Top 29 Underwater Innovations, From Deep Sea Golf to Fashion Photography (SUPER GALLERY) Edit

Fancy a round of underwater golf? What about eating in an underwater restaurant? We’ve done an underwater trends feature before, but we have so much more to add to the list!

Underwater activities are no longer limited to submarines, snorkeling or diving. With advancements in technology, a rise in the quest for thrilling experiences and new demands from adrenaline junkies, a wide range of unique activities are taking place under the sea. 

One aesthetic, less dangerous activity is underwater fashion photography. People like Peter de Mulder, whose latest series is titled “Water Proof,” are going underwater to shoot commercial and fashion campaigns. Water Proof features beautiful images like a ballerina swimming in a lagoon in the Indian Ocean; even more mesmerizing is the “making of” video on his site.

Check out some of the most offbeat things that are going on in this fascinating, aquatic world:

Sports

Underwater Ice Hockey World Championship

This unusual sport took place at the lake of Weissensee in southern Austria. It is the first underwater ice hockey world championship. There were 8 international teams from Austria, the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The divers competed under 30 cen… [More]

Underwater Golf Tournaments

Remember Underwater Hockey?  Well, now China has staged what is believed to be the world’s first underwater golf tournament.  The event took place at the Zuohai Aquarium in Fuzhou city which is in Fujian.  The game involved five players who golfed around in a 50ft deep tank. [More]

Extreme Tourism - Swimming With Sharks (GALLERY)

As accessibility to distant locales surges and people’s interest in extreme sports expands, so does the adventure travel market. Swimming with dolphins used to be cutting edge at Sea World’s Discovery Cove resort. But now tourists are spanning the globe for vacation thrills. Travelers with a taste f… [More]

Underwater Lifestyle

World’s 1st Self-Sustaining Underwater Habitat

Lloyd Godson from Australia spent almost two weeks in a cabin under a lake. Food and drink were brought by divers. Godson was supposed to ride a bike to generate electricity and use algae to produce oxygen. After 12 days in world’s 1st self-sustaining underwater cabin, the 29-year-old adventurer bec… [More]

7 Floors & 7 Stars Below Sea Level - Istanbul Underwater Hotel (GALLERY)

This seven floor underwater hotel will give its guests a new view of the famous city of Istanbul. It is due to open in 2010, and will coincide with its Culture Capital of Europe nomination and lay down a gauntlet as a world capital of tourism. The hotel is the work of Tanriverdi Holding and have set… [More]

Luxury Underwater Hotel in Dubai - Hydropolis to Open This Month (GALLERY)

People have long been attracted to the mysteries of marine life, and fascination with aquariums is seen world wide. Scheduled to open this month is the Hydropolis Dubai, a much anticipated luxury underwater hotel in the middle of desert. It will include 220 suites submerged under 66 feet of water. T… [More]

$270,000 Sub-Aquatic Restroom - Underwater Toilet at Mumin Papa Cafe (VIDEO)

Mumin Papa Café offers its customers the luxury of using an underwater restroom built alongside a giant aquarium. So, here is your chance to go No. 2 in the aquatic surrounding with fish and turtles.  This experience is only available for the fairer sex (that means you, ladies) that will enjoy the … [More]

Hilton Maldives Resort: World’s First Undersea Restaurant

Looking for a romantic getaway and a once in a lifetime experience for dinner?  How about an underwater restaurant?  The Hilton Maldives Resort has opened the first undersee restaurant, which essentially means that you’re the one in the glass tank, and the fish get to watch YOU.  It’s also great if … [More]

Poseidon Underwater Hotel (VIDEO)

Poseidon is a $500 million complex marketed as the world’s first underwater hotel.  The Poseidon Mystery Island will be a 1.1 million square foot complex submerged 40 feet into a 5,000 acre coral lagoon near Fiji.  The project has been underway for some time now, but the big news is that the Fiji… [More]

One Room Underwater Hotel - Utter Inn Hotel

There is only one room at the Utter Inn, and that room is mostly underwater. “The Utter Inn is the creation of Mikael Genberg, an artist and sculptor who has chosen to focus on “making art for the public. The guests of Utter Inn arrive at the port of Vasteras and they are taken the 1 km out on the l… [More]

Trilobis 65 Floating Home

Designs have been unveiled for a new commercial and recreational marine park from Giancarlo Zema that incorporates the Trilobis 65 - a 20 metre long, multi-level semi-submerged floating home designed for habitation by six people featured in Gizmo 4. Known as Lake Washington, the large-scale water th… [More]

Toys

Underwater Fish Robot (VIDEO)

At Trend Hunter, we’ve seen robots that can dance, fight, sing and even ride a bicycle.  In fact, we even have a whole category full of innovative new robots.  Now, Japan’s Kobe University has released three robots that can swim.  These fish robots swim just like their real life counterparts. [More]

The Snake Robot - ACM-R5 (VIDEO)

The Hirose Fukushima Robotics lab developed an amphibious snake-like robot named “ACM-R5” that can maneuver both on ground and in water surging its long body. It can form a smooth shape due to this joint composition, and it is essential for efficient locomotion. The ACM-R5 is set with paddles and pa… [More]

