Hampton Virginia Aquaplex — Participant Guide

Modified

July 15, 2026

The Hampton Virginia Aquaplex (HVA) hosts GPSA invitational and championship meets. This guide covers parking, spectator seating, and facility rules for families attending a meet at this venue.

Address: 1908 Coliseum Drive, Hampton, VA 23666

Parking

On-site parking in the pool parking lot is limited. Overflow parking is available within walking distance at the Hampton Coliseum and Convention Center. Handicap parking is available in the pool parking lot.

  • Park only in designated parking spaces
  • Cars may unload in designated areas only
  • Parking next to a curb in the Aquaplex parking lot may result in ticketing or towing

Parking will be a challenge — please carpool with your team whenever possible.

HVA parking map showing pool parking lot, drop-off area, and overflow parking at the Coliseum

Pool deck access

Access to the pool deck is strictly controlled. Only coaches, officials, swimmers, and meet volunteers are permitted on the pool deck. Spectators must remain in the seating area above.

No personal chairs are permitted inside the facility.

Finding your swimmer

Do not approach the pool deck or meet officials to ask about your swimmer’s lane or event assignment. That information is available from:

Any concerns should be directed to your team’s GPSA Representative.

Spectator seating

The elevated spectator seating wraps the pool in an L-shape — the full length of one long side, plus a section behind one end — and seats roughly 1,500. Seating is first-come, first-served — teams may not reserve large sections. Please be respectful of all families in attendance.

For GPSA meets the pool is configured as shown below. The competition course runs along the diving-board end, the warm-up / warm-down lanes are on the opposite end, and two bulkheads across the middle serve as the turn end:

  • 50s and longer start at the diving-end blocks and turn at the center bulkhead.
  • 25s start at the bulkhead and finish at the diving end.

HVA meet layout: competition course on the diving-board end, warm-up and warm-down on the opposite end, two center bulkheads as the turn end, spectator seating along the near side and behind the warm-up end, and the Safe Sport no-photo zone behind the starting blocks

Photos & videos

Spectators are encouraged to take photos and videos during the meet. However:

NO photos or videos may be taken from behind the starting blocks. For GPSA meets at this venue, that means:

  • The diving-board end, at all times — the deck under the diving boards, behind the competition blocks (the Safe Sport zone).
  • The end-seating during 25s — because 25s start from the center bulkhead facing the diving end, that seating looks directly at the swimmers’ backs at the start.

This rule is strictly enforced by meet staff and officials in both the deck area and the spectator area. Violators will be asked to stop and delete the offending content. Refusal may result in removal from the meet and a ban from future GPSA meets.