FAQs

• Crayfish Canal
  • Diving Boards
  • Drop Slides
  • Lap Swimming
• Frog Bog Zero-Depth Entry Activity Pool
• Dragonfly Den Toddler Pool
• Turtle Creek Lazy River
• Salamander Slides
  • Tube Slide
  • Body Slide
  • Racer Slide
  • Turbo Freefall Slide
• The Dive Concessions Area
• Splash Park
• Sand Play Area
• Sand Volleyball Court
• Locker Rooms & Family/All Gender Restrooms: Men’s & Women’s locker rooms with coin-operated lockers & swim suit dryers.

Otter Cove is a state-of-the-art facility. It was designed and constructed based on the current aquatic industry standards and practices, which is why there are differences in the appearance, design, construction and safety precautions & guidelines compared to other area pools.

Yes. Food and beverages must by kept in personal bags and only consumed in designated concession areas or at The Dive Concessions. The Dive Concessions sells hot dogs, pizza, small snacks and beverages.

Yes, please see Guest Services for a hand stamp. Hand stamps are only valid for the day you purchased your daily fee. You will need to pay admission again or show a valid pool pass for any additional days you wish to visit.

Otter Cove requires all children who are not toilet trained to wear tightly-fitting disposable swim diapers.

Parents and guests who wish to observe programs or events should sit on the pool deck near the program or event. For their safety, children not participating in a program or event must be supervised by a parent/guardian, away from the water.

Swim suits only, please. Non-appropriate swim attire includes, but is not limited to, sports bras, sport shorts, basketball shorts, cutoff jeans, underwear, thong bikinis and swimsuits deemed to be unfitting for family environment due to tightness, transparency or cut. It is also recommended that small children wear thermal swim suits or swim suits that cover more body area. Since the body mass is drastically different than adults or older, children heat loss is greater and they are more susceptible to harmful affects of UV rays. Staff suggests that your child wear a hat to prevent heat loss and shade them from harmful UV rays. Before and after your child swims, it is recommended that you keep them warm with a hooded terry cloth robe or towel.

Each pool is heated! The preferred pool temperature for Crayfish Canal Lap Pool is between 80 and 82 degrees. The Frog Bog Activity Pool and Dragonfly Den Toddler Pool’s water temperature is between 84 and 86 degrees. The Turtle Creek Lazy River preferred water temperature is between 82 and 84 degrees.

Otter Cove allows infant rings, baby seat floats with a mesh bottom, US Coast Guard approved lifejackets and puddle jumpers to be used within an arm’s reach of a parent/guardian in less than three feet of water. Inflatable water wings are not allowed; water wings, floatation rings, and buoyant bathing suits can offer a false sense of security when it comes to pool safety. While they may help make swimming fun for an infant or toddler who cannot swim on his own, never trust them to take the place of your watchful eye. Single and double-person tubes are available at no additional cost. Only tubes provided may be used at the Aquatic Park. Blue tubes are for the Yellow Tube Slide. Clear tubes are for the Lazy River. Rafts are not permitted. Occasionally, staff host “Float Nights” in which rafts, pool noodles, etc. are allowed, but that is only during those specific special events.”

The water slide manufacturer requires that all users of the water slide be a minimum height of 42” to prevent the guest from being seriously injured. Riders must be at least 42” inches to ride the slides. Riders 42-47 inches may use these slides while wearing an approved US Coast Guard lifejacket.

The water slide manufacturer requires that all guests use the slide one person at a time, feet first on your back. Inner tube manufacturers require that only 1 person to a single inner tube and only 2 people to a double inner tube. This prevents the potential injury to the neck or back. When a guest uses the slide with a child on their lap, it increases the risk of the guest to have a neck or back injury and the child to potentially slip off the person and become severely injured. The flow of the water slides and the lazy river also increase the potential of injury when more than 1 guest uses the slide or an inner tube at a time and can result in multiple guests becoming injured.

Certain pools at Otter Cove are restricted during the week for St. Charles Park District programs, such as swim team practice or swim lessons. The Park District will make every effort to inform you of possible pool closures posting signs and updating www.ottercove.org.

At least 2 lap lanes are open during all normal operating hours, except during rentals which may occur anytime of the week. Lap swimmers are expected to circle swim when there are more than 2 swimmers per lane. Circle swimming is defined as swimming in a lane in a standard counter-clockwise direction, up the right side and back down the left. For the safety and comfort of the lap swimmers, lap swimming is available to ages 16 and older.

For aquatic park rules: click here

Yes, Guest Services carries a variety of items including sun screen, goggles, lip balm, buckets, totes, t-shirts (child sizes only) and swim diapers.

• On cooler days, bring a towel that wraps completely around you to keep you warm when entering and exiting the pool. For children, bring a hooded towel or robe to keep them warm.

• Read the safety guidelines before entering the facility. For aquatic park rules: click here
• If your child is not toilet trained, make sure they wear a swim diaper when swimming. Remember to check their diaper frequently and change the swim diaper as needed to prevent contamination of the pool water. Swim diapers are available for purchase from Guest Services at Otter Cove.
• Call ahead to Otter Cove Aquatic Park at 630-513-4377 to ensure the facility is open for the duration you would like to swim.

The lifeguard staff is trained under StarGuard Elite, an aquatic risk prevention agency that is internationally recognized for its elite training, certification, and consulting programs serving lifeguards, management, attraction attendants, and more. The lifeguard staff must complete and pass a training program which includes lifeguard rescue skills, AED training, oxygen administration training, emergency procedures and community CPR. The lifeguards must also attend weekly in-service training sessions and participate in surprise simulations. Throughout the year, auditors conduct unannounced visits to audit staff performance.

Remember: Lifeguards are on duty only to enforce rules and to respond in case of an emergency. To ensure that lifeguards are attentive to the area they are assigned to watch, please keep all questions brief. If you would like more clarification on a rule or procedure of Otter Cove, please ask a pool manager or the Aquatic Supervisor.

The District’s lifeguard training provider, StarGuard Elite (SGE), requires that staff practice Vigilance Awareness Training (VAT) as an educational tool for lifeguards. SGE has long been an innovator in the aquatic community. VAT seeks to educate, train, and prepare lifeguards for a submersion event. Through exhaustive research, the VAT training uses a mannequin to simulate a submerged victim. SGE found that with this training technique, the average detection time was 30 seconds; some detection occurred in as little as 10 seconds. This program is unique in that it involves actually showing lifeguards what a submerged guest in distress looks like. If you see a mannequin in or around the facility, do not remove it.