http://www.metimes.com/articles/normal.php?StoryID=20060505-062911-5025r
CAESAREA, Israel -- When most people think of Israel's underwater attractions, their thoughts immediately turn to Eilat: there, you can swim with dolphins, observe the myriad of sea life at the underwater observatory, or dive down to Red Sea coral reefs. Last week, however, a new attraction welcomed its first visitors, this time on the Mediterranean coast: at the ancient port of Caesarea, roughly 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv, the world's first underwater museum opened for business.
Although it lacks the crystal-clear waters and stunning marine life of Red Sea destinations, the museum hopes to draw visitors interested in the history and archaeology of the region. Here, Caesarea's history is on display for those equipped with a snorkel or wetsuit, as four underwater trails lead museum visitors around the remains of Jewish King Herod the Great's once spectacular ancient harbor.Perhaps the only thing missing at the Caesarea site is somewhere appropriate for visitors to stay. At Key Largo in Florida, for example, Jules' Undersea Lodge provides just this: a small hotel some seven meters beneath the mangroves of the Key Largo nature reserve. Visitors must dive to the hotel's entrance, a door in the underside of the structure through which divers surface as if from a small swimming pool.
With tourism currently on the increase in Israel, and visitor numbers this year set to reach the highest levels since before the recent intifada, perhaps this - a hotel beneath the waves - is the next logical step in welcoming tourists to Israel's historical underwater world.
CAESAREA, Israel -- When most people think of Israel's underwater attractions, their thoughts immediately turn to Eilat: there, you can swim with dolphins, observe the myriad of sea life at the underwater observatory, or dive down to Red Sea coral reefs. Last week, however, a new attraction welcomed its first visitors, this time on the Mediterranean coast: at the ancient port of Caesarea, roughly 60 kilometers north of Tel Aviv, the world's first underwater museum opened for business.
Although it lacks the crystal-clear waters and stunning marine life of Red Sea destinations, the museum hopes to draw visitors interested in the history and archaeology of the region. Here, Caesarea's history is on display for those equipped with a snorkel or wetsuit, as four underwater trails lead museum visitors around the remains of Jewish King Herod the Great's once spectacular ancient harbor.Perhaps the only thing missing at the Caesarea site is somewhere appropriate for visitors to stay. At Key Largo in Florida, for example, Jules' Undersea Lodge provides just this: a small hotel some seven meters beneath the mangroves of the Key Largo nature reserve. Visitors must dive to the hotel's entrance, a door in the underside of the structure through which divers surface as if from a small swimming pool.
With tourism currently on the increase in Israel, and visitor numbers this year set to reach the highest levels since before the recent intifada, perhaps this - a hotel beneath the waves - is the next logical step in welcoming tourists to Israel's historical underwater world.
! We need one of thoes in lake powell