
If you like doing laps in the swimming  pool, you might want to stock up on the energy drinks before di ving in to this  one. 
It is more than 1,000 yards long, covers  20 acres, had a 115ft deep end and holds 66 million gallons of  water.
Yesterday the Guinness Book of Records  named the vast pool beside the sea in  Chile as the biggest in the  world.
But if you fancy splashing out on one of  your own - and you have the space to accommoda te it - then beware: This one  took five years to build, cost nearly 1billion and the annual maintenance bill  will be 2million.
The man-made saltwater lagoon has been  attracting huge crowds to the San Alfonso del Mar resort at Algarrobo, on  Chile  's southern coast, since it opened last month.
Its turquoise waters are so crystal clear  that you can see the bottom even in the deep end.
It dwarfs the world's second biggest pool,  the Orthlieb - nickname d the Big Splash - in  Morocco , which is a mere 150  yards long and 100 yards wide. An Olympic size pool measures some 50 yards by 25  yards.
Chile 's monster pool uses a computer-controlled suction and  filtration system to keep fresh seawater in permanent circulation, drawing it in  from the ocean at one end and pumping it out at the  other.
The sun warms the water to 26c, nine  degrees warmer than the adjoining sea.
Chilean biochemist Fernando Fischmann,  whose Crystal Lagoons Corporation designed the pool, said advanced engineering  meant his company could build 'an impressive artificial para di se' even in  inhospitable areas.
'As long as we have access to unlimited  seawater, we can make it work, and it causes no damage to the  ocean.'




 
 
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