Koret Pool

Koret Health & Recreation Center

Indoor Swimming Pool

Pool Information

Pool average temperature: 81.5° (Range 80°-82°, 79° for swim meets)

Lap Swim

Lap lanes will be open during all pool hours, although the number of lanes available will vary depending on other programs in progress, (i.e., during all swim lesson programs the shallow lanes will be closed to anyone other than those enrolled in the lessons). The pool will have limited lanes from 4-6 p.m., Monday-Friday due to swim team practices and other activities.

Circle swimming is mandatory during crowded times. It is recommended to check our Pool Lane Schedule before each visit to avoid lane closures and events.

Children 12 years of age or older, who are competent lap swimmers, may lap swim when accompanied in the pool area by a supervising adult.

Shallow Lane

There is only ONE shallow lane at the Koret Center pool. This lane is often blocked for swim lessons, trainings, or programs. Please take note if you plan to use this lane. 

Courses

Short Course

25 yards = 1 length
71 lengths = 1 mile

Long Course

For Summer 2025, we will not be doing long course set-up for the Koret pool.

50 yards = 1 length
35 lengths = 1 mile

*Long course set up is NOT Olympic size. The shallow end is open for use, so we have a 50 YARD not 50 meter set up. 

Masters Swimming

USF Masters is a competitive, meet-focused program. We participate in a wide range of pool meets, three regional championships, and numerous open water events each year. With 36 Pacific Championships, USF has a long tradition of competing in meets and open water events, supporting one another, and having fun together. Competition—both individual and relay—strengthens our community, helps keep us motivated, and has been central to the team’s identity since our founding in 1989.

​Team Expectations

  • Attend practices at least 2x per week
  • Compete in our three annual championship meets each year (1, 2, or all 3 days)

For 2026, the championship meets are:

  • Pacific Short Course Yards Championship – April 10 - 12, Novato
  • Pacific Long Course Meters Championship – July 17 – 19, Moraga
  • Pacific Short Course Meters Championship – October 2- 4, Walnut Creek

    *At this time the Masters Swim Team has paused accepting new members as the team is at maximum capacity. If you are interested in joining the team, please complete this waitlist form to be notified when tryouts open again.

The tryout includes:

  • Swim continuous 500 yds
  • Swim a 100 free for time (cutoff: 2:00)
  • Swim a 100 of another stroke for time

US Masters Swimming (USMS)
Annual membership with USMS on the USF club is required before you can participate in practices.
All inquiries or questions can be directed to the Aquatics Office: aquatics@usfca.edu

USF Masters Team Store
Shop premium USF Masters–branded gear, including:

  • Swimsuits, parkas, and bags
  • Hoodies and sweats
  • Polos
  • ¼ zip pullovers

    *All items are made to order, so please allow approximately 3 weeks from your order date for delivery.

  • Monday-Friday

    • 6:10-7:20 a.m.
    • 7:20-8:30 a.m.

    Monday-Thursday

    • 6:00–7:15 p.m.
    • Try-out Fee: $30/entry
    • Join/enrollment Fee: $195
    • Senior: $89/month (monthly auto renewal required) 
    • Individual: $129/month (monthly auto renewal required) 
    • All members must also pay the yearly USMS registration fee.

  • Head Coach: Chris Wagner

    Coach Chris, now in his fifth year leading the USF program, has continued the team’s championship tradition, guiding them to six Pacific Championships. Under his leadership, the team has broken more than 300 team records, along with four Pacific records and two national records. He is a Certified Level III U.S. Masters Swimming Coach and regularly leads USMS Stroke Development Clinics. An avid open water swimmer, former triathlete, collegiate swimmer, and Prep All-American, Chris now trains as a fitness swimmer and brings the experience and versatility to support swimmers of all abilities and goals.

    Assistant Coach: Taylor Davis

    Coach Taylor brings her genuine passion for swimming and coaching others with her on deck everyday. She grew up swimming competitively in Southern California and although Taylor thought she left competition behind after high school, she’s remained an avid swimmer and coach. Coach Taylor is a Certified Level III US Masters Swim Coach and has trained high school and adult swimmers alike. Currently, if Taylor’s not curating or crafting a challenging workout for her Masters teammates, she’s fixating on her own personal swim goals in the pool and open water.

