James E. Martin Aquatic Center

Draped with banners honoring the eight-time Men's NCAA Champions, five-time Women's NCAA Champions and 23 SEC titles, the James E. Martin Aquatics Center has been home to the Auburn swimming and diving team since it opened in 1993. Chosen to host some of the top competitions in the sport of swimming, the Aquatics Center is designed as one of the premier natatoriums in the nation, and provides Auburn and its athletes with the perfect facility for training and competition. The swimming center complex, located between Beard-Eaves Coliseum and the Student Activities Center, houses an Olympic-size pool with two moveable bulkheads which allow for variable distance competition and simultaneous diving. The center is equipped with seating for approximately 1000 spectators with an additional 800 seats for competitors on the pool deck. The facility was designed with speed in mind and results from the 1998 NCAA Men's Championships, 1994 SEC Championships and 1995 U.S. Open prove that the pool is one of the nation's fastest. The design of the pool incorporates a state of the art gutter system which absorbs waves rather than reverberating them back into to the competition pool. Ultimately, the design creates a calmer pool and reduces the amount of turbulence swimmers must face. In addition, the bulkheads feature a flow-through design which minimizes waves rebounding on turns. The pool is nine feet deep at its most shallow point and 16.5 feet deep beneath the diving apparatus. The diving facility features two one-meter springboards, two three-meter springboards and fi ve platform levels (1-, 3-, 5-, 7.5- and 10-meters). The floor of the diving well is navy blue and provides a darker contrast which makes it easier for divers to spot the water during the course of a dive. Recent additions to the facility include a new Daktronis high-definition video board on the west wall, along with new record boards displaying Auburn, NCAA and World records. A new closed-circuit television/video camera setup has also been added on the pool deck.