Leisure time
Start of the outdoor pool season: bad weather and a lack of lifeguards
Bathers in the Dresden reservoir Cossebaude. photo
© Sebastian Kahnert/dpa
There is no outdoor pool atmosphere: at the beginning of May, the weather is not really inviting for swimming in the open air. But there are also concerns with regard to the staffing level.
Swimming when the temperature is below 20 degrees: On May 1st, the swimming pools traditionally start the outdoor pool season. “We assume that many pools will also open on this date,” said a spokeswoman for the German Society for Bathing (DGfdB). However, it is possible that some outdoor pools will only open later due to the bad weather.
“People first have to get in the mood for an outdoor pool, and that takes a few days with around 30 degrees,” said the spokeswoman. Even if the beginning of May is still a long way off: According to the DGfdB, most outdoor pools should be open by the end of the second week of May at the latest.
Last year, high energy costs pushed some pools to their breaking point. As a result, many lowered the water temperature or stopped heating at the beginning of the outdoor pool season. The situation has relaxed a bit here, according to the DGfdB. “I don’t assume that the outdoor pools will save so much energy again,” said the spokeswoman.
The problems with regard to the staffing level remain large, as the Federal Association of German Swimming Champion warned. “There will be closures,” said association president Peter Harzheim. According to him, the rush is likely to increase due to the lack of pandemic measures. But the staffing level doesn’t give that away. Harzheim estimates that around 3,000 lifeguards are missing nationwide. “Ascending trend.”
Many pool operators are also still looking for staff for the upcoming season via their websites. Irrespective of this, the majority of Berlin’s municipal beach and leisure pools will open their doors on May 1st. In Munich, most of the municipal outdoor pools are more likely to follow in mid-May. The Cologne baths will open from May 13th if the weather permits, as a spokesman said. Most of the municipal baths in Dresden are even later.