November 2020: Search Tips and About 140 New South American Pools
In November 2020 we added about 140 pools in northern South America, including our first in Guyana, the 207th country. This update also explains the map dot colors, the search box and the listing tables.
About 140 new pools in northern South America, including our first in Guyana, headline this November 2020 pool listings update. It also explains map and table features that some users had not noticed.
Using the site
In November a professional designer reviewed the site's layout, look and feel and interviewed eight longtime users. Their answers showed which features are easy to miss, so here is how they work.
Map dot colors
A green dot means the pool is open to the public for a drop-in fee. A red dot means the pool does not offer day passes. A yellow dot means we either do not know the pool's day-pass policy or the policy is not simple, for example when a pool offers drop-in admission in summer but not in winter.
Searching the map
The search field on the home page is not limited to a city and country. You can enter an exact street address, the name of a hotel, the name of an airport or its three-letter code, or the name of a swimming pool.
If you are staying at the George V Hotel in Paris, type "George V H" and the search offers "Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris". Select it and the map centers on the hotel, with the closest pools marked. The closest public pool is the Piscine Jacqueline Auriol ex Beaujon, formerly known as the Piscine Beaujon.
The tables beneath the maps
Below the map, a table shows a snapshot of the 50 pools closest to your search location, with the straight-line distance, sorted from closest to farthest. Every column can be sorted, and the Filter box works on every word in every field.
To find a Masters group, scroll to the Team column or type "Masters" in the Filter box, and every row without a Masters entry disappears. To find 50-meter pools, filter on "50m" or click the Primary Pool heading twice: the first click sorts from shortest to longest, and the second puts the 50-meter pools at the top.
Directions and photographs
To get directions, open a listing, go to the Location section and select the Targeted Google Map Link. On the map page, choose Directions and enter your starting point to see turn-by-turn directions, the distance and the estimated walking, driving or cycling time.
