The World’s Largest Swimming Pool

The world’s largest swimming pool is found at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile.

San Alfonso del Mar

This private resort in Chile is most notable for offering guests access to the world’s largest swimming pool. The 20-acre saltwater pool stretches about 1,000 meters (3300 feet) and holds 250 million liters (66 million gallons) of water. At its deepest, it reaches a depth of 115 feet and is so large that sailboats are often seen gliding along its waters. The pool took 5 years to build and opened in December 2007. It was designed by Crystal Lagoons Corporation, which claims that their lagoons can cost “up to ten times less than those of a similarly sized golf course, and much less than those of an average park of the same dimensions.”

The water in the pool is pumped in from the Pacific ocean on one side, which is then filtered and treated, and water is pumped out of the other side. This helps gives the water its beautiful turquoise color, along with a colored liner which covers the bottom. The water temperature is also about 9 degrees Celsius warmer (16 F) than the surrounding ocean water.

A sandy “beach” area is adjacent to the pool, although there is a definite edge between the sand and the water, as seen in the photo below.

The cost to build the pool was an estimated $2 billion, while annual maintenance is estimated to be around $4 million per year.

According to the Daily Mail, the second largest pool – known as Big Splash – pales in comparison, measuring only 150 yards long by 100 yards wide.

Below is a satellite view of the pool and resort.

Several internet sources cite Guinness World Records as recognizing the pool as the largest in the world, although that entry appears to have been removed from their official website.

Bottom Line

The largest pool in the world can be found at the San Alfonso del Mar resort in Chile. It took 5 years and $2 billion to build, and stretches over 1,000 meters in length. It is so large that sailboats can comfortably navigate its waters.

Updated June 10, 2016
Originally published May 2015