. It makes swimming there a splashy pain and a little dangerous. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/32 "2012-06-26T17:53:58Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > This actually might be a good thing. I love the pool, but get really annoyed at the teenagers/young adults who fling themselves (or throw their girlfriends) into the deep end. It makes swimming there a splashy pain and a little dangerous. I almost died at 21 when two drunken roommates tossed me into the deep end at the apartment pool. The were too screwed up to pull me out; thank god for that a lifeguard was hanging out on his apartment balcony and saw it; ran down the stairs, jumped in and pushed my “buddies” aside so he could pull me out. I didn’t learn how to swim for another 27 years because of that. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/33 "2012-06-26T18:03:13Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > This actually might be a good thing. I love the pool, but get really annoyed at the teenagers/young adults who fling themselves (or throw their girlfriends) into the deep end. It makes swimming there a splashy pain and a little dangerous. And you just _know_ that, if some idiot gets injured while doing something dumb, they or their parents might sue the owners of the pool. Is it any wonder a public pool doesn’t want to deal with that? If it keeps rowdy teenagers and young adults from coming to the pool, that might not be a bad thing from the POV of pool management. If they’re annoying other pool users or scaring off potential pool users, it might be a net positive for the pool owner if they stayed away. Not having a deep end might make the pool less attractive to people who want to do risky stuff, but be neutral or make it more attractive to people who want to do less risky things. As long as there are enough people interested in doing the less risky stuff (which seems to be the case, from the data and from my experiences at pools), that’s a big win for a pool owner. If not having a deep end also reduces the costs of operating the pool, that’s even better. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bcef8e/32.png) [@The\_Man\_In\_Black](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Man_In_Black)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/34 "2012-06-26T18:12:05Z")
This is why I swim in rivers, lakes and dams. They are nice and deep (the part of the river I swim in is deep). And the people who can’t swim and are afraid of water they can’t stand up in don’t usually go there. ---
**Author:** ![Ulfreida](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ulfreida/32/8014_2.png) [@Ulfreida](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ulfreida)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/35 "2012-06-26T18:16:54Z")
> [@Si\_Amigo](#): > > I almost died at 21 when two drunken roommates tossed me into the deep end at the apartment pool. The were too screwed up to pull me out; thank god for that a lifeguard was hanging out on his apartment balcony and saw it; ran down the stairs, jumped in and pushed my “buddies” aside so he could pull me out. I didn’t learn how to swim for another 27 years because of that. You were 21 and didn’t know how to swim? Your parents/school system were criminally negligent. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/36 "2012-06-26T18:19:24Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > Town pool created from an abandoned quarry, features an apparently bottomless deep end and an enormous waterfall from the top of the quarried wall. > [@tdn](#): > > I love the pool, but get really annoyed at the teenagers/young adults who fling themselves (or throw their girlfriends) into the deep end. Let’s go to the quarry and throw girlfriends in there! ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/37 "2012-06-26T18:23:40Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > You were 21 and didn’t know how to swim? Your parents/school system were criminally negligent. My SO doesn’t know how to swim and he’s 36 AND he grew up on Long Island. 😕 I’m not sure how this happens, to be honest. My mother had a severe fear of water - so she went out of the way to make sure I had swimming classes and knew how to swim, so I would never have that fear. ---
**Author:** ![TGWATY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b5e925/32.png) [@TGWATY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TGWATY)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/38 "2012-06-26T18:28:25Z")
So now that we have various reasons as to why the deep ends are disappearing… why now? If these reasons make such sense (and I’m not saying they don’t) why didn’t they make as much sense 20 years ago? or 50 years ago? Our municipal pool has separate deep pool for the diving boards. You can only use it for the boards. You have to dive off, swim straight for the ladder and get out. I miss being able to play in the deep end. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/39 "2012-06-26T18:30:14Z")
> [@Anne\_Neville](#): > > If it keeps rowdy teenagers and young adults from coming to the pool, that might not be a bad thing from the POV of pool management. If they’re annoying other pool users or scaring off potential pool users, it might be a net positive for the pool owner if they stayed away. I don’t know if it’s going to keep them away or not. The pool’s only been open for 4 days now, so time will tell. Anyway I usually go in the mornings, before they show up. In the afternoon it gets super crowded, so I don’t think they’ve been scaring people away so far. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274/40 "2012-06-26T18:34:32Z")
> [@Ulfreida](#): > > You were 21 and didn’t know how to swim? Your parents/school system were criminally negligent. The school my brother went to didn’t have a pool. Not all schools have them, you know. Of course we both learned to swim in the summers, there was a very active Red Cross program at the lake our cottage was on, but we both knew how to swim already. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-pool-deep-ends-disappearing/626274.md?page=3)