Swim Lessons

Group Swim Lessons

Koret's Learn to Swim program is back for Summer 2026, open to all community members. Lessons are offered for ages 4-12, split into Preschool (4-6) and School-Aged (7-12) tracks, each with four progressive levels.

Classes meet Tuesdays and Thursdays, 4:00-6:00 p.m., in three 30-minute time slots per day. Class sizes are kept small, with a maximum of 4 swimmers per instructor.
Summer Sessions

  • Session 1: June 2 - 18
  • Session 2: June 23 - July 9
  • Session 3: July 14 - 30
  • Session 4: August 4 - 20

Swim Lesson Fees

 

Private Swim Lessons

Private swim lessons are not currently available. Please see our group lesson offerings above.

Youth Swim Team

Why Join USF Youth Swimming?
USF Youth Swimming is a highly competitive USA Swimming team with the coaching staff and facilities to take your swimmer as far as they can go.  With a 50 meter indoor pool in the heart of San Francisco and weight training and dryland rooms on site, the USF/Koret center provides the finest swim training venue in the City.  We want your swimmer to be successful at swimming and have a great time doing it!  With swimmers at all levels and from all over the City, USF Youth Swimming is a tremendous resource for your family and your swimmer and gives them a place where they can make new friends and compete in swimming together.

If you would like to tryout for the swim team, you may do so via USF ActiveNet. You will first need to create an online account for the person who is paying, then you will add your swimmer(s). Our swim teams are currently full but if you would like to be placed on our waiting list please send us an email at aquatics@usfca.edu with your swimmer's age and race times (if applicable).

If you have additional questions, please email the Aquatics Office at aquatics@usfca.edu.

  • Develop swimming excellence in a supportive environment through challenging training, team unity and competition

  • USFYS is comprised of five teams:  Green (development team), Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum.  Here is the current practice schedule:

    Team

    		 Practice Days Practice Time
    Green Monday, Wednesday, Friday 5:15–6:00 p.m.
    Bronze/Silver Monday, Wednesday, Friday
    Tuesday, Thursday    		 4:00–5:00 p.m.
    4:30–5:30 p.m.
    Gold/Platinum Monday -  Friday
    Tuesday, Thursday
    Tuesday, Thursday    		 4:00–6:00 p.m.
    7:00–8:30 a.m. (summer)
    6:00–7:30 a.m. (during school year)
    Weight Training (by invitation) Monday, Wednesday, Friday 3:00–4:00 p.m.
    Individual Stroke Training (by invitation) Saturday 2:00–4:00 p.m

  • $100/month (team is on monthly auto-renewal system)

  • Through Coach Doug’s leadership, USF Youth Swimming has created a program tailored to San Francisco families.  With busy schedules and competing interests, it’s difficult to swim the traditional eleven practices a week.  USFYS has shortened practice time and yardage but increased intensity and technical training.  For Gold and Platinum team swimmers, there are 5 regular afternoon practices, 2 morning practices and where appropriate, weight training 3 times a week.  In addition, there is the opportunity for individual stroke technique training every Saturday.  The coaching staff is dedicated to helping swimmers find speed and helping them learn how to compete.  Whatever, their swim goal, the USFYS coaching staff has the experience and expertise to help a swimmer achieve it.

  • Head Coach, Doug Dawkins

    Coach Dillion Headshot

    Coach Doug has been Head Coach for USF Youth Swimming since 2023 and was assistant Head Coach for seven years before that. He is also the Head Coach for Convent & Stuart Hall High School Varsity Swimming. Doug grew up and trained in the Bay Area, then went on to swim NCAA Division I for the University of Texas at Austin. Doug has swum for four different Olympic coaches and distilled his coaching style from over six decades of coaching and training experience. Mr. Dawkins is extremely technical and includes stroke correction in every practice. “I want to help every swimmer go as far as they can go and our team of coaches has the experience and expertise to help them get there.” Coach Doug has a BA in Fine Art and an MBA in Corporate Finance and Investment.

