THE Freo Fins welcomed the reopening of the Fremantle pool last Saturday with 35 members turning up for a dip.

Mayor Brad Pettitt cut the ribbon on April 7, which Freo Fins president Brendan Hart described as “sensational.”

“Too bad it took so long, but we are very excited to have it back.”

Mr Hart says Fins membership nearly halved because of the pool’s seven-month closure, dropping from 110 to around 60.

“We negotiated with St Hilda and joined the master clubs there but the 10am starts were difficult for some people, so they gradually dropped off,” he told the Herald.

“We started swimming at South Fremantle but that was 9am so it was difficult for people to make that too. Some people also started with the Polar bears at Port Beach.”

Mr Hart is confident numbers will return quickly.

by CLARE KENYON