JUMP IN

By CHRIS BUNTING

August 1, 2006 -- WHO’s worried about shrinkage when it’s 280 degrees out? Jump in a pool already.

    Just aim for a body of water that's not anywhere NEAR the city. There was a time New York mugginess referred to its robberies – now it means a level of humidity that causes parts of your anatomy to sweat that never ever should. No matter what Pataki’s propagandistic TV spots say to the contrary, summer in New York equals a fast exodus.
    Where to, you ask? There's Lake Atitlan in Guatemala – “gorgeous” doesn’t do it justice. Japan's humungo Mizayaki waterpark comes highly recommended. You don’t even need to leave the country: Wyoming's Jenny Lake or the pool at the Flamingo Las Vegas will suffice and then some.
    Water is water, after all: Two hydrogens and one oxygen -- nature’s sexiest ménage à trois. And you're always better off more pruney than sticky, we always say. Just please pick any one of the world's 10 best waterholes and wet yourself off before global warming vaporizes them. ANDALE!

Lake Atitlán
Highlands of Guatemala
"Brave New World" scribe Aldous Huxley said of Central America's deepest lake: "Atitlán is [Lake] Como with additional embellishments of several immense volcanoes. It really is too much of a good thing." 'Nuff said! Well, that and the climes are a spring-like 70 degrees year round. There yet?
Info: atitlan.com

Ocean Dome
Miyazaki City, Japan
Long before Dubai was insanely recreating the world indoors, there was Japan. The Miyazaki Ocean Dome (part of the Phoenix Seagaia Resort) is 322,000 square feet of water slides, surfing, bikinis, sushi and white sand. Found in the Guinness Book of World Records under "largest indoor water park", it's much better in person.
Info: about $50 admission; seagaia.co.jp

Nickelodeon Family Suites Lagoon
Orlando, Fl
Sponge it like Bob at the nexus of the universe where Viacom meets Holiday Inn. The "Lagoon" area is nothing but dunk tanks, water slides (and flumes), whirlpools, water jets and mayhem. Life jackets for the timid; bar and grill for the 'rents.
Info: rooms from $237/night; nickhotel.com

Soca River
Slovenia
It's green, but not with envy. This dramatic 460 foot long emerald-hued river -- which has inspired poets to write, Marble Trout to spawn, and countries to war -- is what women want, and what other rivers want to be. Ultimately flowing south into the Adriatic Sea near Monfalcone, Italy, its mild 3,600 foot-high Alpine climate provides sweet relief for those Europeans sans A/C.
Info: slovenia-tourism.si 

Pools at Flamingo Las Vegas
Las Vegas, NV
The "Pink Hotel", where the original Ocean's Eleven was filmed, is still cool some four decades later, thanks to its palm-lined pools. There are four of them within a 15-acre space; from grottos to waterfalls. Poolside fun comes in the form of live gaming and buckets of beer -- if it was gangster enough for Bugsy Siegel, should be gangster enough for you.
Info: from $136/night; flamingolasvegas.com

Mohonk Lake
New York
Talk about high tide: Acting as Sky Top Mountain's liquid roof in the Shawangunk Ridge is where you'll find this lake resort, a steep 1,245 feet above sea level. The lake is more private pool than anything else, but snagging a room at the Mohonk Mountain House (a 266-room Victorian lakeside inn) is a small price to pay for a cool dip in the pride of New Paltz.
Info: mohonk.com

Leslie's Pool Zone
Phoenix, Az
The D-Backs were thought dead going into the All-Star break, but lo and behold, Arizona's a favorite to take the National League West. The best seats to watch their conquests are in Leslie's Pool Zone, located behind the outfield wall in right-center. Its private pool and patio area, plasma TVs and unobstructed views are enough to make even Giants fans root for the home team.
Info: $5,900/game (includes 35 tickets); arizona.diamondbacks.mlb.com

Lake Louise
Banff, Alberta, Canada
Psst -- Canada has Rockies, too! Ditch Colorado for Lake Louise, which lies in the heart of them. It offers some of the best rafting, fly-fishing and ATV tours in North America (you can thank the National Park mounties for protecting the unspoiled, forested wilderness).
Info: banfflakelouise.com

Jenny Lake
Wyoming
Dunno who this Jenny is, but if she's half as pretty as the lake named after her, then I'll marry her -- or at least buy her a car and jewelry. Jenny Lake sits in the heart of the Grand Teton National Forest, and offers unequaled views of the mountain range. It's the bluest of blues in color and runs just short of 300 feet deep at at its deepest -- arguably the loveliest lake in the U.S.
Info: www.nps.gov/grte

Palazzo Sasso
Ravello, Italy
Ever find yourself with half a grand and nothing to spend it all on in one night? Worry no more: Palazzo Sasso is a ridiculous villa-styled hotel on the Amalfi coast, 1,000 feet above the Med. Its pool offers near-mythic views of the sea, mountains and fishing villages below -- you'll want to keep your contacts in.
Info: from $379/night; palazzosasso.com

Costa Concordia
Even if you're surrounded by majestic Mediterranean waters, there's no shame in swimming in the cruise ship's onboard pool instead. Especially aboard the Concordia (the most mammoth of Costa's fleet), where you'll pools with retractable glass roofs among other atypical bells and whistles.
Info: cruisecosta.com

Kaaterskill Falls
New York
Towering 260-feet up, this is the highest two-tiered waterfall in the state, located in the northeastern corner of the Catskills. Admire it from afar, or take a trail to the top. The later in the summer you visit, the less water gushes forth, so plan accordingly.
Info: www.catskillvacation.net