CHILE has some of the best pools in the world.

A pool by the ocean?

In 1997, Fernando Fischmann, Chairman and Founder, decided to develop a real estate tourism project: San Alfonso del Mar, in Algarrobo–a small town on Chile’s central coast. The waters of the Chilean coast are cold, inhospitable and dangerous (swimming is prohibited in the area), so it was difficult to imagine how a project could be successful and unique from ones that already existed.

(Photo above – The enormous man-made pool, set along the coastline, is larger than 20 Olympic-size pools and holds a whopping 66 million gallons of water, according to The Daily Mail. Crystal Lagoons, the creator of the pool, claims it’s six times bigger than its closest competitor, the Orthlieb Pool in Casablanca, Morocco.)

To solve this dilemma, Mr. Fischmann dreamed of creating a large lagoon with crystal clear waters that would provide visitors the chance to swim and enjoy water sports in a safe, clean environment and warm waters. He travelled the world in search of the technology to turn his dream into reality. However, the technology did not exist. The only available option was to construct a very large conventional swimming pool, but this was neither technically nor economically feasible given its high costs.

His solution would result in a worldwide patent (reg. #43534) and a new company called Crystal Lagoons Technology.