When it comes to the world’s most stunning swimming pools, Sydney is in a class of its own. The Australian city has more ocean pools than any other, ranging from small tidal lagoons to grand rock pools that overlook beaches, as well as a handful of inland saltwater options and some great urban public pools.

But it’s the city’s iconic beach and clifftop rock pools that are arguably the most famous. At low tide, the calm waters in these natural pools feel like a natural extension of the ocean’s shoreline—and the views, of course, are spectacular. Whether you’re warming yourself in the sun on the rocks like a lizard, floating in the water and imagining yourself in a summery coming-of-age movie, or simply kicking back with Thirsty Merc turned up to max, there’s no better place to soak up some sunshine in Sydney than one of its rock pools.

The best known is Bondi Beach’s Icebergs pool, which sits beneath the cliffs at the northern end of the beach. It’s a Sydney institution that’s been around for over 100 years and, while it might not have quite the same level of luxury as a private swimming pool, its location, history, and atmosphere make it hard to compete.

There are also Coogee’s Wylie’s Baths, a gorgeous tidal pool that was built in 1907 to honor champion swimmer Henry Alexander Wylie, and Coogee’s McIver’s Ladies Baths, the only ocean pool in Australia designed exclusively for women and children (and open only at high tide). And then there’s Bronte Pool, which is just south of Bronte Beach and sits on the end of the popular Bondi to Bronte costal walk. Its tidal location means that it can be swum and walked in the same afternoon, making it ideal for anyone trying to squeeze a swim and a stroll into a busy day out on the beach.

But there are some who think the city’s rock pools should stay exactly as they are. One such person is Lisa Gaupset, 41, a television graphic designer. She’s been swimming at Bronte and Bondi pools for the past 20 years, and she says the glitzy new pools aren’t worth the money.

The problem, she says, is that the project has been overblown from the start. It began with a $28 million budget but grew to $58 million, then to $89.2 million after a PricewaterhouseCoopers review, and the opening date has now been pushed back from 2022 to April 2024.

And while it might seem tempting for city councillors to slash funding to the pools, experts say that’s dangerous. Drowning deaths are up in Australia this year—more than 200, to be exact—and a cut in pool hours might push people who can’t afford to head to their local river or beach into more dangerous waters. (A recent report found that a single drowning death in NSW costs the equivalent of multiple years of council swimming pool funding.)