NYC pools and beaches may soon stay open well into fall

Last week, Democratic City Councilman Shekar Krishnan introduced a new bill that would keep NYC public outdoor pools and beaches open from the second Saturday in May through the second Sunday in October from 8am to 8pm daily. If turned into law, the new guidelines would extend the city's access to water-adjacent destinations by a full two months.

To put things in perspective, currently, beaches are open daily from 10am to 6pm starting Memorial Day weekend in May through the Sunday after Labor Day in September. The outdoor pool season, on the other hand, kicks off towards the end of June and wraps up in September, with access given to the public between 11am and 3pm and then again 4pm to 7pm daily.

When presenting his proposal, Krishan specifically mentioned that the effort would come hand-in-hand with other similar ones, including access to funding that would allow the city to offer even more people the free swimming lessons that were part of a previously passed legislative package. 

Don't get too excited about the possibility of playing around in the ocean come October any time soon, though: according to the New York Post, NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue made clear that moving forward with the suggestions would probably be too complicated at the moment. 

“We are very proud of our extensive lifeguard recruitment efforts,” she said during a hearing last week, referring to the much-chronicled shortage of lifeguards in the area. “But the stark reality is that we still face a very challenging environment for hiring, which means that the expansion of the beach and pool season and operating hours proposed by the legislation is unlikely to be feasible any time in the foreseeable near future.”

Looking for ways to be part of a possible solution? Check out our guide to becoming a lifeguard at a NYC public pool of beach.