Chances are, the main places you’ve shown off your breaststroke are likely to be the local swimming pool, a nice sandy beach, and maybe if you’ve been super adventurous, a lake or two. But there are some seriously snazzy places to swim in the world – here’s our pick of the most random, exciting or just plain dangerous places to swim, both natural and man-made.
1. Devil’s Swimming Pool, Victoria Falls, Africa
The Devil’s Swimming Pool, or Devil’s Armchair, is a naturally formed infinity pool at the top of Victoria Falls in Zambia. 420 feet above the river below, it is safe to relax at the edge of one of the world’s most impressive waterfalls! From above the water it seems as though one could slip off, but beneath the surface there is a natural rocky ledge thatcreates a back-eddy and stops the current.
2. San Alfonso del Mar, Algarrobo, Chile
The San Alfonso del Mar is the worlds largest swimming pool – with an extension of more than one kilometer in length, 8ha and 250 million litres of water, it’s mindbogglingly huge, and its bright turquoise colour technology is created by pumping the water from the Pacific Ocean, filtering it and then supplying it to the pool.
Image by ChileConectado
3. Deans Blue Hole
In a bay near to Clarence Town on Long Island, Bahamas, is the deepest underwater sinkhole in the world. It descends 663 feet to the ocean floor. Dean’s is known worldwide as a wonderful spot for free-diving; it was the location over the last few years of numerous new world and national free-diving records.
4. Badeschiff, Berlin
This is a floating pool in the middle of Berlins River Spree, and in summer is a hot bed of fun and activity. In summer, it offers massages, sports and yoga classes as well as concerts and parties. In winter, it aquires a roof and two saunas.
Image by Ulrike Berlin
5. The Ocean Dome, Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan
The Ocean Dome is known as the world’s largest indoor water park; at about 300 metres long and 100 metres wide its easy to see why! The water temperature is kept at around 28 degrees and there’s even an artificial wave generating system. Who needs the beach?
6. Mosquito Bay
Siatuated in Puerto Rica, on Vieques Island, there is a body of water with a narrow inlet known as Mosquito Bay. In each gallon of water there are 720,000 phosphorescent single-celled organisms that glow when they are disturbed. All together the bay, on a moonless night, these fascinating organisms can potentially create enough light to sit and read your book by! Swimming in Mosquito Bay will see your limbs light up in a strange bluey green light!
