David Pagan Butler

David helps people make their own Natural Swimming Pool.

As a life-long pond obsessive and wild water swimmer, it was always his dream to make a pond to swim in. Seventeen years ago, he was the first to construct a DIY Natural Pool in the UK. Along the way, he invented the bubble powered pool which has effectively revolutionised Natural Pool building, making it more sustainable as well as more affordable.

Now he shares his knowledge with others, through film, courses, consultancy and a self-published book. He features in magazine articles including the current edition of “House and Garden”. For over a decade he has made more than a hundred YouTube films explaining how to construct the pool and then create a beautiful and effective aquatic waterscape. His films often have millions of views, inspiring thousands of people all over the globe to make their own and his system has proved successful in diverse conditions, from the ice bound winters of Canada to tropical pools of Thailand.

Being a director and film maker for the BBC for over twenty years, he was the first to make a film introducing Natural Pools to the BBC audience. Now he works entirely on pools. As an inventor, as well as devising the unique bubble circulation system, plus a variety of water related devices, he holds a UK patent on an air-powered floating biofilter called Olive.

His aim is simple, to help people make ponds for their own health benefit and for the benefit of wildlife. Each new pond brings with it bewildering bio-diversity – a “coral reef” in the sea of land that helps restore the patchwork of freshwater across our landscape.

David continues to experiment with plants, pools, pipes, buckets and bubbles to explore new pool-related ideas.

Instagram: @organicpools