Getting Soaked By Sea And Sun -- Beaches, Parks, Pools Await Season's Action

When schools empty for the summer, thousands of students head for South King County beaches to soak up the sun.

Fortunately, there are a lot of beaches to soak up the youngsters.

County parks at Lake Wilderness and Lake Meridian, both east of Kent, Angle Lake in SeaTac, and Steel Lake and Five Mile Lake in Federal Way have sandy beaches and roped-off swimming areas with lifeguards, as well as other water-related activities.

But 55-acre Gene Coulon Memorial Park, on the south end of Lake Washington in Renton, is in another league when it comes to water-oriented parks. Sure, you can swim or dive from a concrete pier. But you can also rent a paddleboat, sailboard or rowboat, fish from a separate pier, or even play volleyball or tennis.

There's a place to launch canoes, four boat-launch lanes for bigger craft, floating picnic areas, and various concessions including a restaurant that serves seafood.

Named for the city parks director who bought the land in 1958, Coulon has a mile of waterfront.

Oh yes, there's one drawback: too many geese. Park personnel have to wash down the walkways daily in the summer to get rid of the droppings. And to keep the bacterial count in the water from reaching unhealthy levels, some of the geese are relocated each year to Oregon.

Swimmer's itch has also caused problems for swimmers in some lakes.

Almost every city in the area has an indoor pool, but none can compare to Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way. Actually three separate pools housed in an $18 million building, it is as big as some lakes.

The pools hold a combined 1.5 million gallons of treated water, and two of them have underwater viewing windows for coaches and photographers. Above the water, there are seats for about 2,500 spectators.

Along with several diving platforms - the highest about 40 feet above the water - it has an elevator, concession stand and vending machine that sells 100 percent fruit juice.

It's the perfect refresher for some of the world's best swimmers and divers, who frequent the place during frequent competitions that started with the 1990 Goodwill Games.

Here are recreational swimming areas with lifeguards:

-- Angle Lake Park - 19408 Pacific Highway S., SeaTac. Swimming, fishing and a boat launch.

-- Five Mile Lake - 36429 Military Road S., Federal Way. Swimming and fishing.

-- Gene Coulon Park - Lake Washington Boulevard, Renton. Swimming, fishing and a boat launch.

-- Lake Meridian - 27103 148th Ave. S.E., Kent. Swimming, fishing and a boat launch.

-- Lake Wilderness - 23601 S.E. 248th St., Maple Valley. Swimming, fishing and a boat launch.

-- Lakewood Park - 11050 10th Ave. S.W., White Center. Swimming and fishing.

-- Steel Lake Park - 2410 S. 312th St., Federal Way. Swimming, fishing and a boat launch.

Here are some South End parks on Puget Sound where you can get wet, but without lifeguards on duty:

-- Dash Point State Park - Southwest Dash Point Road, Federal Way.

-- Des Moines Beach Park - South 222nd Street and Cliff Avenue North.

-- Ed Munro Seahurst Park - between Southwest 130th and 144th streets, Burien.

-- Lakota Beach Park - off Southwest Dash Point Road at 25th Avenue Southwest, Federal Way.

-- Marine View Park - Marine View Drive, Normandy Park.

-- Saltwater State Park - Marine View Drive South, south of Des Moines.

Here are South End public swimming pools. All offer swim lessons with a variety of schedules:

-- Auburn Pool - 516 Fourth Ave. N.E., 939-8825.

-- Enumclaw Pool - 420 Semanski St., 828-1188.

-- Evergreen Pool - 606 S.W. 116th St., Seattle. 296-4410.

-- Federal Way Pool - 30421 16th Ave. S. 839-1000.

-- Kent Pool - 25316 101st Ave. S.E. 296-4275.

-- Mt. Rainier Pool - 22722 19th Ave. S. Des Moines.

-- Renton Pool - 16740 128th Ave. S.E. 296-4335.

-- South Central Pool - 4414 S. 144th St., Tukwila. 296-4487.

-- Tahoma Pool - 18230 S.E. 240th St., Kent. 296-4276.

-- Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center - 650 S.W. Campus Drive, Federal Way. 296-4444.