Bondi Icebergs POOL — Local services in Sydney

4 Tips on going and 4 surprises!

Preamble: This was the first thing on my to-do list when we came to Sydney. I am a water baby. I feel so comfortable in the water, and I take every opportunity to jump into a pool or the ocean.

Surprise 1: Parts of the pool were roped off with no admittance. I was really confused by this, because the waves that were coming into the roped-off area were the same level of waves that were crashing into other parts of the pool. I’m sure it was for safety purposes. They lifted the rope, and the conditions did not seem changed at all, but hey. ...that’s what lifeguards are for. It’s their judgment.

Surprise 2: So many people were doing laps in the lane that was closest to the ocean! I would think if they wanted to do laps that they would be in lanes that would not be pummeled by waves, and this made it difficult to take a leisurely swim. I love laps, and I did some laps, but I also wanted to float and look out at the ocean, and with people doing laps, it was hard to do that.

Surprise 3: I knew the water would be cold, and I have certainly had colder situations, as we swim in mountain springs, which is a glacial runoff. But I didn’t expect it to be quite as cold as it was. We don’t spend enough time in cold water. It is so good for our bodies!

Surprise 4: I knew that the water abutted the ocean, and I expected to have the opportunity for waves coming into the pool, but not as beautifully as they did. We have some wonderful photos of a wave breaking over my head. In fact, one of them knocked my sunglasses off, when I was in the pool. The combination of that exhilaration plus the cold water created such a body buzz that I was so thrilled to be able to participate in this pool.

Tips: Bring swimwear. Bring swim caps, if you use them. Bring your own towels. They can sell these things, but they are expensive.

I paid for a locker, because I did not know that you could use a locker without paying for them; at the YMCA, where I go in my hometown, everybody just uses the lockers whether they pay for them or not. And it’s a trust system. Nobody messes with your stuff. Here, I paid for the locker, which felt a bit foolish, because so many people were just shoving their things into lockers and not paying for them. But I get it... I don’t know the people in the situation, although, my goodness everything seems so safe and wonderful in Sydney, so I was probably totally fine without paying for a lock! They also give you a bracelet with your key, but you have to remember your number. The number is not written on the key or on the bracelet anywhere, which is a bit unusual. When you go to spas, the number of the lock is written on the bracelet or the key. So if you forget your lock number, you're in a little bit of trouble. So write it down!

When you arrive, try to find a place that is outside and facing the pool and ocean. There are two tiers. I was surprised that so many people were on the sunbathing deck, because they can look at the ocean, but they cannot watch the pool and ocean. We opted for the lower deck, which also contains the pool. There are no lounge chairs. There is simply white concrete, built into the pool area. Yes, it’s fun to watch the ocean on the sunbathing deck, but so much more fun to watch the people get into the pool and discover the shock of how cold it is and also take photos of themselves with their partners. It’s great people-watching. You can also clearly see the surfers from the lower level near the pool. So that seems to be a much better spot for surfer-gazing and people-gazing and pool-gazing.

It was quite crowded when we arrived, but at about 3 o’clock, everything started to open up. The waves also started to die down, so it wasn’t as much fun to swim in it, but a lot of people vacated the pool area. Perhaps they were going for early cocktails? Or an early dinner? I was surprised at how many people left...

I'm a local who has been swimming at icebergs for at least 8 years and have been going there multiple times a week for the past few months to swim laps. Usually everything is fine but today my boyfriend and I had the worst customer service experience with the staff there who seem to be unreasonably rude and eager to start arguments. We were told by the manager - Steve, I think his name is - two minutes into arriving at the pool to leave the public deck area, as the gym staff were having a private function. When my boyfriend said we would leave, Steve told us to hurry up and get going, being very short and rude with us, as if we were not customers paying to use their facilities. My boyfriend swore at Steve for the way he was speaking to him, which obviously did not go over well, but it was out of frustration with how little respect or consideration Steve had used when talking to him. We got up and left the deck area, deciding to leave as there were no other places to sit. As we had just used up one of the allotments on our cards, we decided to ask at the front desk if we could get an extra swim as we had only been there for five minutes and hadn’t got to swim. The man we were speaking to was listening to us when another lady at the front desk entered the conversation and told my boyfriend 'you're the guy who swore at my manager, you're not welcome here you can get out and you can't get a refund,'. Her tone was extremely aggressive considering she had never seen us before. We explained that we were paying members, and that she had no right to speak to us so rudely when she did not witness the brash way Steve had initially interacted with us. She repeatedly told us we should leave and that we would not get a refund, even when we told her that we had been coming to the pool multiple times a week for the past 2-3 months and that the way they were treating us now was, frankly, sh*t. We left and honestly the service that we had just experienced made me so upset as we love visiting the pool (and giving you guys our money to do so) and now that experience has been ruined and we will not be returning any time soon. Icebergs staff are typically nice and welcoming, but these three staff members (all around middle-age) seemed quick to use aggression while engaging with paying customers simply wanting to use their facilities. Our explanation of how rude their manager Steve was, was met at the front desk with blatant bias and, ultimately, the complaint fell on deaf ears. Shouldn’t they be more willing to understand the full situation instead of just taking the side of their manager and kicking out a pair of long-time customers? Regardless, Icebergs has just lost...

The location of this place is truly exceptional, and it undoubtedly the view is stunning. However, the maintenance leaves much to be desired.

To illustrate, I am attaching a photo of the restroom. When I arrived, there was paper and other debris on the floor. I stayed for three hours, and by the time I left, nothing had been cleaned. It’s not as if they didn’t have enough time.

Additionally, I purchased a T-shirt but didn’t have my glasses with me, so I trusted that it was in good condition. Unfortunately, I later noticed that some of the printed letters were already damaged—clearly not the best quality.

The lack of upkeep extends to the pool area as well. The walls around the pool, where people naturally lean, were sticky. This is not just due to seawater—it’s something that can and should be cleaned.

Overall, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being treated simply as a tourist to profit from, rather than as a valued visitor.

Update : I’ve got paint on my swimming suit from sitting at the swimming pool!!! When I pointed this to the employees at the reception they didn’t are at all. When I insisted they finally told me, smiling at each others, « it’s weird because the swimming pool hasn’t been painted since 6 months ». This of course doesn’t mean anything because what matters is the quality of paint . Clearly, it was a well-rehearsed response from the employees, the kind of answer they were told to give to shut customers up.

Now my swimming suit is ruined. Who is going to pay for it? But more importantly : It may be time to question the quality of the paint used for this pool-its impact on seawater pollution, its potential toxicity for customers, and the risk of it damaging...