Bahrain, the island nation located in the Persian Gulf, is currently creating a scuba diver’s wonderworld just of its coast. This new subaquatic theme park will have a size of 100,000 square meters (1,076,391 square-foot) and is built in a partnership between the Supreme Council for Environment, Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and the private sector. Once finished, the subaquatic park claims to be the world largest eco-friendly underwater theme park.
The centerpiece of this underwater world will be a sunken Boeing 747 jumbo jet, which got specially prepared to become an artificial reef. But that’s not all. As announced by the state-run Bahrain News Agency, this playground for scuba divers will also feature a replica Bahraini pearl merchant’s house, artificial coral reefs, and art sculptures. The calm seas and clear blue water make it an ideal diving site.
With an intended opening date of summer 2019, preparations are well underway to get the site finished and setup.
To find more information visit www.divebahrain.com, which is currently still under construction as well.
Is it Eco-friendly?
According to the organizers of this magnificent project, the whole site will be eco-friendly. Pollutants and contaminants, like oil, grease, electric wire, fuel system and others, have been removed from the aircraft as well from all the other to be sunken objects.
With this theme park, the organizers expect marine life and coral reef growth and want to attract divers and researchers from all over the world.
Not the first sunken airplane
Bahrain is not the first country who sunk an airplane to attract divers. There are numerous locations around the world. Here a few of them. If you know any other places, let me know.
- Boeing 737 in the Stuart Channel near Chemainus in British Columbia, Canada.
- Boeing 727 was sunk off the coast of Miami and later damaged by Hurricane Gordon (1995)
- Turkey sunk an Airbus A300 off the Aegean Coast near Kuşadası, in Aydin province.
- Boeing 727 featured in the 1990s movie “U.S. Marshalls” is now a popular diving site in Mermet Springs in Illinois. The site also features a sunken railroad coal car, submarine and many other interesting pieces of equipment.
However, Bahrain’s 747 will be one of the largest planes sunken to become an artificial reef.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.