Swimming Pools Built Right Into the Sea (9 Photos)

November 10, 2026

By Vidar

Pools Where the Ocean Is Right There

Some swimming pools don’t stop at the edge of the deck. These ones are built into rocks, beaches and seawalls, with the ocean just past the edge.

From a convict-cut bath in Australia to a Modernist landmark on the Portuguese coast, here are nine pools built where the land meets the sea, including one that has been closed since 1979.

More: Living on the Edge

🌊 Bondi Icebergs Pool — Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

Swimmers do laps a few feet from the open Pacific at the south end of Bondi Beach.

💡 Fact: The Bondi Icebergs winter swimming club was founded here in 1929, and to keep their membership, swimmers had to race on three Sundays out of four for five years.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsBondi IcebergsBondi Icebergs Club · 1929 · Bondi Beach, SydneyClub founded 19291 Notts Avenue50 m lap pool (Sydney.com)1Bondi Icebergs Club calls itself the only licensed winter swimming club in the world, dating back to 1929.Bondi Icebergs Club2Visit Bondi Beach reports an enormous swell smashed into the pool on 1 April 2025; it has since been repaired and reopened.Visit Bondi Beach1887Baths built over a rock pool1929Club founded1995Women admitted200614 AugA wave breaks over the pool wall · camera date201119 JunPool photographed · camera date201325 MarClubhouse and both pools · camera date20198 SepLap pool beside heavy surf · camera date20252 AprClosed after swell damage · Visit Bondi Beach20268 AugPage reviewed: pool repaired and reopened · Visit Bondi BeachMore photos2006 A wave breaks over the pool wallPhoto: Taro Taylor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)2013 Clubhouse and both pools from Notts AvenuePhoto: Bidgee / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)2019 The lap pool beside heavy surfPhoto: Sardaka / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Prajwal433 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🌋 Porto Moniz Natural Pools — Madeira, Portugal 🇵🇹

Black lava rock wraps around clear Atlantic water on Madeira’s northwest tip.

💡 Fact: Lava once ran down a valley to the sea here and hardened into the rock that now forms the pool walls. Ocean water still spills over them to refill the pools, sometimes carrying in small fish and shrimp.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPorto Moniz Natural PoolsPorto Moniz, Madeira, PortugalVolcanic lava rockAtlantic seawater31st Blue Flag in 20261Lava ran down a valley into the sea here and hardened into the rock that forms the pool walls, according to National Geographic.National Geographic2The swimming area covers about 3,800 m² and is about two meters deep, according to Madeira’s tourism office.Visit Madeira20186 MarNational Geographic feature on the lava pools202312 MayComplex seen from Miradouro da Santinha · camera date202414 JulQueues to get in on a hot Sunday202517 NovPhotographed after storm Claudia · camera date20268 JunBlue Flag raised for the 31st yearMore photos2025 The empty complex in November 2025Photo: Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Herbert wie / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🪨 Piscinas de Marés — Leça da Palmeira, Portugal 🇵🇹

Concrete walls slip between the natural rocks on the Atlantic shore, so the pools look as if the shore made them.

💡 Fact: Álvaro Siza, who won the Pritzker Prize in 1992, designed these two seawater pools early in his career. They were drawn up in 1960, finished in 1973 and became a Portuguese national monument in 2011.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPiscinas de MarésÁlvaro Siza · 1966 · Leça da Palmeira, PortugalÁlvaro SizaNational monument, 2011Two saltwater pools1The Municipality of Matosinhos commissioned the pools from Álvaro Siza in 1961.Metalocus2Portugal classified the pools as a national monument by Decree no. 16/2011 of 25 May 2011.Decree no. 16/201120041 JunReopens after copper theft repairs200813 AugThe two pools seen from the beach · camera date201125 MayClassified a national monument201617 JulPools photographed in summer · camera date201617 NovPhotographed off-season, before restoration · camera date2021JunReopens after Siza’s rehabilitation202311 AprNamed in Siza’s UNESCO candidacy202430 OctPhotographed after the bathing season · camera date20268 OctCouncil page describes the restored poolMore photos2016 Both pools in the bathing seasonPhoto: Vitor Oliveira / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)2024 Out of season, after the restorationPhoto: Šarūnas Burdulis / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Christian Gänshirt / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🌊 Bronte Baths — Sydney, Australia 🇦🇺

Lap swimmers share this pool at the south end of Bronte Beach with the Pacific, which breaks on the rocks just past the wall.

