A rendering of the diving pool in Shanghai Hongqiao International Central Business District [Photo/WeChat account: minhangnews]
One of the deepest diving pools in the world will open to the public in Shanghai's Minhang district in 2025, according to the local government.
The pool will be 46 meters — about 15 stories — deep, making it one of only a few on the planet that can facilitate scuba, freestyle and mermaid diving.
The deepest diving pool in the world is Deep Dive Dubai in the United Arab Emirates at 60 m deep. The record was previously held by Deepspot in Poland, with a depth of 45 m.
Equivalent to four Olympic-standard swimming pools, the diving pool in Shanghai will contain 7 million liters of water.
Located in the Hongqiao area, the pool is part of a commercial complex being developed by Guangzhou Super Gen Investment and Shanghai Zunxuan Enterprise, and is managed by Hopson Commercial.
It integrates shopping malls, esports industrial parks, five-star hotels and professional esports venues.
"Having such projects in cities like Shanghai is great and attractive. It is certainly beneficial for promoting diving," said Liu Zuo, a diving coach who in 2017 founded the Unique Diving Center — one of the earliest indoor diving centers in the city.
Compared with diving outdoors, indoor water is calmer and has a relatively controllable environment.
Earlier this year, China's first 25-m-deep swimming pool for diving was officially put into use in Kunming, Yunnan province. The Hou K25 diving center, built by Yunnan Handian Sports Culture Communication, covers 3,000 square meters with a depth of up to 25 meters.
It is the only indoor diving pool in China that can meet the requirements of the 25-meter-deep scuba diving test and training, according to Xiaoxiang Morning Post.
