Artificial Reefs, CNN, Reef Worlds

Dynamic Reef site vision for the UAE

Artificial Reefs, Thinking Different

CNN Article Here

Aside from the financial incentives, developers cite Dubai's willingness to think outside the box as part of the appeal of setting up in the city. 

"Dubai has an overabundance of vision," says Patrick Douglas, the CEO of Reef Worlds, an underwater design company.

Pearl of Dubai will be a five-acre underwater park with a Lost City of Atlantis theme. In addition to luring scuba divers and snorkelers, the underwater attraction will also act as a huge artificial reef, designed to attract and nurture aquatic life.

"We're building for two clients: One has credit cards, the other has fins," jokes Douglas.

When first pitching the sustainable tourism venture, he approached properties in the Caribbean, all to no avail. "I told them, we'd build these sites, they wouldn't have to put up any money up front, and if they happened to make money from them -- which we knew they would -- we could talk about a revenue share.

We didn't get any traction," says Douglas. Dubai, however, was a different story.

"They get it. They can conceive of it and they can produce it," he says.

More about Reef Worlds.