At the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile, a quick dip could well turn into a marathon.
Swimming a length in this, the world’s largest outdoor pool, would mean stroke after stroke for more than three fifths of a mile – that’s 20 Olympic-size swimming pools.
The enormous man-made lagoon is set halfway up the country’s Pacific coast, in the city of Algarrobo, and is filled with 66 million gallons of crystal clear seawater.
The pool opened in December 2006 after nearly five years of construction work and is said to have set developers back £2million.
CRYSTAL LAGOON IN NUMBERS
- Capacity: 66 million gallons
- Length:3,323ft
- Area: 20 acres
- Temperature: heated to 26C
- Estimated cost of construction: £2million
- Construction time: Almost five years
- Completed: December 2006
- The competition: More than twice the length of the next biggest outdoor pool