💡 Fact: Waverley Council’s library records that Bronte Baths got its first caretaker on October 18, 1887. The pool is 30 meters (98 ft) long.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsBronte BathsBronte Beach, Sydney, AustraliaOcean poolFirst caretaker 1887Resurfaced in 20241Frank Lloyd was appointed the first caretaker of Bronte Baths and Bronte Park on 18 October 1887, Waverley Council’s library archive records.Waverley Council Library2Olympic swimmers Fanny Durack and Mina Wylie trained at the pool, according to Waverley Council.Waverley Council1888Baths with caretaker Frank Lloyd (archive date; Powerhouse says c. 1900)1889Baths before railings and fences (c. 1889)201822 AprSwimmers in the pool, waves beyond · camera date202026 JunOlympians photo display unveiled202222 JulCouncil to look at resurfacing20238 JanPool at sunrise from the north side · camera date20244 JulClosed for winter lining removal2026SepCouncil: pool remains openMore photos2023 The whole pool at sunrise from the northPhoto: Allan Henderson / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: MargaretRDonald / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🏖️ Bude Sea Pool — Cornwall, England 🇬🇧

Half natural, half man-made, this pool sits in the rocks at the edge of Summerleaze Beach.

💡 Fact: Built in 1930, the pool measures roughly 290 by 140 feet (88 × 43 m) and is open to swimmers 365 days a year. When council funding cuts threatened it in 2010, locals protested, and a volunteer charity, the Friends of Bude Sea Pool, was formed in 2011 to look after it.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsBude Sea Pool1930 · Bude, Cornwall, EnglandOpened 10 July 1930Run by a charity99-year lease1According to the Friends of Bude Sea Pool, the Thynnes pledged just over half the budget on condition the pool be free to everyone.Friends of Bude Sea Pool2Management of the pool was formally handed to the Friends of Bude Sea Pool on 30 March 2012; Cornwall Council agreed a 99-year lease.Cornish & Devon Post193010 JulOfficially opened to the public20123 JanPhotographed in a winter gale · camera date201230 MarManagement handed to the Friends201623 AugAerial photo, pool full of summer swimmers · camera date202229 JanPhotographed from Chapel Rock · camera date202322 MayReopened after the yearly drain202621 MayMinutes: maintenance completed on scheduleMore photos2016 The whole pool from the airPhoto: John Fielding / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)2022 Seen across the bay from Chapel RockPhoto: Ian Capper / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Bob Jones / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

⛓️ Bogey Hole — Newcastle, Australia 🇦🇺

This pool was carved straight out of the rock shelf at the foot of the cliffs.

💡 Fact: Convicts cut the Bogey Hole around 1820 as a private bath for Commandant James Morisset, and it is thought to be the oldest surviving European construction in Newcastle. The public got in from 1863, and in 1884 the council enlarged the pool to about seven times its original size.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsBogey HoleCommandant James Morisset · Newcastle, AustraliaCommandant’s BathsState Heritage RegisterEnlarged in 18841The NSW State Heritage Register says the pool was made by order of Commandant James Morisset for his personal use.NSW State Heritage Register2Newcastle Borough Council enlarged the pool in 1884 to seven times its original size.NSW State Heritage Register1953Bather at the chain rail in heavy surf · camera date200321 NovListed on NSW State Heritage Register201323 OctThe new steel stairs down to the pool · camera date201415 DecReopened after swim platform repair201521 NovClosed for a cliff safety assessment201621 DecReopened after cliff rock bolting20188 FebPool, platform and stairs from above · camera date202529 DecSwimmers in the pool in the early evening · camera dateMore photos1953 A bather at the chain rail in heavy surfPhoto: Sam Hood / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)2013 The steel stairs down to the poolPhoto: JSKau / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)2025 Swimmers in the pool on an early-summer eveningPhoto: DaHuzyBru / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: John Morton / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

🍇 Biscoitos Natural Pools — Terceira, Azores 🇵🇹

Footbridges cross the black rock to deep pools of seawater on the north coast of Terceira.

