The World's Deepest Pool Has Been Opened In Poland

It beats the present record holder Y-40 Deep Joy, which can be found in the northern Italian town of Montegrotto Terme and is 42 metres (138 feet) deep.

The impressive centre is set up as a diving school but is also open to the general public and includes an underwater tunnel, restaurants and hotel rooms overlooking the pool.

After opening its doors on Saturday (21 November), around a dozen or so visitors went to give it a go.

Speaking about the pool, Przemyslaw Kacprzak, a 39-year-old diving instructor, said it was a very exciting moment.

He said: "There are no magnificent fish or coral reefs here so it is no substitute for the sea but it is definitely a good place to learn and to train in order to dive safely in open water.

"And it's fun! It's like a kindergarten for divers!"

Jerzy Nowacki, a 30-year-old forestry officer and diving novice, echoed these sentiments and said it's a fantastic experience.

He said: "For my first time, we went down five metres but you can see all the way to the bottom - the wreck, the caves - it's magnificent!"

While Deepspot's director Michal Braszczynski, a 47-year-old diving enthusiast, said the centre is going to be a hub for training firefighters and the army.

He added: "There are many scenarios for training and we can also test different equipment."

However, Deepspot will only hold the record of the world's deepest pool for a few short months, as a 50m (164ft) pool called the Blue Abyss is currently under construction in Colchester, the UK and is set to open early next year.

Vickers commented: "As Apollo 11 Astronaut, Michael Collins said, 'It's human nature to stretch, to go, to see, to understand. Exploration is not a choice really; it's an imperative.'

"I wanted to push boundaries, to go beyond the expected, to plan for the future, not just for today. This is a huge undertaking, but the reality will be a legacy for generations to come."

According to the Blue Abyss website, the 'unique' aquatic centre will house the largest and deepest indoor pool of its kind globally.

"The pool will have several entrance points and feature multi-stepped depths to accommodate for a variety of activities and simultaneous use, leading down to the 50m shaft," the website explains.

"On one side of the pool, a large table-like area at 12m will be able to house, for example, a mock section of the International Space Station for commercial astronaut training."