Y-40 “Deep Joy” is the world's deepest pool, at 42 meters deep, a height equivalent to that of a 14-storey building. The pool measures 21 meters by 18 meters at the surface and changes into a well like structure as you go deeper. Holding 4,300 cubic meters of water maintained at a constant temperature of 32-34 degree centigrade, “Deep Joy” offers diving enthusiasts the freedom to dive and swim without a wetsuit. The pool is located in the Hotel Millepini Terme in Montegrotto Terme, a small town in Italy, and was designed by renowned architect Emanuele Boaretto. Y-40 offers activities such as leisure dives, dive training and photo shoots for photographer and film producers. The cylindrical pool has various intermediate depths of caves for technical underwater diving, ledges and underwater glass viewing panels for spectators who don’t want to get wet.

Opened in June 20144, Y-40 beat the previous record holder for the world's deepest swimming pool - Nemo 33, located in Brussels, Belgium that had a maximum depth of 34.5 meters.

Italian former legend of free diving, Umberto Pelizzari (L) gives a free diving course at the “Y-40 The Deep Joy” swimming pool on December 8, 2014. Photo credit: Olivier Morin