Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Return of Olympia makes a splash
Pools open today... and we have all the details
DUNDEE’S Olympia swimming pools reopen to the public today after their latest three-month closure.
Locals could be forgiven for forgetting what the city’s biggest leisure centre has to offer.
The Olympia has been shut more than it has been open in recent years.
After closing during Covid, it was then forced to shut between October 2021 and December 2023 for £6 million worth of repairs.
Then in February, the leisure and toddler pools closed again after a metal rod fell from the flumes structure.
As the pools reopen, we take a look at what the Olympia has to offer and what visitors have had to say about it.
The Olympia has a host of leisure facilities but its main attractions are the swimming pools.
The leisure pool features three flumes, a wave machine, river rapids and seated bubble beds.
One of the flumes is a cannonball with a 3.8-metre (12½ft) drop into the dive pool, where there are also three diving boards.
A toddler pool, complete with a splash zone and slide, is designed to keep younger visitors entertained.
The centre also has a 50-metre competition and training pool, which can be divided into three separate areas.
However, access to these features varies throughout the week.
Peak times – where all facilities are available – are 4pm-8pm Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and all day (10am-5.30pm) Saturday and Sunday.
Off-peak swimming is available on weekdays between 10am and 4pm, which includes the waves and the toddler pool.
Reduced features, where the dive pool and cannonball flume are not in operation, run from 4pm-8pm Monday and Wednesday.
Elsewhere in the Olympia, there is a fitness studio, an activity room, a cafe and a multi-storey car park.
It’s been a while since anyone had a chance to use those facilities, so here is a reminder of the prices:
Standard leisure swimming
Adults – £6.50
Concession – £5
Family – £20 (additional children £3)
Under-5s – £1.50
Prices are lower during some reduced service periods, with full pricing available on the Olympia website.
Other Young Scot, Kidz Card and Active Lifestyle discounts apply.
Other prices apply to the training pool.
A booking system is in place for the first few weeks after the pools reopen, but payment is only taken at the centre on the day.
Fitness studio
Adults – £5.30 Concessions – £4
Multi-storey car park
Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm Up to 2 hours – £2.30
2-3 hours – £4
3-4 hours – £5.10
4-5 hours – £6.20
5-6 hours – £6.50
6-12 hours – £7
Saturday and Sunday, 8am to 8pm – £3 per day
The Olympia has a rating of 4.3 out of 5 from users on Google Reviews, 3.8 out of 5 on Facebook and 4 out of 5 on Tripadvisor, meaning the majority of visitors have rated it well since it opened in 2013.
However, it has been marked down by some swimmers due to the issues in recent months.
One reviewer wrote in December: “We booked two weeks before we went only to be told upon arrival that the toddler pool was closed and the river rapids were closed. As we have toddlers, and this was the main reason for going to Olympia. We were incredibly disappointed.”
Another December reviewer said: “We went today with excited kids after it being closed for so long.
“The toddler pool was closed as it was too cold (we have a toddler) rapids were closed and so was the cannonball (due to staffing, apparently).
“We enjoyed the other flumes that were open and made the most of it but it was disappointing that not everything was open.”
One other customer who had booked to visit with children also reported the toddler pool and rapids being closed.
But a reviewer in February said: “So glad to get back to
the swimming, which I really did enjoy. The lanes were well organised with two slow, medium and fast lanes. I found the staff very helpful, the facilities were clean and well looked after, also met new friends.”
Writing on Google, one customer said their visit to the Olympia was a “lot of fun” with “plenty of water slides and games”.
The reviewer also praised the “super kind” staff and clean facilities.
Another wrote in February: “Really good pools to either take your family or to train.
“There is a fully equipped gym on-site and a cafe. Staff are friendly and helpful.”
Several others have highlighted the variety of options for children and families.