Portishead Open Air Pool

Very sensible advice. Like Helmsley, we’ve been struggling to cope with the effects of suncream in our pool over half term. Please folks, don’t slap on the suncream and jump in the pool - it just washes off you, clogs up the filters and reduces water visibility to dangerous levels.

Serious post alert - Sun Cream

As a free board style (mid 20th century design) of pool we get scum lines.

The photo shows a scum line on the pool & where it’s been cleaned.

Sun cream only works if it is absorbed into your skin. That takes at least 20 minutes after it’s been applied. If you enter the pool before that, it will just wash off and pollute the pool & not protect you from the sun.

The suncream creates a scumline which in turn provides a perfect habitat for all those nasties we are putting chlorine in the pool for and trying to filter out. Lots of suncream also affects the water clarity as well as really putting us on the back foot in terms of chlorine.

Some of our fellow lidos are not allowing folks in the water for 20 mins if they’re seen applying sun cream poolside.

We are currently planning our capacities for the summer holidays- if we don’t see a change in behaviour, sadly we will have reduce our summer capacity to protect the pool water quality- this will result in fewer swimmers and more disappointed people unable to swim safely in a lido. It will also negatively impact the pool’s revenue.

PROTECT YOURSELF & PROTECT THE POOL - apply suncream 20 mins before swimming.

If anyone wants to volunteer to help clean the scum lines you can have some free swims and as much baking soda (what we use to clean the tiles) as you want.

Please help share the message

⚠️ Session update

Unfortunately we've had to cancel tomorrow's sessions due to unforeseen circumstances. We are really sorry for the short notice and any inconvenience this causes!
All paying customers will receive a full refund within the next few working days. 💙
Thank you for your understanding — we'll be back soon 🙌

With the amazing weather forecast for half term, swim sessions are selling out faster than an Oasis concert! Congratulations if you got your tickets, so sorry if you missed out - but tickets for next Friday will be released at one minute past midnight tonight and likewise for the weekend on the following two nights. Good luck! ..... and please don't turn up without a booking as we will be absolutely at capacity.
UPDATE Friday general swims are now SOLD OUT

💙 Swim more, save more... your way! 💙
Not ready to commit to a full season ticket? No problem 👌
Our 12 for 10 swim pass gives you the flexibility to dip in when it suits you!
🏊‍♀️ 12 swims for the price of 10
🏊‍♂️ Valid for lane swims AND general swims
💷 Just £65
Perfect if your schedule’s a bit unpredictable but you still want to make the most of the pool this season ☀️
Grab yours and keep swimming whenever it works for you!
Check under Season Tickets on our Booking Page - https://portisheadopenairpool.savoysystems.co.uk/

The pool is looking inviting this afternoon - we are open from 4pm so why not bring the kids for an after school for a splash? Plenty of room for walk ins 😀🏊‍♂️

Check out our Time Out listing 😀

This historic seaside open-air pool has reopened after a £1.3m makeover The water is now a balmy 28C.

🌕 Full Moon Swim – Friday Cancellation

We're really sorry to share this, especially as we started so well into the 2026 season 🙏 — we've had to cancel this Friday's Full Moon Swim. Everybody who booked will get contacted and receive a refund.
We are short of lifeguards over the bank holiday weekend 🏊‍♂️ Some of our team are students sitting exams — we wish them all the best and hope to have them back in the water with us soon! We are still building our team and are actively recruiting and training lifeguards so the pool can stay open as often as possible, especially when the weather is so lovely ☀️ We have to have the right number of lifeguards on deck before we can safely open for the public.
What a lot of people don't realise is that we can't just bring in any lifeguard to cover last minute changes — they need to be specifically trained and approved to work at our pool 🦺
We are looking forward to welcoming everyone to the next full moon session — hopefully under starry skies and with a bit of summer in the air! 🌕✨

We are temporarily experiencing problems with our website. In the meantime if you wish to book a swim, please follow this link - https://portisheadopenairpool.savoysystems.co.uk/PortisheadOpenAirPool.dll/

Our volunteers have been working hard all morning cleaning and tidying to make sure the pool is sparkling for this afternoon’s swim sessions at 4pm and 6pm. And the water is a toasty warm 28c as well! Why not treat the kids to a swim after school or yourself after work? Plenty of space and you can book here - https://portisheadopenairpool.savoysystems.co.uk/

Frustrated by public lane swimming sessions?

Want to get more out of an hour in the pool?

Sign up for our Swim-Fit "Squad" for the Spring and Summer. Starting 21st April

Work to a challenging set, in a lane appropriate for your pace and fitness with coaching input too. Some swimmers even claim to have fun during the sessions 😉

We have 6 spaces on Tuesday evenings at 8:00pm
Currently 4 spaces for Wednesday mornings at 6:45am
One Space for Thursday evenings at 8:00pm
The link below takes you to all the sessions we offer - look for the "Squad" ones
Any questions - please message me directly

https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/portishead-springsummer-adult-swim-courses-2026-4820872?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb