Building a pool - Anything special for scuba?

[Jarrett]

I am beginning the process of having a pool built in my backyard. I'm doing it for several reasons. I love to be in the water and grew up in a pool. My daughter is at a good age now where she and her friends would enjoy spending time in the pool. Not to mention we have several scuba-certified friends and family that would enjoy trying out gear/honing their skills in the pool.

Being the scuba nerd that I am, I will probably spend most of my time under the water out there So with that in mind I want to build a scuba-friendly pool as well. Are there any specifics of a pool that would be better for diving in regularly? Here are the ones I thought of:

Size - I want it wide enough that I can easily swim it underwater without banging into the sides.

Depth - gotta make sure its a decent depth or it would be a waste of time even suiting up.

Chemicals - I want to look into the least harsh chemical alternatives there are for pools out there to ensure my gear doesn't deteriorate over time. I know there are some new salt-based solutions, but I haven't fully researched it yet.

Design - A know a lot of older pools are rectangular and newer ones are various lagoon type shapes. Is there a better way to go here? I was also thinking about using it to swim laps for exercise, so I was leaning towards a straighter design.

Do any of you have suggestions for this endeavor? Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[divad]

A lap pool connected tangentially to a cicular really-deep-end. Like the letter "P."

 

[SparticleBrane]

If you can get it ~40ft deep that would be great.

 

[nerobanchee]

I would recommend a bottom that is repairable... the pool at my school looks like someone dropped a grenade in it a few times because of all the weightbelts and tanks that have chipped out parts of it. I would say, no tile... it would get chipped really easily. Try black bottom... maybe that would hide the marks all over the bottom. It also heats the pool naturally during the day! A way to save money, and look cool...

 

[divad]

Maybe you could just buy a silo and fill it up with water.

 

[SparticleBrane]

^ I support this.

 

[cool_hardware52]

Maybe you could just buy a silo and fill it up with water.

I like it. You can always tell a scuba diver.....

"Hey my new house has a pool"

Universal Scuba diver response... "How Deep?"

Tobin

 

[Danman589019]

Go with a saltwater pool instead of chlorine. I'm not sure on the specifics but this is what the owner of my LDS has at his house to use for pool classes. I think he just did it by dumping in bags of pool salt (I saw some stacked on the deck). One of my friends just build a built a pool (not meant for any scuba use) that is saltwater too, but they went the super expensive way. They have automatic salting systems, automatic water level systems, two gas heaters for the pool and an electric one for the hot tub (that's another thing, definately attach a hot tub to it), automatic vacuums, lighting that changes colors, everything. Just ask some of the pool companies you get quotes from about the various salting methods.

 

[ThatsSomeBadHatHarry]

why would someone have a non-scuba saltwater pool?

 

[Walt1957]

Hmmm, I was just reading in one of the scuba magazines that there is a new training pool (in Japan?) that is like 140' deep, has all kinds of neat features. Might as well go for the best, right?