Be Active
Aquatics
Make a splash!
For over a century, YMCAs across the country have taught millions of youth and adults to swim and be safe around water.
Swimming is one of life’s most essential skills: the ability to swim can help save your life or someone else’s life, while introducing you to a lifetime of healthy, enjoyable activity in the water.
We are proud to offer a variety of aquatics programs to help people of all ages and abilities develop the skills they need to become strong, confident swimmers!
Aquatics Center
The Tom & Debby McMullen Aquatics Center features two indoor pools to support our community’s year-round swimming needs. A portable lift is available for individuals who need assistance getting into and out of either pool.
- A six-lane, 25-yard pool for lap swim and instruction. Depth ranges from 4-10 feet.
- A zero-depth entry family pool with a twirl-pool and recreational equipment for water play. Depth ranges from 0-4 feet.
Average water temperatures are 82° for the Lap Pool and 90° for the Family Pool.
Hours of Operation
Family Pool
Monday-Friday: 8:00 AM – 8:45 PM
Saturday-Sunday: 7:00 AM – 5:45 PM
Lap Pool
Monday-Friday: 5:30 AM – 8:45 PM
Saturday-Sunday: 7:00 AM – 5:45 PM
Aquatics Center Policies
Build Confidence in the Water
Adult & Youth Swim lessons
For more than 160 years, the YMCA has nurtured potential and united communities across America to create lasting, meaningful change. Everything the Y does is in service of building a better us. One of the most effective ways to accomplish this is to teach youth, teens, and adults to swim, so they can stay safe around water and learn the skills they need to make swimming a lifelong pursuit for staying healthy.
Y swim instructors are nationally certified. Their training includes CPR, AED, First Aid and Oxygen Administration. Swim lessons provide important life skills that could save a life and will benefit students for a lifetime.
Swim Starters
Stages A & B
Stages A & B or Swim Starters, are geared for our infant and toddler students and their parents/caregivers. The program is aimed at helping them adjust to being in the water and learn basic water safety skills.
Parent/Child Swim (6-24 Months)
Accompanied by a guardian, infants and toddlers learn to be comfortable in the water and develop swim readiness skills through fun and confidence-building experiences, while parents learn about water safety, drowning prevention, and the importance of supervision.
Swim Basics
Stages 1-3
Swim Basics covers the foundations of water safety and basic swimming skills. The program is geared for all ages and is based on the foundational skills of the Safety Around Water Program.
Preschool, School Age Swim, Teen & Adult
Students learn personal water safety and achieve basic swimming competency by learning two benchmark skills: swim, float, swim—sequencing front glide, roll, back float, roll, front glide, and exit—and jump, push, turn, grab.
Swim Strokes
Stages 4-6
Stages 4-6 or the Swim Strokes program introduces and refines swimming strokes. These program stages are for all ages as well, but are geared for school aged youth as
well as teen and adults.
Preschool, school age swim, teen & adult
Having mastered the fundamentals, students learn additional water safety skills and build stroke technique, rotary breathing, develop skills that prevent chronic disease, increase social-emotional and cognitive well-being, and foster a lifetime of physical activity.
Private & Semi-private lessons
Learn to build trust in the water and confidence in yourself at any age!
Participants of any age can build endurance, technique, and confidence in the water through our Private and Semi-Private Swim Lessons. Participants will navigate the basics of swimming with a caring and trained swim instructor. Lessons are goal-oriented, with curriculum tailored to the swimmer’s objectives.
Open to all ages.
Private Lessons (1:1)
- Program Price: $50 per lesson
- Member Price: $35 per lesson
Semi-Private Lessons (2:1)
- Program Price: $40 per lesson
- Member Price: $25 per lesson
Adult Water Fitness
Our facility offers a variety of aquatic fitness classes for all ages and abilities to support your wellness goals! Exercising in the pool is a fun, low-impact way to improve strength, flexibility, cardiovascular fitness, and endurance.
*Program availability may vary throughout the year.
AOA Water Exercise
A warm water exercise class designed to help increase range of motion and cardiovascular fitness in older adults. This class incorporates cardio, light strength training and range of motion exercises.
