World largest Artificial lagoon, just by the sea

Water turquoise surrounded by fine sand, shaded by palm trees along docks where you can see kayaks, sailboats and divers under the warm water… This description of a typical Caribbean beach actually corresponds to a pool of 80,000 m2, the largest in the world, located on the Chilean coast.

biggest pool aereal

With one kilometer long, eight hectares and 250 million litres of salty water into the interior, multiple bays that form the largest pool of world-according to the Guinness book of records-create a coastline alternative in the Chilean resort of Algarrobo (95 kilometres west of Santiago). The pool covers end-to-end complex housing San Alfonso Sea, ten buildings, expected to house 1,000 families, and is separated from the Pacific Ocean only by a strip of beach at 100 meters. Algarrobo is considered the capital of the country and sailing yacht harbors deep for navigation on the high seas and fishing. But from the eleven wooden docks of the pool crew sailboats and kayaks make their own adventure navigating the waters of this small sea reserved only for the residents of the condominium and their guests.

kayaks sailboats world greatest pool

The latitude south of the Chilean beaches and ocean currents make the water of the Pacific very cold, then it is not unusual for swimmers prefer swimming in the pool, which has an average temperature above ten degrees Celsius.
The biochemical and Chilean businessman Fernando Fischman invented the concept of ‘Crystal Lagoons’. To achieve the design of this mega-pool, the first difficulty-it took ten years to resolve-was to develop a new technology that would enable to biochemically debug unlimited volumes of water. According to Crystal Lagoons Corporation, the technology developed uses 100 times less chemicals than traditional methods for cleaning swimming pools and is already patented worldwide.

“Water is taken from the subsoil to about three meters deep beneath the sand and then applies the filtration process. There is a replacement of 800,000 litres per day and two days are required to empty it fully,” said AFP Saint Alphonsus manager of the Sea, Sigfrido Grimau.

big lagoon front

The sand surrounding the pool also has a special treatment: it is washed and refined, which gives it a finer texture that the natural sand from the coast.

In 2009 the company will begin building a gap of 12.5 hectares in the Chilean resort of Brisas, which will upset the title holding Saint Alphonsus Sea as the largest in the world pool since last year. According Crystal Lagoons, nine lakes are already in development and another twelve preliminary. Destinations captivated by this new concept of Chilean origin are diverse: Dubai, Egypt, Greece.