Future underwater resort in Fiji

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For the website of this underwater resort...

http://www.poseidonresorts.com/poseidon_main.html

News article]http://www.kxly.com/news/?sect_rank=1&s ... y_id=14762[/url]

Rathdrum man building first-ever underwater resort in Fiji
Annie Bishop / KXLY4 Reporter
Last updated: Thursday, October 04th, 2007 08:45:10 PM


RATHDRUM -- The search for the perfect waterfront view is over. You don't need a million dollars, but a few thousand couldn't hurt.

A Rathdrum businessman is embarking on a project on a private Fijian island in the tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean. The white sand is amazing, but it's what's underwater that will have you grabbing your passport.

One could call Bruce Jones a 21st century Jacques Cousteau. Jones is building the world's first seafloor resort, and one doesn't even need scuba gear to get there.

At this resort, one can spend the night on a tropical reef 40 feet below the surface.

Chances are the closest you've ever been to the sea floor is aboard Captain Nemo's submarine in the sci-fi thriller “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea”. Or maybe you dived into “The Aquatic Life” with the eccentric Bill Murray.

What lies beneath the surface has fascinated Hollywood and explorers for decades. Now, you too can see for yourself.

Poseidon Mystery Island is about to become the world's first sea floor resort.

“It's in a remote location,” says Jones. “The island is about 225 acres and it's surrounded by a 5,000 acre beautiful pristine coral lagoon.”

The island is half a world away from Jones' home office in Rathdrum. He is president of the company behind the resort.

It's there where he trades in the palm trees for pine trees, and the closest reef is in his fish tank. But no matter what, the island is always a click away on his computer.

“I'm sort of an entrepreneur,” Jones says. “I love what I do and I'm a big kid that's just living this dream. Building subs and underwater resorts something I've always aspired to do.”

It all started with finding the perfect location, and that turned out to be Fiji.

“There's nothing around the island itself,” he says, “so the fish and marine life has never experienced human contact before. .The area has never been fished.”

The underwater experience starts with a quick trip in an elevator. The destination is 40 feet below the surface. It's there where a tunnel connects 24 private suites.

“It's meant to be a seven-star luxury destination,” says Jones. “The finest fabrics, 12 towels in your bathroom. Big jacuzzi, open jacuzzi.”

The restaurant, conference room, spa and even a wedding chapel will be all underwater.

The resort will be built out of steel and thick transparent acrylic. It's being constructed in several phases at production facilities around the world. Once it arrives at the island, each piece will be secured on piles on the sandy sea floor. Within 48 hours it will be ready.

Jones is no stranger to underwater exploration, as he also builds personal luxury submarines. His clients are so elite, he can't say who has one.

“I really love being in a submarine,” he says, “because it's a perfectly quiet environment and it's the smoothest possible ride, better than most expensive jet or Rolls-Royce.”

At Posiedon, one can learn how to navigate a personal sub.

“The undersea experience is very similar to you sitting right here in my office,” Jones says. “It means it's a one atmosphere environment, so there's no pressure at all.”

With a weeks stay ringing in at $15,000 a person, the experience is, for most, a once in a lifetime adventure. It won't be open for at least a year, but the resort is already making waves.

“We've had website up for a while now and it gets up to 10 million hits a week,” Jones says. “And we've been in 185 magazines worldwide, plus an incalculable number of newspapers.”

There's nothing science-fiction about that.