This review is specifically for the pool(s). The facilities are really good, although the changing…read moreroom/showers are fairly primitive. The salt water pools are both nice--a good sized lap pool and a warmer leisure for water walking and kid fun, as well as a river for floating and relaxing. There is also a giant water slide. The downside is the management of the pools, or lack thereof. Don't expect rules to be enforced, especially in summer, when the lifeguards are almost exclusively teenagers. Kids play in the lap lanes, which disappear with little regard to the schedule. I saw a child dive into the shallow end of the kids' pool and not one of the three lifeguards said anything or perhaps even noticed. Usually there's only one swim lane during aquafit, even if the class is sparsely attended. If you want equipment--water weights, for instance--you often have to hunt down someone to get them for you from a back room. Most gyms I've been to have that equipment readily available. During aquafit classes, the music is so loud that the people in the water often can't hear the instructor, and the instructors are already miked. The volume is headache-inducing at times. Additionally, the music itself is generally very bad. In the morning, it's the same hits of the 70s on a loop ("American Pie" every morning gets old quickly) and in the evenings it's even worse. Little effort seems to go into matching what people in the aquafit classes might enjoy--it's just typical aerobics music, with no imagination or common sense put into the song choice, given that the majority of the people in the classes are 65-plus. (Pre-1960 music actually had a beat--people jitterbugged to it!) I mention music because it's loud, there's no escaping it, and having contemporary country (for example) blaring in your ear isn't always what you want when you're trying to unwind after a long day.

Everytime I go to this rec centre pool. Someone decides to take a dook in it. They need to get…read morebetter dook control here because people just have loose cracks that want to dook everywhere.

Another fantastic Van Island Rec Centre- they've really done it right over here. Huge gym with no…read moretime limits preset into cardio machines and signup sheets used only if there is a line; really common sense for those of us who perform long stretches of cardio training. Nice salt water pool, hot tub and sauna. friendly staff, clean, lots of well attended community classes, cafe for treats after, and it's affordable. I learned here that they have a pass where you're able to use all the city rec centres with one card, similar to Vancouver Parks Board's FlexiPass.

When we moved to Victoria we passed by the JDFC and I thought it was just a library - wow was I…read morewrong. The library is next to it, but as a family we are there every week doing something from swimming to skating to working out in the gym. We have a family pass and pay monthly, but you can walk in and use the facilities on a per per go basis as well. They have all sorts of classes, a playground in the back, three pools, sauna, steam, water slide and if you are hungry after that a healthy snack bar - no fried garbage - a bit expensive but not overly so. Just don't get lost in the bamboo "forest" next to the library...but that's another story...

Cafe is a great place for a post-workout sandwich! Best on campus. Wish it was open more.read more

This is, hands-down, my new favorite place to work out in Victoria. As a seasonal resident who is…read moreunaffiliated with any local universities, for the past few summers, I had been a faithful patron of PISE on the Camosun College's Interurban campus. CARSA's much larger facility, with plentiful equipment, decent class roster, good hours, and reasonable fitness center rates for community members ($85 for a monthly pass to access both fitness center and pool at the McKinnon Building across the street) make it a no-brainer. Parking pretty much is a wash, as fees apply for PISE as well. Other than CARSA, the only other non-rec center gym in town is the Y, which is a nightmare parking-wise (especially during peak hours) and has a higher sketch factor, although, like a rec center, it entitles you to use of a pool contained within the same complex. (Note: My positive feelings toward CARSA are tempered by the realization that conditions may change, once the fall semester begins and student users increase.)

Most Marvellous!! The facility is outstanding, the staff are so friendly and helpful. The…read morelifeguards assisted / treated me for an eye issue and several times checked in with me during our swim to offer further support. This is your family 'go to' water adventure park!! I took my grandboys here and after our swim, we enjoyed the cafe and library. The entire experience was wholesome, affordable and great fun!!

This place was so awesome for the family. Has various pools, hot tub, warm pool for toddlers, wave…read morepool, sauna, steam room, diving pool with varying heights, lap swim pool. Very reasonable prices. Worth checking out! Staff are friendly and watchful.

How could they close such a center... There are plenty of…read moregyms all over downtown--you can just walk into any hotel and work out. But there was only one place where kids could come play basketball every day. There's not a single decent gym in the entire area where you can work out year-round, in any weather, for $30 a month. So what now?.. Long live the home and the computer

I recently visited Victoria on vacation and it turned out the YMCA/YWCA two blocks from my hotel…read moreoffers day passes to its gym. This facility is a great option for anyone visiting Victoria who needs to work on their strength training while on vacation. They have several Life Fitness machines, including pectoral fly/rear deltoid. They also have some older machines from a brand I have never heard of before called Keiser, which turned out to be an American brand based in Fresno, California. The Keiser machines are strange because they have thumb controls to manipulate a pneumatic system which controls resistance, rather than the traditional system of sticking a pin into a weight stack. But once you figure out how to use them, they're okay.

When I travel abroad, I'm typically disappointed with the hotel gyms. Not this one! While it did…read morenot have the array of dumbbells I would like (50# limit) it had a robust array of machines that afforded every opportunity to exercise core muscle groups and maintain while eating the awesome Victoria cuisine. There is an indoor lap pool, jacuzzi, and squash courts that offer a well rounded club experience. The locker rooms provide basic amenities, though there is little privacy. An array of aerobic machine entice u into the internal caloric and distance challenge, though I don't quite understand the necessity of keeping the largest TV displaying that challenge. Check the aerobic schedule. Tons of yoga and pilates classes every day! Sweat and shower towels are available at the front desk so there is no reason not to be healthy.

I like this club allot. The staff are friendly and it's super clean. The hours are great. I'd like…read moreto see more equipment though. That's the only reason I don't use it as often as another gym.i belong to.

Friendly and professional teen staff. Needs more challenging…read moreplay for the youth, great for young children, in the regular course.

They strapped me in and I was very excited to go. (I was on the extreme corse) I listened to the…read moredirections and I started climbing. Not only did they give me a harness to small, but when I was zip lining my thing got turned around and I bashed in the wood, they had to do a emergency exit from 60ft. I got my money back and they were nice but I do NOT recommend going on that corse.

great staff, safety first. good for beginners too. Bouldering, lead climbing. first Friday night of…read moremonth they have a meet new climbing partners match-up.