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History of The Underwater Observatory Marine Park |
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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)
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