Aqua Aerobics
A cardio workout in shallow, transitional, and deep water. The class incorporates cardiovascular fitness, endurance, and muscle-toning. Great cross-training for land-based exercises.
Arthritis Aquatics
Utilize the natural resistance of the water to help increase range of motion, flexibility, and mobility. Geared towards individuals with arthritis or similar joint conditions.
Water Walking
A low-impact exercise to build muscle, improve cardiovascular health, and provide gentle support for your body. Flotation belts are provided upon request.
Barracudas Swim Team
youth competitive swim team
Healthy competition in an inclusive environment! Our coaches support swimmers ages 5-17 in mastering stroke development, building endurance, and refining racing strategies through structured practices held multiple times a week. Each practice includes a mix of technique work, drills, starts and turns, and team-building activities to help swimmers grow both in and out of the water.
*YMCA Membership is not required. Swim evaluation is required to join. Contact the Barracudas coach for more information.
Join the team
Swim Seasons
Winter Season: Competitive (January-March)
- Levels: Bronze, Silver 1, Silver 2, Gold
- Competitive League: Southern Michigan Swim League
- Five swim meets and a championship meet (local)
Stroke Clinic: Non-Competitive (April-May)
- Levels: Intermediate and Advanced
- Focus primarily on the technique of each stroke and race strategies
Summer Season: Competitive (June-July)
- Levels: Bronze, Silver 1, Silver 2, Gold
- Competitive League: Washtenaw Interclub Swim Conference
- Five swim meets and a championship meet (local)
Fall Season: Competitive (September-December)
- Levels: Bronze, Silver 1, Silver 2, Gold
- Competitive League: Southern Michigan Swim League
- Five swim meets and a championship meet (local)
Swim Team Levels
Swim evaluation requirements:
- Bronze: 300-600 Meters
- 25-meter Freestyle with rotary breathing
- 25-meter Backstroke
- Silver: 1,000-1,400 Meters
- 50-meter Freestyle with rotary breathing
- 50-meter Backstroke
- 50-meter Breaststroke
- Gold: 2,000-3,200 Meters
- 100-meter Freestyle with rotary breathing
- 100-meter Backstroke
- 100-meter Breaststroke
- 100-meter Butterfly
SAFETY AROUND WATER at the Y
The Y wants to ensure all families are ready for a fun and safe summer. To do that, we’re helping families become “Water-Ready” by developing water safety skills that help reduce the risk of drowning and build confidence and competence in and around water.
Did you know?
- 9 in 10 parents see swimming as an essential life skill, yet 24% have low confidence in their kids’ ability to stay safe around water.
- Parents and guardians have a critical role to play in teaching their kids water safety skills – but they don’t have to do it alone! With more than 110 years’ experience equipping people with the skills they need to stay safe in and around water, the Y is America’s most trusted swim instructor. Each year, the Y teaches more than one million kids life-saving swimming and safety around water skills.
What is the Y’s safety around water program?
Our annual Safety Around Water consists of eight lessons designed to teach kids water safety skills. A typical session includes:
- Exercises to help kids adjust to being in the water
- Instruction in two skill sets kids can use if they unexpectedly find themselves in the water: Jump, Push, Turn, Grab and Swim, Float, Swim.
- Safety topics like what to do if you see someone in the water who needs help
- Fun activities that reinforce skills
Downtown Facility (2025)
June 22-June 27 | 9:00AM – 12:00PM & 4:00PM-7:30PM
McKinley Properties (2025)
July 14th-18th
Glencoe Hills | 10:30-12:45
July 21st-25th
Golfside | 10:30-12:45
Glencoe Hills |1:45-4:00
July 28th-August 1st
Golfside | 1:45-4:00
August 4th-8th
Schooner Cove | 10:30-12:45
Roundtree | 1:45-4:00
August 11th-15th
Roundtree | 10:30-12:45
Schooner Cove | 1:45-4:00
Aquatics Center Policies
Severe Weather policies
The YMCA of the USA recommends that indoor pools be closed during a lightning storm. If lightning occurs in the area or if we are under a severe weather alert, the indoor or outdoor pool is cleared until it is deemed safe to reoccupy. The pool can be considered safe to reoccupy 30 minutes after the last lightning has occurred within six miles or if the severe alert is lifted.
