In this article I want to take you to your first swimming pool experience… Which of your emotions was predominantly stimulated by that experience?

In my case, it’s simple: It was fear. I remember the pool appeared shallow, yet the shock of realising that this pool is very deep and instead of landing on my feet after jumping in as a 10 year old, I had to paddle frantically to get to the surface. It still sends shivers down my spine. Luckily the smell of the chlorinated water, swimming for hours and hours, wrinkled palms, sunbathing next to the pool, drinking lemonade, Kodak photos of happy times, quickly overwhelmed the frightful experience. In the early 70’s, pools were cold, coverless and deep.

The origin of swimming pools dates back to thousands of years BC. It seems the Great Baths of Mohenjo-Daro, constructed around 2600 BC, was one of the earliest known pools. Built out of brick and gypsum, the pool featured stairs and benches with a large surrounding deck.

By the AD 2000s the variety in swimming pools had expanded hugely.

Pools are no longer on one side of a property, but incorporated into the entertainment area. Neither are they 2 m deep. The focus is on warming the pool and covering it to preserve water. Rim flow and pin stripe pools are the norm. Sanitizing the water also changed: Yes, you can use the manual granular chlorine dosage system, but chlorinators, UV lights, ozonates and inline chlorine feeders make for water which is a lot more pleasant to swim in. Lights inside the pool are not the old 12-volt VW Beatle lights anymore. Choosing from LED strip lights, right up to state-of-the-art narrow angle beams and optic fibres, turns any pool into a showpiece. Sun loungers are no longer next to the pool... they are inside.

Lic Pool Centre is a proud member of the NSPI (National Pool and Spa Industry). We have been in Windhoek for more than 34 years, so yes, we have seen the development of pools over the years. To us, a pool is not merely a concrete structure which holds water.

If you are serious about creating something special, a place to build happy memories, pop in and we would gladly work with you in combining your dream home-with-pool.

Until next time.

Burgert Terblanche

Tel: 061-232839, Fax: 061-238602
Email: info@licpool.com