10 Naturally Refreshing Ocean-Fed Pools Around the World
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Shoalstone Pool, Devon, England
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Harbor Bath at Islands Brygge, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Kitsilano Pool, Vancouver, Canada
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Tidal Pool, Saint-Malo, France
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Calheta dos Biscoitos, Terceira, Azores
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Dawn Fraser Baths, Sydney, Australia
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Sea Point Swimming Pool, Cape Town, South Africa
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Saltwater Pool and Bathhouse, New Brunswick, Canada
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Bude Sea Pool, Cornwall, England
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Pocas do Gomes, Madeira, Portugal
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Travel takes us to faraway places, but it can also transport us to times long past. The early 20th century saw the heyday of seawater pools, man-made or semi-natural beachfront pools that offered swimmers protection from the rough surf and were refreshed by each new high tide. And while most of these tidal pools are now nothing more than ruins, the determined swimmer can still find a few of them around the world.
Here are 10 beautiful ocean-fed pools where you can still swim in the salty waters. Some are wild, with basalt walls and fish that surf in on the high tide, while others rely on pumped seawater and provide a tamer swimming experience.
Built on a natural rock pool, the art deco Shoalstone Pool looks more like a traditional swimming pool, but it's filled with fresh seawater each day as the high tide comes pouring over its walls. As one of England's last seawater pools, this lido on the Devon coast is now maintained through the efforts of the Friends of Shoalstone Pool.
It's rare to find a city harbor so clean that it's a swimming destination, but Copenhagen rises to the challenge with its novel and decidedly urban harbor bath at Islands Brygge. Water quality is checked daily in the five pools (two of which are specifically for children), and diving towers keep things lively.
Vancouver's only saltwater pool, Kits Pool (as it's known by the locals) has been a city favorite since its debut back in 1931. Overlooking English Bay, the man-made, million-liter pool is pumped to brimming with fresh Pacific seawater.
At high tide, the only sign you'll see of this pool—situated on the beach just outside the ancient city walls of Saint-Malo—is the top of the diving platform peeking out of the water. But at low tide, the pool remerges refreshed and ready to welcome swimmers looking for a calm place to enjoy a seawater swim.
Ancient volcanoes did most of the work in creating these natural pools in the small town of Biscoitos on the island of Terceira in the Azores. With fairly minimal man-made additions, the black-lava baths of Calheta dos Biscoitos offer protected swimming to bathers looking for sun-warmed shallow waters.
The tidal-flow saltwater pool at Sydney's Dawn Fraser Baths is Australia's oldest pool and swimming club. Built in the 1880s, the pool and its surrounding buildings are recognized by the National Trust. There's a fee to enter, but unlike many of the pools on our list, which offer no services, Dawn Fraser Baths has a food kiosk and hot showers.
Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, the Sea Point Swimming Pool in Cape Town is an impressive and modern complex with an Olympic-sized pool, two kids' pools, and a diving pool. But these pools have more in common with the nearby beach than they do with typical chlorine-scented pools—they're pumped full of fresh filtered seawater.
Swimmers looking for a more familiar pool experience will enjoy the saltwater pool in New Brunswick's Fundy National Park. The poured-concrete structure isn't overrun by the tides; instead, it relies on a tide-powered pump to move saltwater into the pool.
The classic tidal swimming pool at Bude sits under the cliffs on Summerleaze Beach in north Cornwall. Part natural, part man-made, the pool gets topped up with fresh seawater twice a day during high tide.
At the Pocas do Gomes on the island of Madeira, splendid nature reigns. The almost entirely natural tidal pool (some steps, bridges, and a few partial walls were all it took to make the pools accessible and protected) feels like an enchanted grotto ready for natatory discovery.
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