Blackwater Leisure Centre — Local services in Maldon

I've been going to the pool here with my kids on and off for many years now. It's changed. There used to be a whirlpool type thing which was good fun, but that's been closed for a long time. And the pool had an island you could swim round, endlessly playing a bad game of hide and seek. They closed that off. And you can't dive in the pool any more. Diving is now illegal. The new tube-slide-thing is good. It has lights inside. It's the best way to get in the pool! I used to swim here for fitness at lunch times but the water was too warm. After 50 lengths I would get out and dry myself, but would be so hot I would immediately sweat and make my clothes wet. Also I found the smell of the cafe next to the pool frying chips quite horrible, as I swam up and down like a maniac. I'm being unfair, this is a great, friendly, community facility. There should be more of them. The people here are great and we always have a good time. Just take your goggles. For sanitary reasons there is more chlorine in the...

Staff friendly and helpful, love the fact that the cafe is poolside so I can watch my bubba have fun with her dad. However we had to get her out after 15-20 mins as her lips were turning blue. After asking the manager (because we had asked a lifeguard and been told they had a pump which was faulty and therefore the temp had dropped a bit) he informed us there were no problems with the pool and the the temp was running at 29.4 degrees (not really believable, having worked in a pool running an average temp of 30 and sweating my backside off in a tee and shorts poolside I barely felt the heat here and I was in jeans!) He did inform is that the pool is on the cooler side for babies and both he and the receptionist were helpful in suggesting alternative pools in the area that may run slightly warmer and therefore be better suited to bubba. Overall a good experience just such a shame we can't take advantage of this facility as bubs just...

I booked my daughter a bouncy castle party here recently. I was fuming with the staff! I got told my the party organiser.. my party slot was 2-4. Halfway into my daughters party about 3.45 I had a host come up to me and told me to hurry up and pack away as I went over my time. I said what time was I ment to finish he said 3.30!!! I told him no I got told it was til 4pm so I shall be having my party til 4pm!! I also got told that I could come down when last session in the studio finishes 12.30... I went down at 12.30 to then be told I have to come in half hour before the party to decorate!!! I got my way and went in at 12.30 and I also wanna say I can't believe there is no first aider there!!! My daughters friend smashed his face on the floor from the slide of the bouncy castle and got a bad nose bleed!! There was 1 silly little mat there... everyone was hitting there heads and hurting themselves. Not very well...