Item 02 of 10
Room to swim: length, width and depth
The size on the brochure is the outside of the cabinet. What matters is the open water between the current and the first seat.
What it is
The length on a swim spa's brochure is the outside of the cabinet. Inside, the current comes from one end and you swim in the open water between it and whatever sits behind you: seats, steps, or the wall of a built-in hot tub. That open water is the swim area. Only about half the brands publish it. PDC does: its 15-foot TruSwim TSX15 has 114 inches of open fitness space, about nine and a half feet. Depth works the same way. Endless Pools' E500-58 stands 58 inches tall and holds at most 46 inches of water.
Why it matters
Stretched out with arms overhead, a swimmer is longer than you'd think. In the US Army's 1988 body survey, standing reach to the fist averaged 1.2 times height, so a six-foot swimmer is more than seven feet long before a single kick. Put that body in a short lane and something gives: your hands reach toward the current outlet, your feet hit the seats, and you shorten your stroke to fit. On PDC's TruSwim models, 5.5 to 6.7 feet of each spa's length isn't open swim space.
Depth matters to tall swimmers and to jogging in place. Master Spas says most swim spas hold water from the low 40s up to about 51 inches, and in shallow water a big kick touches the floor. Width matters for breaststroke: Endless Pools says its 94-inch-wide E550 suits butterfly and breaststroke, against 89 inches on its other models. The lane you buy is the lane you keep.
How makers do it
Open lane, seats out of the way
The good waySeats sit beside or behind the swim area, not in it, and the maker publishes the open length. PDC lists it for every TruSwim model.
Swim-only vessel
The good wayNo seats at all, just a lane. Artesian lists its 14-foot TidalFit Core Swimmer with zero seats.
Deep version of a model
The good wayA taller cabinet holds deeper water. Master Spas' H2X 'D' models stand 60 inches tall against 51 for the standard ones.
Seating wrapped into the lane
AvoidSeats and loungers fill the lane to raise the seat count. Bullfrog's S150 seats 13 in 152 inches.
In the showroom
Check this
- Read the spec sheet for swim area length and water depth, not just outside size.
- Lie out in the empty display with arms overhead. Your feet shouldn't reach the seats.
- Stand where you'd swim and ask how high the water will come on you.
Ask this
- How long is the open water, from the current outlet to the first seat or step?
- How deep is the water itself, not the cabinet?
- Is there a deep version of this model, and what does it cost?
How each brand does it
11 of 17 brands publish enough to tell. For the rest, ask the dealer.
Every brand, A to Z (11)
- PartlyAmerican Whirlpool
Depth is published (46 to 56 in); American Whirlpool doesn't publish the open swim length. Ask the dealer.
- PartlyArctic Spas
Arctic prints the open swim area for every model: 98-144 in long and 50 in wide on the 14-ft pools, 165 x 67 in on the 18-ft Polar Bear. Water depth isn't published.
- PartlyCal Spas
Cal Spas prints the swim area on its drawings: about 8 to 11.5 feet of open water, and no water depth.
- PartlyEndless Pools
Not on the product pages, but 2019-2020 drawings show 6.5 to 11.5 feet of open lane (on the 20-footers, measured to the divider).
- PartlyHydropool
Hydropool publishes the lane: 88 to 153 inches of usable swim area, about 3.5 feet deep, with no deep version.
- PartlyJacuzzi
Jacuzzi publishes a usable swim length for every model, 96 to 148 in, but no water depth, and its own J-16 figures disagree.
- PartlyMarquis
Marquis publishes water depth (43 in on the V150s, 48 in on the V174s) but not the open swim length. Ask the dealer.
- PartlyPDC Spas
PDC publishes the open fitness length for every model (100 to 160 inches) but never the water depth.
- PartlySundance Spas
Sundance publishes usable swim length: 88 in on the Splash 12, 112 in on the Stream 13, 168 in on both 17s. No water depth or lane width.
- PartlySwimEx
SwimEx publishes the water surface and water depth for every model, which few makers do, but the water is only 11'9" long on six of the eight models.
- PartlyWellis
Swim length is published only for the Rio Grande (123.6 in); a European sheet gives the Beach Club's floor plan and depth.
Artesian Spas, Bullfrog Spas, Coast Spas, Dynasty Spas, LPI and Master Spas don’t publish this.
Read nextSwim spa sizes12- and 13-foot swim spas14- and 15-foot swim spas16- to 21-foot swim spasBest swim spas for lap swimming
Where it gets complicated
Makers disagree on how much length a swimmer needs. Hydropool says its 14-footer gives anyone room and that extra length mostly makes a longer pool; Bullfrog says 12-footers aren't ideal for competitive swimmers over six feet. The current decides much of it: a smooth current holds you in one spot, a rough one moves you around, and moving around needs room.