Intro - Doing a Repair Underwater is a Challenge!
I noticed a small amount of water forming on the ground on one side of my above ground swimming pool. Sure enough, there was a very small hole. So I got a kit (pictured below) that allows you to do pool repairs underwater with the pool filled. I followed the instructions. I cut a patch, put glue on it, folded it together, then then dove down to attempt the repair. For starters, since the pool was only filled one day prior, the water was about 50 degrees! Then, I found that when I used both hands to unfold the patch underwater, I bobbed to the top like a cork in the ocean! I would need a (trusted) friend to hold me down at the bottom with a garden rake or something until the repair was completed. And I was not up to that! So I sought to do the pool repair from above, using a special tool to quickly put the patch in place and press it down.
My Tool For Doing a Repair on the Swimming Pool Floor
I created a tool, as pictured below, that consisted of a 4-ft dowel (or stick) with a flat piece of plywood on the end bigger than my patch. The flat piece was sanded at the edges and corners to prevent any sharp corners doing damage. On the flat piece I placed a small piece of two-sided tape (left-over from a window insulation kit).
 
I stuck the patch on the flat piece via the two sided tape.
Next, at the pool side, I placed ample glue on the entire patch.
I then quickly plunged the patch in the water onto my leak and applied light pressure for about 5 or 10 seconds. I then pulled the stick out. The patch stuck to the pool bottom, and the two-sided tape gave way where the wood piece was stuck to it! I then inspected my repair and used my tool to flatten out the patch completely (one edge was not stuck down).
This worked very well! And I did not have to have my neighbor hold me down in the freezing water with a garden rake!
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