Into the blue: what it’s like to plunge into Deep Dive Dubai, the world’s deepest swimming pool

Dubai might have some of the world’s tallest buildings, but it can now also claim the world’s deepest swimming pool – complete with underwater library and games room. Tamara Hinson donned her scuba gear to find out more

Diving deep in Dubai (Deep Dive Dubai )

It’s 9am in Dubai and I’ve set myself a challenge: to swim the length of my (rather long) rooftop hotel pool underwater. On the third attempt I manage it, surfacing to gulp huge breaths of hot, sticky air, under the gaze of a concerned pool attendant clearly wondering why this pale-skinned Brit is exerting herself while others shelter beneath canopied day beds. The reason? I’ve come to Dubai to swim in a very different type of pool – the world’s deepest. Deep Dive Dubai, which opened in July 2021, is 60 metres deep and contains 14 million litres of water.

It’s clear from the moment I enter the 1,500-square-foot facility in the city’s Nad Al Sheba area that huge sums of cash have been spent on it. From the outside it resembles an oyster – a nod to Dubai’s pearl diving heritage. Inside, it feels like a spaceship. The building is wrapped around the enormous pool and in the lobby a section of wall has been replaced with glass, allowing me to wave at passing divers.

There’s something strange about seeing the pool area – staffed by lifeguards and a specialist rescue diver who can descend to 60 metres in a matter of minutes – simply because at first glance it resembles an ordinary pool area. Well, barring the bank of screens that relays footage from underwater cameras, including the ones in the pool’s two dry chambers – kitted out with radios and stocked with spare tanks – located at six and 21 metres underwater respectively.

Divers can explore different ‘rooms' (Deep Dive Dubai)

I start with a freediving lesson with instructor Nataliia Zharkova, who has broken four freediving world records and can dive to the bottom of the 60-metre pool on a single breath. No pressure, then. We start in a classroom, working on breathing techniques. Nataliia coaches me through the preparation process, which involves repeatedly inhaling while pushing out my tummy, before taking a final breath which fills both my tummy and lungs. It’s then time to hold my breath. At first, it’s hard – being relaxed is crucial, but my brain’s constantly scanning my mental checklist. But once we’re in the pool, everything changes. I practise by lying face down, inhaling through a snorkel as Natalia stands over me, instructing me to think like a jellyfish and let my arms and shoulders droop.

I develop a whole new understanding of the connection between the brain and breathing. Nataliia explains that dropping my shoulders – something we do when we exhale – extends the time I can spend underwater because it tricks my brain into thinking I’ve taken a breath. Ten minutes after entering the pool I’m able to hold my breath while lying face down in the water for more than two minutes. Eventually it’s time to dive, using a five-metre rope dangling from a buoy as a guide. On my first attempt I make it down to the end of the rope. On my second time, I do so in even less time, and on my third attempt I’m comfortable enough to descend upside-down and spend time floating at the bottom of the rope, taking stock of the surreal underwater landscape.

I straddle a motorbike, play table football and browse a (waterproof) magazine while reclining on a bench – all underwater

Later, I get a closer look at the decor during a scuba diving session with Jesper Kjoller, who’s not only Deep Dive Dubai’s marketing guru but a diving instructor, underwater photographer and dive magazine editor. I did my Padi open water certification in late 2020 in the Maldives (my second dive was in the less glamorous environs of a Welsh quarry), so I’m qualified to dive to 18 metres – more than enough to check out Deep Dive Dubai’s best bits. Highlights include an underwater apartment, complete with bookshelves and a toilet; a motorbike; sports car; games room; and park bench. It’s easy to see these aspects as gimmicky, but for me, it’s also a fantastically fun way to practise my buoyancy and spatial awareness skills. In the Maldives, a foray into an underwater cave was abandoned due to strong currents. At Deep Dive Dubai, slotting myself into the back seat of a sports car is so much fun that I’m the most relaxed I’ve ever been on a dive.

Fancy a spin? (Jesper Kjøller/Deep Dive Dubai)

The clarity and the lack of current is precisely what makes it such a brilliant place to learn to dive. Visitors can sign up for snorkelling sessions and try dives (for those with no prior experience), as well as a wide range of scuba diving and freediving qualifications.

Over the next hour, I straddle a motorbike, play table football and browse a (waterproof) magazine while reclining on a bench – all underwater. The most surreal moment comes when we float over to the window onto the lobby and Jesper hands me a teacup for a synchronised toast with the receptionist.

Before my dive, I wondered if being able to see so far down would induce some type of vertigo. The Maldives was pretty clear visibility wise, but Deep Dive Dubai, with its underwater lighting, makes that look like the murky Snowdonia quarry in comparison. Luckily, I was wrong. Jarrod Jablonski, Deep Dive’s director and a world-renowned cave diver, tells me that the sensation of swimming through the glass-clear water feels like flying, and he’s right.

Checkmate: divers try an underwater chess game (Jesper Kjøller/Deep Dive Dubai)

After the dive, I get a fascinating insight into the construction and maintenance of the world’s largest pool. Jesper explains that, after an hour’s work at the bottom, he has to spend two hours working his way to the surface. “That’s why the underwater chess set comes in handy!” he adds. He reveals why there’s no whiff of chlorine: the pool is filled with fresh water, at a temperature of 30C, which is filtered using technology developed by Nasa.

He adds that one of his favourite aspects is the potential for customisation, and talks about plans for underwater treasure hunts and themed decor to coincide with Halloween and Christmas. I later find out (though not through Jesper, who’s impressively tight-lipped when it comes to A-list clients) that Will Smith has visited multiple times. As for me? I’m already planning on heading back there to channel my inner jellyfish.

Travel essentials

Getting there

Trying to fly less?

Once cargo ship routes start accepting passengers again (expected to be January 2022), it’s possible to travel by freighter from Southampton all the way to Jebel Ali in the UAE. It’s a half-hour cab ride from there to Dubai.

Fine with flying?

British Airways flies direct from London Heathrow to Dubai.

Staying there

Double rooms at Dubai’s DoubleTree by Hilton Dubai M Square start from £99 per night.

More information

Visit deepdivedubai.com to find out more.