💡 Fact: The pools formed where old lava flows ran into the sea, and the same lava fields inland are planted with vines for the village’s Verdelho wine. They were fitted out for swimmers in 1969.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsBiscoitos Natural PoolsBiscoitos, Praia da Vitória · Terceira, AzoresBasalt lava poolsBathing area since 1969Verdelho wine parish1The pools are basalt rock formations left by lava flows that reached the sea, according to the Azores government.Azores government, bathing-water profile2They have been open to the public as a bathing area since 1969.Azores government, routes200710 JulFootbridge over the pools · Vitor Oliveira · camera date200710 JulBathers in the main pool · Vitor Oliveira · camera date20101 AugThe pools · GualdimG · camera date201724 JanThe “Belo Abismo” rock · Feli García · camera date202025 JulBathers by the slipway · Diego Delso · camera date202231 AugA quiet pool among the lava · GualdimG · camera date20233 MayLava rocks at the pools · Luis Andrade Rodrigues · camera date2023JulFootbridge and pools · Cappo80 · uploader’s date202326 JulOn the Azores Blue Flag list for 20232024MayOfficial profile: 2024 season, Blue Flag202413 MayFeature in PostalMore photos2017 The “Belo Abismo” rockPhoto: Feli García / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)2022 A quiet pool among the lavaPhoto: GualdimG / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Vitor Oliveira (Portuguese_eyes), cropped / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

🎖️ Waikiki War Memorial Natatorium — Honolulu, USA 🇺🇸

This saltwater pool was built as a memorial to the people of Hawaii who served in World War I, and it has stood empty since 1979. It sits beside Kaimana Beach.

💡 Fact: Olympic champion Duke Kahanamoku made the first swim when the Natatorium opened on his birthday, August 24, 1927. At the swim meet that followed in the 100-meter (328 ft) pool, Johnny Weissmuller, later Hollywood’s Tarzan, won the 100, 400 and 800 meters.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsWaikiki War Memorial NatatoriumLewis P. Hobart · 1927 · Honolulu, HawaiiWorld War I memorialLewis P. HobartClosed since 19791The 100 by 40 meter saltwater pool opened on 24 August 1927.Wikipedia2It has been closed to the public since 1979 over safety concerns.Hawaii State Legislature, S.B. 3291192724 AugOpens; Duke Kahanamoku swims first198011 AugListed on the National Register201711 JanPhoto: arch, seawall and pool from the beach · camera date202131 OctPhoto: entrance arch, gate locked · camera date202210 MayPhoto: facade and worn seawall · camera date202511 JunFenced off; $30-35M rebuild plan backed202527 AugMayor calls restoration ‘a long shot’202619 OctStill standing, closed, no plan in motionMore photos2021 The entrance arch, gate lockedPhoto: Flip Flops Hawaii / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)2022 The arcaded facade and worn seawallPhoto: w_lemay / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)Read the full file →

📷 Photo: Gerald Watanabe / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

🏊 Piscine de Bon-Secours — Saint-Malo, France 🇫🇷

At high tide the sea swallows this pool in Saint-Malo completely, and at low tide it is left full of fresh seawater.

💡 Fact: Designed by architect Yves Hémar and opened in 1936, the pool covers about 59,000 square feet (5,520 m²), and its concrete diving board stands above the water when the tide is out.

📂 Artwork File · Sourced factsPiscine de Bon-SecoursYves Hémar · Saint-Malo, FranceYves Hémar5,520 m² basinConcrete sea pool1Architect Yves Hémar drew the plans, and the town agreed to build the pool in 1935, according to France’s heritage inventory.POP, Inventaire record2The concrete basin covers 5,520 m², with a concrete diving board at the center of its west wall.POP, Inventaire record1936Pool inaugurated in summer1995Sea concession renewed for thirty years200726 MayThe pool below the walled city · camera date20165 JunFeatured on France 3’s ‘Littoral’201910 AugPool photographed from the ramparts · camera date20222 SepBreizh-info: the city’s largest sea pool202310 OctHeritage inventory record published20259 SepThe pool at low tide · camera date202511 SepThe wall and its spillway · camera dateMore photos2007 The pool below the walled cityPhoto: Remi Jouan / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)2025 The pool at low tidePhoto: Raimond Spekking / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)2025 The wall and its spillwayPhoto: JGS25 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)Read the full file →