Sirens Aquatic Sports Club

We’ve just been over to the famous Blue Lagoon on Comino – the little island between Malta and Gozo – where I logged a short open water loop around the turquoise waters. With the shoulder feeling ok, I was keen to notch up a new pool and spotted the perfect place on the way back to St. Julian’s.

St. Paul’s – or San Pawl as the Maltese call it, is home to the Sirens water polo and swimming team. Their base is a waterfront outdoor pool, 25m x 33m, with a Michelin star restaurant on one side and a scuba diving school on the other. Classic Malta.

The entrance fee seemed a bit steep at €10, but the pool really does look spectacular. It’s usually split into ten 25m lanes, but today there was just one lane rope down the middle. One half was taken over by a water polo training session, the other by a scuba lesson. I found a sunbed next to the centre lane rope and jumped in.

Minor panic straight away – the underwater pool light had been removed and the bare cable ends were just sitting there in the water. A quick scan revealed all the other lights had been pulled too, so hopefully the whole ring was disconnected from the mains. No electrical tingles, so I got on with it.

I kept the session short and light, aiming not to stress the shoulder. Knocked out 1km, then a couple of 100s that I filmed to check my stroke. I want to understand what’s behind this injury before seeing a specialist back home. Watching the playback later included a comical Timelapse moment…

Finished up just as the Italian ladies water polo team arrived for training. Time to head back to the hotel pool for a sun lounger session. Perfect timing.