Underwater Destinations - a Hot Tourist Trend

Underwater Restaurants and Resorts Article Possible Headlines: Underwater Destinations – a Hot Tourist Trend Underwater Getaways a Hit with Tourists Taking a Vacation Underwater The Most Popular Tourist Attractions are Underwater The Most Popular Vacations are Underwater Some Tourists Prefer a Totally Immersive Experience Possible background? Underwater vacations and getaways have become more popular in recent years, along with occasional jaunts for experienced divers that include weddings and parties under the sea. Millions of tourists flock annually to remote regions of Fiji, Tanzania, Europe, and even Florida to dine, dance, and commune with nature in underwater restaurants and resorts as aquatic life frolic around them.

One destination in Key Largo is so deep, it can only be reached by scuba divers who must wait two hours after eating before they ascend to dry land. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), nearly 95% of our oceans have yet to be explored.

It is likely curiosity drives underwater tourists to visit this final frontier and take excursions that often carry a hefty price tag.

One exotic possibility is offered by British mogul, Sir Richard Branson outside his luxury resort in the British Virgin Islands. Well-heeled vacationers who rent his 105-foot yacht can take private 130-foot undersea “flights” on the Necker Nymph, his three-passenger submersible. The sub is generously included in weekly yacht rental of in the $88,000 weekly yacht rental. Here are some other underwater destinations that are getting tourists’ attention: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Hotel –Rangali Island, Maldives Conrad Maldives Rangali Island Hotel is touted as the world’s first all glass undersea restaurant and residence located nearly 17 feet under the Indian Ocean on Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in Rangali.

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It features a restaurant called The MURAKA, which means coral in Dhivehi, where diners can enjoy watching stingrays, snapper, or sharks. Staff and butlers are available 24 hours a day.

A two-level guest residence offers dining, living, and sleeping quarters above the water along with an exclusive underwater bedroom that offers living space and bathroom with aquatic views.  Hurawalhi Island, Republic of Maldives The 5.8 underwater restaurant in the Maldives was constructed in New Plymouth, New Zealand and shipped in 2016 to the 5-star Hurawalhi Island Resort in the Lhaviyani Atoll in Maldives. There it was submerged and anchored 16 feet below sea level. Patrons can enjoy panoramic views of the coral reef while dining on high-end fare that includes a seven-course dinner for two for $280.00. A five-course lunch is also served for $225.00 in the restaurant at the adults-only, 90-villa resort. The Manta Resort – Pemba Island, Tanzania The Manta Resort is a high-end getaway on Pemba Island in Tanzania that offers a floating private Underwater Room encircled by a turquoise blue bubble for $1,700 a night. Guests are taken by boat to the structure 250 meters offshore where they can watch schools of reef fish on the coral head or snorkel among them. The structure designed by Swedish engineers has three levels.

The landing deck at sea level features a lounge area and bathroom with open-air shower. A ladder leads up to the outdoors for sun bathing. The lower level leads to a bedroom totally underneath the ocean with 360-degree views of aquatic life who interact with guests. Spotlights at night attract sea creatures like squid, octopus, and Spanish dancers (colorful sea slugs) who often attach themselves to the bedroom window panes. The Underwater Room is good for the environment as it will eventually become a coral reef. Subsix – Niyama Private Islands, Maldives Subsix in the Maldives opened in 2010 and is known as the world’s first underwater restaurant and club. It is located nearly 20 feet beneath the Indian Ocean on a coral reef garden off the Niyama Private Islands on the Dhaalu Atoll. Subsix features a clam-shaped bar and international deejays who spin tunes as patrons dance, dine, attend glow parties, and get stared at by aquatic life that swim past. Patrons arrive by boat and descend a three-tier staircase to reach the club that features Italian abstract chandeliers designed to look like shimmering coral.

Floor-to-ceiling windows offer views of the illuminated sea floor with curious aquatic creatures such as parrotfish, Moorish Idols, sea urchins, moray eels, groupers, butterfly and damsel fish. Even a resident Hawksbill turtle comes to visit. Undersea Lodge is so remote only scuba-divers can reach it after diving 21 feet beneath the surface through a tropical mangrove in the Emerald Lagoon. Guests enter through an opening in the bottom of the structure where they can either stay the night or simply dine. Nightly accommodations with terrarium views of aquatic life run $800 a night for two adults and include Jules’ world-famous pizza dinner and breakfast. The three-hour dining experience without accommodations costs $150 per person and requires diners to wait after eating before they ascend to the top. Atlantis Resort, The Palm, Dubai Tourists can immerse themselves in underwater suites called the Poseidon and Neptune at the five-star Atlantis resort hotel in Dubai.

The Atlantis is located on a manmade island called the Palm in the Arabian Sea and is modeled after the mythical missing city. Each suite features luxury accommodations with floor-to-ceiling views of the Ambassador Lagoon and 65,000 different marine animals. Accommodations include two complimentary dolphin encounters for guests who want to have a more interactive experience.   The world’s largest underwater restaurant called the Under is scheduled to open in March of this year in Norway. It was built on a barge in 2018, lowered and anchored to the ocean floor. It is shaped like a periscope and weighs nearly 2,000 tons. A 1- meter long panoramic window is built to withstand the fierce underwater conditions of the Nordic seas.   Seventy percent of the world’s oxygen comes from the ocean, while one-third comes from rainforests and plants.

The ocean emits oxygen as a result of photosynthesis that occurs through phytoplankton, algae, plankton, and kelp. Aquatic (hydrostatic) pressure increases a total of one atmosphere for every 10 meters of depth. At the depth of 5,000 meters, pressure is 500 times greater than the pressure at sea level. Pressure one mile deep is typically 2,500 PSI. Structures built underwater must be designed to withstand these extreme pressures as well as that of violent, circular ocean waves and dramatic temperature changes that occur during hurricanes and typhoons. As guests of underwater resorts observe the aquatic life they can be assured that fish are peering back and will remember their encounter. Scientists at Oxford University discovered that fish are fast learners and use what is called spatial cognition. They observe their environments, make mental maps, and retain memories for months at a time. Fish observe changes in their environment, so it is very likely every move underwater guests make are being tracked very carefully.

To date, only 10% of the oceans have been mapped as scientists have primarily had to rely on sonar. Only 35% of the coastal waters around the United States have been mapped. According to Ocean Leadership.org, we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean. Ninety-five percent of the water on Earth is in the ocean and is home to 94% of all life that exists on our planet.  Ocean exploration is very important. NOAA scientists say it offers baseline information to predict environmental changes, earthquakes, and tsunamis. It also helps in the development of new energy resources, drugs, and food. The most energy efficient data centers are built underwater. Scientists at Microsoft have discovered they are cheaper to construct, are cooled more efficiently, and can be powered with renewable energy.