About Us

History of Omanu Swim Club

The Omanu Swim Club was established in September 2012 in partnership with the Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club. This initiative began when the Club entered into an arrangement with Mount Maunganui College to access the college pool outside school hours. The goal was to operate a swim program for the community during the 4th and 1st terms of the school year (the summer season) while paying a usage fee to the College. During terms 2 and 3 Omanu Swim Club had some lanes and times allocated to them at Baywave.

Objectives of the Omanu Swim Club:

Community-Based Swimming Instruction: To provide a community-oriented swimming instruction program that promotes swimming as an enjoyable and healthy sport, emphasizing it as a “skill for life.”
Water Safety Promotion: To foster and promote water safety through a wide range of programs, from developing swim skills to fitness and competitive squads.
Partnership with Local Sports Clubs: To collaborate with local sports clubs that require swimming as part of their base training for the development of their respective sports.

Mount Maunganui Aquatic Centre Trust:

The Mount Maunganui Aquatic Centre Trust (MMACT) was established in 2012 to explore the redevelopment of the Mount Maunganui College pool. The Trust consists of two members from Mount Maunganui College and two from Omanu Beach Surf Life Saving Club. The Trustees have agreed to explore the option of year-round swimming, which is the Trust's current focus. However, the long-term goal remains to develop the college pool to benefit both the College and the wider community.

Growth and Development:

With the success of the swim club membership during the summer months at the Mount College pool, the need for additional training opportunities during the winter became apparent as, at this stage, we had limited lane space and time allocation at Baywave.

In 2013/2014, plans were made to develop the College pool into a 51m x 25m facility, with a movable floor in half the pool, adjustable from 2m to 1.2m. Detailed plans and costings were established. However, after discussions with Tauranga City Council, and in consideration of their vision to develop more aquatic facilities in the Tauranga community, it was agreed to put the redevelopment plans on hold until the Council completed its planning.

Transition to Year-Round Swimming:

Given the lack of progress by the Tauranga Council in establishing additional pools or lane space for the growing community, the Mount Maunganui Aquatic Trust (MMACT) explored ideas of heating the pool over the winter months.

To support year-round swimming at the college pool, upgrades to the equipment were necessary. In 2015, MMACT successfully obtained funding (approximately $200,000) to install a new transformer (power source) and additional heating units to allow the pool to be heated year-round. The usage agreement with the College was then extended to include terms 2 and 3 of the school year. Under this agreement, the Omanu Swim Club would cover all costs associated with heating and maintaining the pool, including the changing rooms, water use, electricity, and contributing to the pool's repainting.

The current paint used on the pool requires reapplication every two years. While stronger, longer-lasting paint (5 to 6 years) or tiling would reduce the frequency of maintenance, it would require the pool to be shut down for an extended period and would be very costly. In collaboration with the College, it was decided to continue with the repainting every two years.

Winter Swimming:

The first winter swimming season began in April 2016. Initially, it was financially challenging to cover all the costs with only 50 members participating in winter swimming. However, the positive response from members encouraged the club to continue offering winter swimming. The second winter saw membership grow to 100, and by last winter (2024), membership had increased to 254 members.

Summer membership has continued to be strong, with an increasing number of members each year. Members' swimming frequency ranges from 1 to 5 swims per week, with motivations ranging from training for international events to general fitness, rehabilitation from injuries, and addressing medical and mental health issues.