!!! Speciální stránka pro zadání nové zoo, doplnění či opravu stávajících údajů  !!!  •  !!! Special page for entering a new zoo, addition or correction current info !!!
 
The Underwater Observatory Marine Park Eilat
 
     
  History of The Underwater Observatory Marine Park  
  • The first observatory was established in 1975, and was the first of its kind in the world.

• The lower part of the tower has two observation areas, the old and the new, which are connected by a tunnel.

• The Underwater Observatory Marine Park was established by Morris Kahn, and by marine biologist, David Fridman.

• The original name of the Underwater Observatory Marine Park was Coral World.

• The upper section of the tower rises to a height of 23 meters.

• The park tower included the first aquarium, and the rest of the exhibition was constructed over the years.

• A 100 meter long bridge leading to the observatory connects the shoreline to the tower.

• The two observatories in the tower are sunk into a depth of 12 meters below the water surface.

• The older observatory has 20 windows displaying the sea view at a depth of six meters.

• Deciding on a suitable structure for the observatory and its exact position posed many problems for the team, who firstly carried out extensive biological and technical research. Creative thinking was required to prevent damage to the existing coral reef and preserve the local fish population.

• The old observatory, constructed with iron, weighs 100 tons. Its parts were assembled on dry land and the entire structure was transported to its present location where it was sunk. The hollow base was filled with diverse heavy metals including tank treads, scrap ammunition, machine gun bullets and other metals with a high molecular weight.

• The base of the observatory is attached to large metal pillars embedded deep into the sea bed. The building is covered with epoxy paint and protected by an anti-rust cathode system. Some gardening work has been carried out around and close to the observatory. Large pieces of coral colonies were transplanted to rebuild what was destroyed during construction.

• Following of the building of the tower, the park staff and planners had to examine how the enormous construction sunken into the water, affected the local fish population. Initially the fish refrained from approaching the observatory area, but within a short period of time returned and populated the coral reef surrounding the observatory.

• The “new” observatory was built in 1991. Its components were constructed in Shfaram and assembled in the port of Eilat. The “new” observatory was also sunk into the seabed using heavy metal.

• The observatory is surrounded by a three meter wide balcony upon which the park team divers have transferred corals and rehabilitated the reef.
Important Information!!!

The observatory is not bounded by a net enclosing the fish. The different animals surrounding the observatory came and remained due to the coral reef built by the diving team. This coral reef constitutes a perfect breeding house for all the reef dwellers. The team of park divers who care for the reef surrounding the observatory, work only in nurturing and maintaining the reef, (reviving corals, removing predators, pruning dead branches etc) but not feeding the animals. The observatory area is a nature reserve and it is forbidden to feed the fish and animals.
Visitors to the Underwater Observatory Marine Park encounter a unique site which showcases the underwater world of the Gulf of Eilat in its full splendor.

Source: official site of The Underwater Observatory Marine Park (2014)

 
   
WZD - Worldwide Zoo Database
2009 - 2019
Zdroje a autoři: WZD, oficiální stránky ZOO, oficiální tiskové a jiné materiály ZOO (není-li uvedeno jinak); Datum poslední aktualizace: 06. 09. 2019
Sources and authors: WZD, official websites of ZOO, official printed and other matters of ZOO (if it is not stated otherwise); Date of last actualization:06. 09. 2019
Všechny části tohoto webu (včetně obrázků, videí apod.) podléhají copyrightu autorů.   •   All parts of this website (including images, videos, etc.) are subject to copyright of authors.