World's 10 Greatest Underwater Projects

Here are 10 of the greatest underwater projects.


Some have had a better time of realizing their dreams than others, but visionaries of all sorts have dreamed up a bevy of interesting adventures under the sea.

Here are 10 of the greatest underwater projects.

Number 10. Mission 31. To mark the 50th anniversary of his grandfather Jacques' epic sea mission, Fabien Cousteau will be living in a submerged research facility for 31 days. While he's there, Fabien and his team will be investigating a number of oceanic wonders.

Number 9. SeaOrbiter. At 190 feet tall, over half of the futuristic looking ship will be submerged and on a constant lookout for new species, lost cities, and mythical creatures. Construction on the ship is scheduled to begin late in 2014.

Number 8. Sub-Biosphere 2. If everything goes as planned, designer Phillip Pauley will one day open this underwater community and seed bank, which is large enough to accommodate 100 people. Incidentally, that's the number of humans it would take to repopulate the Earth should something happen that wipes just about everybody out.

Number 7 - Researchers from the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology have built a giant robot called the Crabster.
Designed after the appearance of a crab, the 14 hundred pound robot that is about the size of a Smartcar, will be used to investigate the sunken wreckage of ships on the ocean floor.

Number 6. H2OME. If you're tired of living above sea level, check out this builder. For about 10 million dollars, depending upon amenities and such, they can whip up a sea floor abode. The homes are built at surface pressure, so no tricky decompression is needed.

Number 5. Sea-TY. Well, this is one way to be sea-level rise: build a city that can exist submerged in water. Sunlight is funneled in through a massive atrium built into a large, floating bowl. The buildings themselves are built at varying levels and are made accessible to one another via stairs.

Number 4. Water-Discus Underwater Hotel. It's been named such for its design which is comprised of two inhabitable discs. One is located above water while the other sits beneath the surface, giving guests the option to enjoy warm breezes or watch vivid sea life swim by as they please.

Number 3. Water-Scraper. Skyscrapers require a lot of natural resources to stay inhabitable and functioning. Not the Water-Scraper. It provides all of the multi-use and residential space as it's land-loving counterpart, but can power itself via the wind, waves, and sun.

Number 2. Lady Landfill Skyscraper. Designed to resemble the Eiffel Tower flipped upside down, Lady Landfill is much more than a showy engineering feat. While its upper portion sustains the daily lives of its inhabitants, its submerged point collects plastic waste for later use as fuel.

Number 1. Atlantica Expedition. Dennis Chamberland, the mind behind this concept, has already built a 2-person underwater habitat, but his total vision stretches so much further. He wants to build a whole city, which he describes as functioning sort of like the Jetsons' hometown, but on the ocean floor.