"I have to get out early. The lesson should be an hour and a half, at the moment I'm getting out half an hour early."
Nicola Dearnley, 16, of Kerikeri, said she dreaded getting in, and she had to wrap up and sit by the fire to warm up when she got home, while Lexie Ludbrook, 15, from Ohaeawai, said there was a race to the hot showers after every lesson.
Coach Alex Bennett said club attendance was normally above 95 per cent but it had dropped to about 30 per cent. Half the children in the beginners' class swam in wetsuits but that wasn't enough to keep them warm.
The water temperature should be 26C-27C but it could be as low as 19C. If a southerly was blowing the air inside the building could be just 9C in the morning, he said.
"We are a competitive club ... Some parents and children are not happy with their results and it's not because we aren't providing training. The temperature doesn't allow us to sustain the training process."
Club committee member Denis Garner was grateful the Far North District Council had agreed to replace the broken heater, but wondered why it had taken so long and why the process was so convoluted.
The chilly water had caused a drop in membership and financial strain for the club, which had fixed costs for lane hire and professional coaching.
The club boasted some of Northland's top swimmers with four gold squad members qualifying for the Aims Games in Tauranga in September. However, when the Advocate called in only one of the four was at training.
"It's so important that training is maintained if they're going to medal ... This has really let down our athletes," Mr Garner said.
Seniors' aqua aerobics and Special Olympics training have also been put on hold.
The pool's complicated ownership may have played a part in the delay. The land is owned by the Education Ministry and the pool by Bay of Islands College. Running costs are subsidised by a targeted rate and it is operated by Kaitaia-based CBEC.
Mr Garner hoped pool management could be taken over by Sport Northland as proposed in 2015.
