June, 2008
P rof e s siona l : Hotel s – Uni qu e and Fabul ou s
UNDERWATER HOTEL?
WHY NOT?
W
hen guests visit Jules’ Undersea Lodge in Key Largo,
Florida, they discover that the name is no marketing gimmick. Just to enter the Lodge, one must actually scuba dive 21
feet beneath the surface of the sea. Jules’ really is underwater.
Diving through the tropical mangrove habitat of the Emerald Lagoon and approaching the world’s only underwater hotel is quite
an experience. Even from the outside, Jules’ big 42 inch round
windows cast a warm invitation to come in and stay a while,
relax and get to know the underwater world that so few of us
have even visited.
Entering through an opening in the bottom of the habitat, the
feeling is much like discovering a secret underwater clubhouse.
The cottage sized building isn’t short on creature comforts: hot
showers, a well stocked kitchen (complete with refrigerator and
microwave), books, music, and video movies. And of course
there are cozy beds, where guests snuggle up and watch the
fish visit the windows of their favorite underwater «terrarium».
Guests sometimes describe their visit to inner space as the
most incredible experience of their lives. One couple decided
on a career change after visiting Jules’ Undersea Lodge, and
they now operate Aquanauts’ Dive Shop. Another couple named
their baby after Jules’, when they later discovered their recently
conceived child had accompanied them in their wonderful adventure in undersea living.
Although the underwater hotel may sound like the latest tourist
fun spot the Lodge actually began its existence as La Chalupa
research laboratory, an underwater habitat used to explore the
continental shelf off the coast of Puerto Rico. The authenticity of
the underwater habitat is what really sets it apart from amusement parks and other similar attractions. The mangrove lagoon
in which Jules’ is located is a natural nursery area for many reef
fish. Tropical angelfish, parrotfish, barracuda, and snappers
peek in the windows of the habitat, while anemones, sponges,
The Lodge may have a comfortable futuristic decor, but its sense of history is inescapable. It is the first and only underwater hotel, but is also
to
the first underwater research lab to have ever been made accessible
an average person.
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June, 2008
P rof e s siona l : Hotel s – Uni qu e and Fabul ou s
viding the galley, dining and
The developers named their undersea retreat in
entertainment
honor of Jules Verne, author of «Twenty Thouareas. Each of
sand Leagues under the Sea»
the bedrooms
and the common
room is equipped with telephone, intercom, VCR/DVD and a
stereo sound system. But the main focus of attention is the big
42 inch round window that graces each room. «Waking up to
view a pair of angelfish looking in your bedroom window is a
moment you’ll never forget», states Koblick.
Although the experience of a habitat saturation dive is definitely high tech diving, even guests who have never scuba
dived before can stay in the Lodge. A pleasant three hour class
acquaints non-certified divers with the equipment and simple
procedures necessary to comfortably dive in the company of
the Lodge’s dive instructors.
Habitat operations are monitored by the Mission Director from
the land-based «Command Center», located at the edge of the
Emerald Lagoon. The control center is connected to Jules’ Undersea Lodge by an umbilical cable which delivers fresh air,
water, power, and communications. «The entire facility is monitored 24 hours a day by our staff», says Koblick, «the Lodge
has independent support systems as well as redundant backup
systems. We’ve taken every step to ensure a safe yet exciting
adventure for our guests».
Larger underwater lodges are on the drawing board for the
future. «We have been approached by developers from around
the world. The basic design has been completed – future hotels
will feature an original design using concrete and acrylic – they
will be substantially larger and provide even more gracious comfort with spectacular views through six-foot diameter windows»,
says Dr. Monney. «To live beneath the sea was once just the
dream of science fiction writers…Now it is a reality. Here is a
new step for mankind, the advent of undersea living, the taming
of the last frontier on Earth…Inner Space».
oysters and feather duster worms seem to cover every inch of
this underwater world. Guests of the Lodge explore their marine
environment with scuba gear and are given an unlimited supply
of tanks.
«Marine life is actually enhanced by the presence of an underwater structure», explains Ian Koblick, owner and co-developer
of the Lodge. «Jules’ Undersea Lodge serves as an artificial
reef, providing shelter and substrate for marine animals. And
the flow of air to the Lodge constantly adds oxygen to the entire
surrounding body of water, creating a symbiotic relationship between the technology of man and the beauty of nature.»
The entire structure of Jules’ Undersea Lodge is underwater,
sitting up on legs approximately five feet off the bottom of the
protected lagoon. The Lodge is filled with compressed air, which
prevents the water from rising and flooding the rooms. A five by
seven foot «moon pool» entrance in the floor of the building makes
entering the hotel much like surfacing through a small swimming
pool. Divers find themselves in the wet room, the center of three
compartments that make up the underwater living quarters. The
wet room, as the name implies, is where divers leave their gear,
enjoy a quick hot shower and towel-off before entering the rest
of the living area. Designed for comfort, the air conditioned living space has two private bed rooms and a common room. The
eight by twenty foot common room is a multi-purpose room pro-
http://www.jul.com/
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