Is the cabana open as usual? No, the cabana is not open as usual. In accordance to the Order of the Health Officer of the County of Santa Clara (specifically for Outdoor Swimming Pools Appendix C1 Additional Businesses Allowed to Operate ) we have to limit access to the cabana and control social distancing. Therefore, cabana access is limited to member only pool use and by reservation - no area reservations for parties will be supported as no guests are allowed whatsoever.
What happens if we break any county order rules? We (the membership) risk being fined $20,000 and shut down for the season. All members will have to self verify their covid status by answering a set of health questions online when making reservations and again verbally prior to entering the cabana.
What social distance do we need to comply with? All members in all areas of the club are to comply with the county's 6 foot social distance order - face masks are to be worn while entering the cabana and while outside of the pool.
Will there be lifeguards on duty? No, there will not be lifeguards on duty. Because of the the need to comply with county orders and the restrictions it imposes on our cabana, many non-proprietary members have requested a refund for this season. This has left a gap in what would have been our normal operating budget. Since we have to limit the number of people entering the cabana and pools, and require staff to enforce social distancing, the board thought it best to staff the required social distancing monitor role and ask that parents guard their own children's safety instead.
Will there be first aid available? Yes, the Monitors are former cabana lifeguards and are still certified for CPR and first aid administration. But they will not be monitoring in-pool nor out-of-pool safety. That is the parent's responsibility.
Will access to restrooms be provided? No, restrooms will be closed. In order to limit virus transmissible surfaces and avoid the need to clean restroom surface areas after each use, and control access to the restrooms, the board thought it was best to keep the restrooms closed this covid season for both health and cost reasons (additional cleaning supplies and staff). Although this is the plan, children's bladders may not comply. So exceptions will be allowed but will need to be coordinated with the Monitor on duty.
What is available for reservation? Lap swim lanes and specific areas (Zones) for Recreational swim are available for online reservations. No other areas can be reserved (none of the pergola or grass areas, nor the volleyball court).
How do I make a reservation? You must be a member in good standing (e.g. dues paid) and have a Wild Apricot account with a valid email. If you're behind on your member dues, please contact treasurer@almadencabana.com for assistance. If you don't have an account or you are having trouble logging in, please contact secretary@almadencabana.com for assistance. Once you're in good standing and your account is accessible, you can log-into this site and the Rec & Lap Swim Reservations tab/site will appear. There is a link to our online reservation instructions document at the top of the site and it can also be found here.
When can I make reservations? We plan to make release reservations for lap and recreational swimming ~48 hours in advance. The release process is manual so we are not able to commit to a specific hour for release.
Why can't I ask someone to make a reservation for me? If you don't know, the cabana is supported and operated by a small number of volunteers. We don't have the bandwidth nor system outside of the member management cloud service we use (Wild Apricot) to schedule and coordinate reservations manually. So you have to be a member in good standing with an active account in order to self serve, self reserve.
Click on the corresponding links for more FAQs on Lap Swimming and Recreational Swimming.
DO...
...plan in advance your visit and reserve accordingly. If you don't see the opening you want, there is a wait-list option that can be accessed through any web browser (the mobile apps do not have the wait-list feature).
...show up at your reserved time at least 5 mins early. Wear a face mask and keep a 6ft distance with other families waiting in line to enter the cabana.
...cancel your reservation if your plans change. The cancellation triggers a communication to wait-list families to use the pool.
...take with you anything you bring. Don't leave anything behind, especially trash - there is no trash nor recycle service.
DON'T...
...bring any guests; they are not allowed at any time.
...forget your face mask. You will not be allowed entry.
...reserve more lap lanes than you need. More than one person can share a lane as long as they are from the same family unit.
...reserve more than one(1) recreational swim zone per day. There are very few available and we must allow others a fair use of the pool.
...forget to cancel your reservation. We are tracking no-shows and since reservations are limited (we have over 500 family members), you may loose your access if you have more than 2 no-shows!!
Can I reserve more than one lane? We initially allowed this but several families were reserving 3-4 lanes in the same hour leaving few lanes for others. Some of the families had small sized teens/children that could have all fit into 1 lane. Although we don't open the outer two lanes for lap swim reservations, if you have small teens/children that lap swim, you could make use of the outer lanes if they're available (or any open non-reserved or no-show lanes).
Can more than one person share a lane? The county orders allow for more than one person to share a lane as long as they are from the same family unit and are adhering to social distance requirements with adjacent non-family lanes.
Can my kids swim alone? Teenagers 16 years and older can show up to the cabana on their own. There are no lifeguards monitoring the pool. Teens and children below sixteen require a parent to enter the pool and for the parent to be present at all times to monitor their children's safety while in the pool.
Can my kids hang out at the cabana while I lap swim? No. The only time teens and children are allowed at the cabana during lap swim hours if for lap swimming only. Please do not bring your kids if they are not in the water or closely supervised by you. We don't have staff there to watch over your kids. The kiddie and dive pools are off limits and dangerous for unsupervised kids!!
Can I reserve more than one zone at a time? No, the system does not allow it. We have over 500 family members and only 6 zones available per reservation period. It would not be fair to have one family reserve more than one zone per period.
Can I reserve more than one zone per day? No, but the system cannot currently prevent it. We have over 500 family members and few zones available per day. It would not be fair to have one family reserve more than one zone per day. So please do not reserve more than one recreational swim zone per day.
Will tables, umbrellas, and chairs be available? No, furniture will not be accessible. In order to limit virus transmissible surfaces and avoid the need to clean furniture surface areas after each use, the board thought it was best to not provide furniture this covid season for both health and cost reasons (additional cleaning supplies and staff).
Can I bring my own chairs? Yes, it is encouraged you bring your own chairs, umbrellas, or any items you need to make your visit comfortable and safe. But please ensure you take everything back with you.
Is it okay to cross over zones? Not really. When outside of the water, it is not preferred but be careful when crossing paths and ensure you maintain your social distance. While in the water, please do not cross zones and do not hang on the lane lines. And please, never hang out with other family units in their zones. We risk violating county orders and being fined $20,000.
Non-members/walk-ins are NOT allowed.
All members need to check-in at office and be up to date on dues.
Member guests are allowed with members present and paid guest fees.
All children must be accompanied by a member adult.
Mature member (pre-)teens will need to check-in and pay for friends/guest.
You must be a member to rent any of the areas.
Members will need an online account to make reservations.
Go to: Login first, then click on the Area Rentals tab for instructions.
Lessons are available to members and non-members and are offered most weekday and weekend mornings throughout the season.
Group and private lessons are offered as well as custom private lessons for advanced swimmers (contact swimlessons@almadencabana.com).
Go to: the Swim Lessons tab for general info.
Membership consists of 427 proprietary member families and approximately 120 non-proprietary guest members.
Want to join the club? Go to: the Join Us tab for instructions. The current wait list length is approximately 2 years so don’t delay!
2020 member fees are $715 for the season (May 26 through September 30)
More questions? Contact secretary@almadencabana.com
You must be a member in order to have your children join the Dolphins.
Go to: almadendolphins.com for more information. Space is limited!
General information including Rules, By Laws, and CC&Rs can be found online.
Go to: the Rules & Laws tab for general info.
More questions? Contact namhai.cabana@gmail.com