The San Alfonso del Mar resort seawater pool in Algarrobo, Chile has been officially declared the largest swimming pool in the world, according to the Guinness World Records.
Completed in December 2006, it is 1,013 metres long, has an area of 20 acres and holds 66 million gallons of water. It utilizes a technology developed by the Chile-based company Crystal Lagoons Corporation, which uses water pumped from the Pacific Ocean, that is then filtered and treated for supply to the pool.
Over sixteen times longer than an Olympic-sized swimming pool
It’s been reported to have a depth of 35 metres, which would also make it the world’s deepest pool, however this appears to stem from confusion over it being “transparent to a depth of 35 metres”. Nevertheless, you can also Scuba dive in the pool and 35 metres is actually the recreational diving limit – going any deeper requires specialist training and equipment,
Naturally, it wasn’t cheap, costing around US$2 billion to build and another US$4 million per year for maintenance, but despite its enormous price tag, it as it has been attracting huge crowds of curious tourists, since it opened at three and a half years ago.
The sun warms the water to 26ºC, nine degrees warmer than the adjoining sea
Fernando Fischmann, the Chilean biochemist who designed the pool, said advanced engineering meant his company could build “an impressive artificial paradise” even in inhospitable areas. And the company plans an even bigger pool in the Egyptian desert.
Emma Ward
