The Plunge San Diego

After my quick morning dip in the hotel pool, I made the most of the afternoon with a visit to The Plunge – the historic pool right at Mission Beach.

Located between the wooden rollercoaster of Belmont Park and the unmistakable oceanfront of Mission Beach, The Plunge is an impressive spot. The building’s brilliant glasshouse design, framed by a classic white triple arch facade, makes for a striking entrance. Originally opened in 1925 as the Mission Beach Natatorium, it fell into disrepair and closed in 2014, but reopened in 2019 after a massive $12 million restoration.

Today, The Plunge blends lap swimming with family fun. A floating boom separates the lap lanes from a kids’ inflatable aqua obstacle course, and the pool deck is packed with free pool toys, swim aids, and even spin bikes and weights. There’s also a full gym just off the pool.

I arrived to a scene straight out of a quirky postcard – a huge floating snowman in the activity pool. Well, it was November 6th, after all! The bright natural light from the floor-to-ceiling glass frontage was amazing, and the retractable roof is a great touch. Despite the warm weather outside, two huge, slow-spinning ceiling fans kept the air moving nicely inside.

Paid the $15 entry fee, grabbed a lane, and got started. The pool’s saltwater makes a noticeable difference – not quite ocean-level salinity, but enough to give a buoyancy boost. I completed a 2,000-yard swim at a relaxed 1:21/100 yards pace.

Post-swim, I noticed the men’s changing rooms were flooded with about an inch of water from the showers – not ideal, but manageable. After drying off, I took a stroll along the Mission Beach oceanfront walk, grabbed an iced caramel macchiato from Starbucks, and headed off to Point Loma to watch the sunset over the Pacific.