On a warm, Summer's day in the sun, you might long for cooling a swim somewhere nearby. But should you cool off in a swimming pool or in the sea? The safety and quality of a man-made swimming hole, or the wild freedom of the open ocean? How do you choose?
On Jersey, in the Channel Islands, the clever seafaring islanders have come up with a solution: What if the sea was the pool?
Havre des Pas actually refers to the sandy beach just a 15-minute walk from Jersey's capital St Helier. The beach is lined with art-deco style boardwalks, evoking a Victorian-era style of British holidaymaking from a bygone era. Perfect for a cup of tea or a pint of beer while you watch the sea go in and out!
In the middle of this boardwalk, you'll notice a bridge that juts out towards the sea, connected to a blue building that resembles a ship. Charming, but what is it? Well, this is the Havre des Pas bathing pool, a free-to-use, open-air swimming pool that has been a local attraction for close to 140 years!
The Havre des Pas bathing pool takes advantage of Jersey's crazy tidal movements, which can vary by up to 12 metres around St. Helier in a single day, and even more in other parts of the island. The sea comes up when the tide is high, filling the pools with water, then leaving it full when the tide recedes later. The pool is constructed in such a way that it only fills (floods) when the tides are at their highest, ensuring a regular recycling of water, without it necessarily happening every single day. A side effect of this are that the pool also fills with marine life. At Havre des Pas, you are literally swimming with the fishes!
The bathing pool was constructed in 1890 as an area to train islanders how to swim safely, by giving a permanent home to the Jersey Swimming Club. The club itself was formed to address the dangers of drowning in the sea, in particular the tragic drowning of two young boys at Havre des Pas in 1865. The Jersey Swimming Club, now the Polar Bears Swimming Club, still holds true to this mission today by continuing to train the next generations how to swim in the briny blue and for everyone else, during normal business hours, the pool is also monitored by lifeguards. The pool is also used for other sporting events, such as water polo, in the summer months, and hosts an annual swim (for the brave) on Christmas day!
A pool day at the sea in Jersey
Havre des Pas is free to enter, so there are no excuses not to go when the weather is good and you're feeling like a swim. Or just a day at the beach! While not Jersey's largest or flashiest coast, Havre des Pas is close to St. Helier, and is accessible from the rest of the islands by busses 1 and 1a (2023). Hungry? No problem! Sitting just above the water, in the 'ship' (and across the bridge) you'll find plenty of cafes and restaurants, offering a number of Jersey classics - with everything from ice cream from the famous Jersey cows to a classic, British fish and chips and even some surprising international options, such as tacos, that really work with the atmosphere. If you're really lucky you might even find yourself there on a year (and month, day) when the Havre des Pas festival is taking place, and the pool and the boardwalk adopts a carnival-style atmosphere!
So grab a book, a towel and some sunscreen and dive in to the Havre des Pas bathing pool, where the sea comes to you! Literally!
Further Information
Pool info on Jersey Government Website
Havre des Pas festival on Facebook
Further info on Visit Jersey