A new ara of Underwater Observatories

No aquarium, no tank in a marine land, however spacious it may be, can begin to duplicate the conditions of the sea. And no dolphin who inhabits one of those aquariums or one of those marine lands can be considered normal. Jacques I. Cousteau

Natural Underwater Beauty is hard to observe. Normally you would need to be a scuba diver to be able to get close to fish and other marine life. The other alternative - visiting a public aquarium - seems dissatisfactory to some of us. Aquarists can only create an image of nature, which is not necessarily what there really is. Underwater Observatories are marine buildings constructed partly under the sea. They are normally build on or near the coast and extend seawards. The part of the building that is submerged can be visited via steps or elevators. Just like in aquariums there are large windows, that enables observing the surrounding sea. ... shore-based underwater walkways, hotels and laboratories, where the occupants can -in comfort- observe sea life beyond the acrylic walls of the structure... Underwater Observatories enable the proverbial walk under the sea. Build next to interesting hotspots Vising toursits and locals can get a picture of what it is really is. PVHO does not have to be applied to structural acrylic components under hydrostatic loading in aquaria, semi submerged ships, shore-based underwater walkways, and buildings whose interior is open to atmospheric pressure. Safety The Underwater Observatory of Egypt will be located in Sharm-el-Sheik, Sinai. Sharm is one of Egypt's top tourist destinations next to the world famous undersea park of Ras Mohammed. The observatory consists of a central unit (USO = undersea observatory) and several surrounding units. The surrounding units are connected by sub sea tunnel or by bridge. Each unit has its own function as underwater cafe, underwater restaurant, a sub sea dance hall and underwater apartments. The idea for the structure is based on earlier work of Dr. N. Drimer, who is also involved in the project. Dr. Drimer has build similar structures in the Bahamas and Israel.
Hydrosight has been signed as construction manager. However at the time of writing in November 2007 the project has been stalled.

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