The Oklahoma "Scuba Pool"

HGTV hosts a pool-centric show that features incredible aquatic builds from around the country. On one episode last year, the show—“Cool Pools” visited what they called the “Scuba Pool” in Mustang, Oklahoma. It received its name from the owner’s insistence that parts of the pool be so deep, they could practice scuba diving in it.

And that’s just what Kelly Caviness, the pool designer/builder, accomplished with his build.

The Mustang scuba pool is 160 feet long and portions of it are 14 feet deep to accommodate the owner’s request. The scuba pool also has a 125 foot lazy river that can be programmed to flow at three different speeds.

Because the owners are scuba enthusiasts, it was important for there to be some areas worth exploring underwater. Since you can’t introduce underwater critters into chlorinated water, Caviness designed some underwater tunnels that scuba divers can swim into and out of. The lazy river also serves two purposes: the first is to carry tubers around all 125 feet again and again, dipping under waterfalls each trip, and the second was to simulate the current of the ocean that scuba divers will experience in the ocean.

“You can swim against it, which is really cool in scuba gear to simulate what it’s like in the ocean,” said Caviness. Particularly prudent because the nearest ocean to Mustang is 500 miles away from landlocked Oklahoma.

There are two grottos in the scuba pool, the second one at the end of the lazy river that houses TVs and is a great spot for people to congregate who may want to escape the mayhem of the pool. Underneath a waterfall, it can either be a quiet getaway or a great place to bring friends and lounge while watching a movie.

One of the major features of the pool are the diving platforms that are built out of rock on one end of the pool. As a safety precaution, one can only climb up on the platforms from the interior of the water.

“It really prohibits small children from being able to just venture up there and fall off of a nine foot tall diving platform,” Caviness said.

The steps come up the back of the diving feature, giving the illusion of a jumper who has emerged from nowhere. From up on those rocks, the divers can really put on a show.

Even the behind-the-scenes elements of the scuba pool are more involved than your average pool set up. Your typical residential swimming pool is run using one pump and one filter system. In the Oklahoma scuba pool, a large equipment shed houses 13 pumps and three separate filtering systems to accommodate the size and water movement capacity of the pool.

To top it all off, all of the water speed and waterfalls can be adjusted, turned on, or turned off using one remote control which Kelly Caviness demonstrates in the video.

“By the way, this is waterproof,” he says as he turns on the diving platform waterfalls.

The scuba pool also has a spa that fits 20 soakers and a shallow area perfect for sunbathers and small children.

What do you think - is Oklahoma’s scuba pool your dream setup?