    Assistant Coach, Dillon Virva

    Coach Dillion Headshot

    Coach Dillon has been coaching USF and Convent & Stuart Hall High School since 2023. He is a former U.S. National Swimming Team member and finaled in the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials. Dillon swam NCAA Division I for University of Nevada Las Vegas and is a multiple winner in the Western Athletic Conference Championships as well as WAC Swimmer of the Year for 2015. Dillon brings top-level competitive experience to the USFYS team and particular knowledge as a sprint freestyle and butterfly specialist. Coach Dillon has a BA in Earth & Environmental Science.

    Assistant Coach, Grace Baker

    Coach Grace Headshot

    Coach Grace has been a USFYS coach since 2024. Her aquatic background spans over twenty years of competitive year-round swimming and over a decade of specialized coaching. From 2015–2017 she coached a local year-round competitive youth team, focusing on stroke mechanics, self-motivation, and teamwork. While simultaneously coaching US Masters Swimming and the Gold Country Triathlon Club, incorporating video analysis and stroke instruction for peak performance. Grace swam NCAA Division III for Lewis & Clark College, then transferred to UCLA to graduate in 2020 with a degree in Sports Psychology. Grace runs all of the USFYS morning practices and coaches the Gold & Platinum groups in the afternoons. “I encourage our swimmers to set both short and long-term goals, build smart training plans, and celebrate their own and their teammates' wins.”

    Assistant Coach, Nate Gallagher

    Coach Nate Headshot

    Coach Nate has coached swimming since 2023. He has been the Aquatics Manager for Menlo Park, and the pre-team coach for the JCC before coming to USF Youth Swimming. Nate is also a Masters swimmer and has a strong interest in stroke mechanics. Nate is mainly responsible for Green, Bronze and Silver teams and focuses on preparing swimmers for competition and moving to the next level in the club. “I want all of our swimmers to have a great experience and enjoy swimming. I want them to have fun while they are learning to compete.” Coach Nate has a BA in Philosophy from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Lifeguarding

If you are interested in applying to the lifeguard position at Koret and have a current lifeguard certification, please send us an email at  aquatics@usfca.edu  and attach your resume and current lifeguard certification. We will follow up with you by scheduling a lifeguard tryout. 

Our lifeguard tryout is roughly 30-minutes long and includes a swim-tread-swim sequence (i.e. 150 yards freestyle or breaststroke, two minute tread with no hands, and 50 yards freestyle or breaststroke) followed by a timed event (i.e. retrieving a 10 lb brick at a depth of 7-10 ft) and a demonstration of rescues and CPR skills. 

If you are interested in becoming a lifeguard and do not have a current lifeguard certification, we offer Lifeguard Classes on-site. Our Lifeguard Classes follow the Red Cross certification program and include CPR, First Aid, and Lifeguarding certificates upon successful completion. Please note that you must attend all days of our Lifeguard Class to complete the course. The Lifeguard Class is typically 3-4 days long.

We will be offering our next Lifeguard Class in the Spring Semester  (exact times/dates TBD).  If you are interested, please email aquatics@usfca.edu and we will add you to our notification list for whenever we have it scheduled. 

    • Must be 15 years of age and be able to pass the pre-course swimming test on the first day of class
    • This includes a 300-yard swim using front crawl or breaststroke, a 2-minute tread using legs only, and the ability to retrieve a 10-lb dive weight (a brick) from 7 ft deep, surface and swim 20 yds with the weight, using legs only and exit the pool without using a ladder within 100 seconds.

Registration & Payments

Registration sign-ups and enrollment information for all Aquatics programs will be handled online. You will need to create an account on ActiveNet.

Book an Appointment Online

Adult & Youth Private Swim Lessons

  • Learn more and view our detailed instructions for booking private lessons. Our facility does not accept pre-booked lessons. Please do not put in payment details without having selected dates/times first for your swim lessons. 

All private lesson bookings must be made through our online system. Patrons who are having difficulty booking online, are invited to contact aquatics@usfca.edu for assistance.

Program Refunds

Program refunds are available only if requested a minimum of 7 days prior to the start of the program. Fees are not pro-rated and there are no make-up sessions. A complete list of registration policies for Aquatics programs is available upon request. View the cancellation policy for more information.

Cancellation Policy