The world's deepest swimming pool

From Times on Line (click on the picture to see a video)Take the plunge in Brussels, where £4m has been splashed out on a pool with a depth of 33 metres. World-class scuba diving has not, historically, been among Belgium's claim to fame.

Chocolates, the Smurfs, the European Parliament and statues of micturating minors, yes. Clear blue water and coral reefs, no.

So 11 years ago, a civil engineer with a passion for the underwater world decided that it was time this situation was redressed.

John Beernaerts's dream of creating the world's first indoor diving complex began as a simple doodle, sketched on a napkin in a Brussels bar.

Today John and I are sitting at another bar as waiters carry drinks and Thai food to tables. Facing us is a row of large, square windows.

Every few seconds a diver drifts past, blowing bubbles in the blue space behind the glass. It's a human aquarium.