Interesting pool feature

[Zonny]

We have a new sports facility here, built for the Canada Games that took place in February. Now that the Games are over, the facility is open to the public. The new pool is replacing an aging facility that we've been using for swimming lessons, and there's also an indoor track, fitness centre, all kinds of stuff. It's a great place! We've joined as members, DH and I are taking turns going to work out in the evenings, and we've gone to family swims three times so far (today will be four!). One of the slides is wacky, it's enclosed and actually goes outside the building.

Anyhow, in the aquatics area there are three pools - a toddler pool (warmer and shallow), a 'leisure pool' that is also fairly shallow but very large, then the 'competition' pool that is deep, for lane swimming, has diving boards, etc. I took my DS swimming on Wednesday and we spent a bit of time in the competition pool. Jumping in the shallow end, it's over my head.

So we were there again last night, and I saw something strange. There were people in the middle of the competition pool, average sized people. And they seemed to be STANDING, not swimming. DH went and looked, said that the pool is shallow at that end.

Not believing this, I went and jumped in. The water is up to my waist. There's no tables or anything in the water (sometimes used at our old pool to make a shallower area for kids during swimming lessons). It's just not deep.

I was certain I was losing my mind! I KNEW that pool was over my head at its shallowest point, this simply made no sense!

So I asked a nearby lifeguard. The answer? I'm NOT losing my mind, this pool simply has a very interesting feature - they can adjust the bottom! It takes about eight minutes to go from a two metre+ deep pool to under a metre! I've never heard of such a thing, it's really neat! They had adjusted it last night because they were about to do a water aerobics class, I'm betting they do the same during swimming lessons so they can use both the leisure pool and the competition pool and do more lessons.

Ever seen a pool that can do that?

[Natalka]

Never heard of that, but it's way awesome! Very practical!

[gourmetsue]

That is really cool. What a great feature.

[Sally888]

Ive seen this on a larger scale. The cirque "o" production at the Bellagio pool does this, the whole thing converts. it goes from a huge pool to shallow to medium to deep etc, its nuts! One minute people are walking in ankle deep water the next minute people are diving in from the ceiling.


if your interested....
The show has a cast of 85 acrobats, synchronized swimmers and divers performing in and above a 1.5 million-gallon pool. When maintenance needs to be performed, the pool is drained in about 12 hours to the Bellagio Lake, causing the lake's water level to rise 1 inch (25 mm).[3] The pool is kept at 88 °F (31 °C) and has an underwater communication system and regulators that allow performers to breathe underwater.[4] Every member of the cast is scuba-certified.

The underwater stage lift was produced by Handling Specialty.[5] In order for the platform stage to rise and fall in the water without a wake, the surface of the stage has thousands of tiny holes which were drilled out by the Cirque team.

Heaters under each seat help control the theatre temperature for the audience; the goal is to maintain two temperature zones in the theatre. The stage is kept at a higher temperature while the audience area is kept at a lower temperature. A temperature sensor every few seats in the theatre helps to ensure the audience area is maintained at the correct temperature.[6]

[anisa]

how neat is that!