While bonding and grounding of a facility may add a level of protection, there is no way to completely reduce the risk of electrocution in an indoor pool during an electrical storm. The Ann Arbor YMCA follows a policy to evacuate the pool and other wet areas when lightning is present, threatening, or when the conditions are right.
Open Swim Policies
Effective immediately, the Aquatics Department at the Ann Arbor Y is pausing the Red and Yellow wrist band policy that was put into effect on July 7th. We take the safety of every swimmer seriously and want to create a policy that is clear and equitable for all. We appreciate community feedback on the matter and, when ready, we will release a clear and concise updated policy, along with an FAQ, and information on available swim testing times. We will continue to have the Green wristband policy in place for the lap-swimming pool. We apologize for any confusion these policies may have created and we will have more information coming soon.
At the Ann Arbor YMCA, we care about the safety of our young members and guests. We have swim test procedures in place to help keep children safe in the water. Please ask a lifeguard to receive Swim Testing.
WRISTBAND GUIDELINES
Green Wrist Bands:
TESTING REQUIREMENT: Passed the Lap Pool Swim Test.
- Swimmers with a green wristband may access any part of the Aquatics Center (appropriate use of Lap pool is required).
- Stop by the lifeguard office to receive your band after completing the test.
Swim Testing
Lap Pool Swim Test:
- Jump from the edge of the deep end and fully submerge.
- Swim 50 yards (1 lap) using a forward-facing stroke. The swimmer must maintain a positive body position (legs should not drop past 45-degree angle) for the entire distance.
- Tread water for 1 minute, turn on their back, float briefly, then swim (either on front or back) to the side and exit the pool.
NO SWIMMERS UNDER AGE 7 MAY BE IN POOL WITHOUT A GUARDIAN, REGARDLESS OF WRISTBAND COLOR. ADULT SWIMMERS MAY BE SUBJECT TO SWIM TESTING IF NECESSARY.
Swim Attire Policies
Pool Guidelines
FACILITY CLEANLINESS
To maintain the cleanliness of our facility, the following are NOT PERMITTED on the pool deck:
- Beverages other than water
- Food
- Street shoes
- Gum
- Glass containers
- Strollers
- Swimmers with open wounds
Additionally, all swimmers must take a shower before entering the water and anyone without full bladder or bowel control MUST wear a swim diaper.
GENERAL SAFETY GUIDELINES
- No running
- No horseplay
- Diving ONLY where pool depth is 9 feet or greater
- No inflatable toys or equipment of any kind
- No extended breath-holding
SWIMMER: LIFEGUARD RATIOS
If the swimmer-to-lifeguard ratio is exceeded or if the pool is at capacity, swimmers must form a waiting line to enter the water.
ELECTRONICS
Please leave electronic devices outside the Aquatics Center. Feel free to use these devices in the lobby.
PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES (PFD’s)
All flotation devices MUST be Coast Guard approved. Additionally, any swimmer in a flotation device or under the age of 7 MUST be within arm’s reach of an adult who is wearing a bathing suit and in the water.
LANGUAGE AND BEHAVIOR
As a family-friendly facility, offensive or inappropriate language or behavior will not be tolerated.
SWIM ATTIRE
For the safety of our swimmers and proper functioning of pool equipment, swimwear MUST be clean and designed specifically for pool use. Please see the swim attire guide on the pool deck for examples of acceptable attire.
BREASTFEEDING
Mothers may breastfeed on the pool deck as long as their child’s face is a safe distance from the water.
In addition to the policies listed above, Aquatics Staff reserve the right to correct any behavior deemed unsafe or inappropriate at any time.
Join the team
Become certified at the Y!
Certification and recertification classes are offered regularly throughout the year. Training includes certifications in CPR/AED, Basic Life Support, First Aid, Administering Emergency Oxygen, and Swim Instruction.
Join the team
Become certified at the Y!
Certification and recertification classes are offered regularly throughout the year. Training includes certifications in CPR/AED, Basic Life Support, First Aid, Administering Emergency Oxygen, and Swim Instruction.