Exceptional Diving: The Inventors of Underwater Pits Who Turn Passion into Adventure

Diving pits to explore the depths all year round

Dive in warmth and discover the seabed, even far from the sea: it’s a dream come true thanks to enthusiasts like Dirk, Franck, Giovanni, John, and Wouter. In Belgium, Lyon, or Italy, their underwater tanks have revolutionized the world of indoor diving. True temples of exploration, these complexes attract more and more divers each year eager for sensations and discovery.

Comfortable diving: the indoor pits revolution

Far from the beaches, the 2000s saw the rise of diving centers in pits, some exceeding 40 meters in depth. These pools allow you to immerse yourself in warm water all year round, without weather or logistical constraints. At the origin of this movement, Belgian John Beernaerts, a passionate diver, wanted to reconcile professional life and the passion for the abyss. A breakthrough occurred during a pit dive in Villeneuve-la-Garenne, near Paris: he dreamed of a site open all year round, designed for all diver needs.

« I imagined recreating the conditions of Polynesia in the city. On a blank sheet, I drew Nemo33: water at 33°C and a depth of 33 meters, ideal conditions in my eyes. We were five to start, today the team has forty people. Investors trusted us and took a significant risk because a project like this cannot fail, » confides John Beernaerts. Nemo33 finally opened on May 1, 2004, in Uccle, near Brussels.

Todi and Y-40: innovation and unique biotopes

Todi, diving at the heart of aquatic life

In 2016, in Beringen (Belgium), another project was born: Todi, a former mine converted into an indoor diving center. This pool, 10 meters deep and 36 meters wide, filled with freshwater at 24°C, hosts an exceptional fauna: no less than 40 species of fish from Lake Tanganyika, Malawi, Nile, Amazon, and Congo. The creators, Wouter Schoovaerts and Dirk Heylen, illustrate their passion through extensive studies with biologists and the Antwerp Zoo to create a balanced biotope. « We studied which fish could coexist. A fish farmer acclimatized them for 18 months before their arrival, they recall, and during our first dive in the pool, we were like children! »

Y-40: the Italian thermal experience

West of Venice, in Montegrotto Terme, the Boaretto family runs several hotels and spas. In 2013, Giovanni Boaretto and his father Emanuele undertook an ambitious challenge: to create the deepest pool in the world. Named Y-40 – « The Deep Joy », it reaches 42 meters in depth and 6 meters in diameter, filled with naturally warm thermal water (32/34°C). After only a year of work in the Millepini Hotel, the pool was inaugurated. Its particularity? Remarkably pure water, renewed over 12 days to fill the immense volume of the pool, offering unmatched diving comfort.