January 2018 - THE COOL POOL by Astralpool Australia

Guillaume Nery, the world champion freediver

Breathing only once and using only muscular strength, the French freediver Guillaume Néry is able to dive to 125 meters deep. With his multiple world achievements and through an amazing combination of elite sport and video art, Néry reveals the immensity of nature, shows that the human body has an enormous capacity to adapt to the aquatic environment and shares the deep values that he has learned on the seabed.

His video Free Fall , in which Néry appears jumping empty, free lung, inside the blue hole of Dean , the second largest in the world with 220 meters deep, captures the beauty and mystery of this bay of Bahamas This viral video, which was recorded by his wife Julie Gautier, has reached 26 million views on YouTube. However, as they confessed in the US program Outrageous Acts of Science, “the idea was not to touch the bottom but to create an artistic film different from what we usually see under water, redefining the limits and trying to dive as deep as possible”.

The magic of free diving

Néry, in addition to being a champion in apnea with constant weight, has absolute control of the body over the mind in the most extreme conditions and ensures that holding your breath helps you stop thinking and enter a state of peace and absolute relaxation.

For Néry, diving becomes a kind of conquest of the universe, which also allows him to access an unknown and unexplored space. In his conference for TED, The Sweeping Peace of Free Diving explained what he experiences at the bottom of the sea, 123 meters deep and without oxygen equipment: “I feel like a small point, a stardust floating in the middle of the cosmos and the immensity. It’s a fascinating feeling because I look up, down, left, right, front, back, and I see the same thing: a very deep blue infinity. ”

The dive also lets you connect with other values such as humility, acceptance of the present moment or respect for his team: “When I find this depth I’m a bit of anything that is lost in this great whole. And that is completely fascinating. ”

Do not miss the video in which Guillaume Néry explores the Y40 pool, the deepest in the world, in a single dive and without diving equipment!

Image Source: Les films engloutis / Guillaume Néry

Why you should connect your pool to the Internet

The Internet of Pools is here to stay. This innovative concept, developed by Astralpool Australia, is based on the application of the Internet of Things to the Pool and Spa Industry and, thanks to its versatility and ease of use, it is only a matter of time before it completely transforms the daily management of aquatic facilities.

With C onnect My Pool App, owners and maintenance professionals can remotely monitor the operation of all pool components (filtration systems, water treatment, air conditioning, etc.), as well as outdoor garden equipment (irrigation and lighting). To enjoy the Internet of Pools, it is necessary to have a WiFi Internet connection, install the Connect Box device – the centrepiece of the system – and equip the pool and garden with products compatible with Connect My Pool App.

Remote management provides three great advantages to families: tranquillity, comfort and savings. From the platform’s mobile application, users can consult at any time if the different elements of the pool are working correctly and obtain very interesting parameters and control data. For example, if chemical levels are the healthiest and safest, or if efficient water and energy management is being carried out. In the same way, thanks to the diagnostic tools of the system, the professionals of the industry are able to provide constant monitoring from the status of an installation and move to the site only when a manual repair is necessary. In this way, the deterioration of the installation is avoided, the costs associated with poorly customised maintenance are reduced and professionals can offer a differentiated treatment and added value to their customers.

For more information, head to www.astralpool.com.au/connect

Are wave pools the future of surfing?

With 35 million surfers around the world, surfing and the lifestyle that surrounds it does not stop growing. Now, the consolidation of artificial wave pools to practice this sport opens up new business routes.

It is indisputable that the practice of surfing goes beyond the sporting aspect. More and more brands are taking advantage of the values transmitted by this activity to connect with a loyal public and generate a millionaire business. According to the World Surf League, this industry moves about 12,000 million euros per year, so any project that involves bringing this practice to new audiences arouses enormous interest.

Since the surfer, Kelly Slater presented in 2015 the artificial wave pool Kelly Slater Wave Co, this type of facilities have continued to proliferate and are confirmed as a very effective tourist attraction. When Slater published a video of an artificial wave with a perfect tube, a huge debate was generated on the network, and thousands of fans began to ask when the complex, which works with solar energy, would be opened to the public.

Here is another important reason that has boosted the boom of these facilities. On June 1, 2016, the International Olympic Committee announced that surfing, along with four other sports (baseball, skateboarding, karate and sports climbing), would be part of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

The details of how and where the surfing event will be held are not yet known. In the beginning, the organization of the games mentioned the possibility of performing it in artificial waves, although it seems that, finally, natural waves have been chosen. However, to prepare without depending on weather conditions, several countries have already announced plans to build large wave pools for their teams to train. For example, the Australian government plans to build three surf parks in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.

Immerse yourself in the minimalist Japanese architecture

Aonagi is a small luxury hotel in the Japanese region of Setouchi, in the Okayama prefecture. This careful hotel project of only seven rooms was designed, 17 years ago, by Tadao Ando, brilliant self-taught Japanese architect whose exquisite work, which stands out for the use of concrete, light and water, served to be distinguished with the Award Pritzker, the highest international architecture award, in 1995.

Originally, Aonagi was a private house and, later, an art museum. With the recent renovation, Ando has transformed it into a hotel space of “minimal luxury”. The interior, stripped of all unnecessary furniture, directs the gaze of the guest towards the natural landscape that surrounds it. The property has sought at all times an absolute connection of the client with the richness of nature, history and culture of the past. And for that, it has put in value, among other resources such as the thermal water jacuzzi, the sauna and the spa, two suggestive pools.

On the one hand, The Blue, which allows that located on the top of the mountain and even being several kilometres from the coast, you can get to see the inland sea of Seto. And on the other hand, The Cave, which, if desired, can be reserved exclusively for private use.

The International Triennial Art Festival of Setouchi has put the name of this region on the map. Today, the festival seeks to revitalize the area again. Numerous visitors from all countries come every three years to the cultural event that takes place on twelve small islands in the inland sea of Seto, between Okayama prefecture on the island of Honshu and Kagawa prefecture on the island of Shikoku.

For lovers of Ando, the trip does not disappoint. In addition to the hotel, on the island of Naoshima, you can also visit more of the master’s works: the Chichu Art Museum, Benesse and the Ando Museum itself. The Aonagi hotel, nowadays, constitutes another milestone in the itinerary of appointments with the architecture of Ando.