Amphibious Robot That Swims - Aqua Can Follow You Home (VIDEO)

Designed for autonomous exploration, Aqua is a fully amphibious robot that uses an unusual mode of locomotion. On land, it walks on its flippers, and in the water, it uses them to swim. The robot can be programmed to explore watery environments on its own, or even to follow a diver’s flippers and ac… [More]

Underwater Arts, Culture & Photography

Underwater Museum in China - Shipwreck Could Have 80,000 Treasures

China is building an underwater museum in order to preserve and showcase an ancient shipwreck. The Souther Sea Number One is over 800 years old and will be displayed in a five hall museum along with treasures found inside the original wreck. The ship is 24 meters under water and buried beneath two… [More]

Underwater Sculptures (VIDEO)

London artist Jason Taylor has installed a series of his sculptures under the sea off the coast of Grenada. The aim of the sculpture park is to create a unique space which highlights environmental processes and celebrates local culture. The structure will allow soft and hard corals, algae and sponge… [More]

Models In Water Special Effects Campaign - Diesel Style Lounge (GALLERY)

Diesel’s newly launched online store defines new limits brands are willing to go to, as the Italian fashion house brings special effects, normally seen on TV and Film, to the web. The Diesel Style lounge, a kind of virtual ‘window’ to the online store, features models suspended underwater. Models … [More]

Life Underwater - Thought Provoking Photo From Below the Surface

This thought provoking photo was unveiled at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Kanazawa, Japan.  The photo shows a group of people at the bottom of a pool, pondering at life above.  The work comes to us from Elmanco, an Italian site which notes that there are likely many interpretations to the work.… [More]

Underwater Boating

Innespace Dolphin Personal Watercraft (VIDEO)

Innespace Productions is a company dedicated to creating and demonstrating high performance submersible watercraft. Innespace was started in California in 1998 by Rob Innes and Dan Piazza, with the aim of providing thrilling aquatic demonstrations using our unique Dolphin watercraft. These positiv… [More]

Exomos Cutting Edge Submarines

Looking to add a little more style to your next luxury submarine adventure?  Why not get an exotic submarine from Exomos.  You’ll definately have the hottest rig underwater.  The Exomos subs are ultra cool toys for those who have the means.  Check out the exomos site! [More]

Personal Submarines - C-Quester Submersibles

Earlier this summer, we introduced you to Exomos Cutting Edge Submarines.  It seemes that luxurious personal submarines are appearing all over the place.  Now, the electric C-Quester enters the market. The electric C-Quester submersibles dive up to 150 feet while lasting 2.5 hours between charges. … [More]

Underwater Tech & Gadgets

Breathing Underwater… Forever - Poseidon Mk IV Discovery Rebreather

You can’t quite breath underwater forever, but, longer than you normally could. The Poseidon Mk IV Discovery is what those in the diving world call a rebreather - it recycles a user’s oxygen. Using p02 scrubbing and oxygen cells, it turns unused oxygen in your exhales into breathable air. Supposedly… [More]

Music Underwater - Waterproof Scuba MP3 Player

Decompression stops can be painstakingly long and boring. If you have to kill an hour underwater, then a few tunes from your favorite band would help the time pass more quickly. Now with Frontgate’s Waterproof Scuba MP3 Player, you can go down to 200 feet with it clipped onto your mask. The device r… [More]

Underwater SMS for Divers - UDI Digital Texting (GALLERY)

Communicating under water can be quite difficult. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could just text your dive buddies when you found a cool new cave to explore, or when you were panicking because your oxygen was running out? That’s precisely what UTC was thinking too, which is why they invented… [More]

Diving Mask Takes Hands-Free Photos - Liquid Image Camera-Mask

This diving mask is actually capable of taking photos, so you can do your snorkeling and snap shots of the beautiful aquatic scenes without using your hands. It’s waterproof up to 15 feet, so isn’t meant for serious underwater photographers, but for those just snorkeling, or hanging out in shallower… [More]

Space and Underwater Pen - Tombow’s Object XL Pressurized Ink Cartridges

While flying into outer space, you can still blog in your thoughts the old way fashioned with Tombow’s Object XL pen. With its pressurized ink cartridges, the pen can still perform its writing functions even if the writer is hanging upside down or swimming underwater. At $32, Object XL is the rugg… [More]

Underwater iPods - Shuffle Watersport Bundle

When people begun saying, ‘Music is everywhere’, Apple decided to take it seriously. They realized how music lovers were not actually able to be enjoyed it everywhere yet; it surely wasn’t capable of going deep under water… until now. The Shuffle Watersport Bundle includes a 1GB shuffle (Silver… [More]

BONUS: On the Water

Tennis on Water - Williams & Nadal for Sony Open (VIDEO)

Ever heard of an aquatic ace? How about a tennis match on the water? That sounds impossible, but it’s not, as these images and video of Rafael Nadal and Serena Williams prove. On March 25, the world’s first tennis game on water was held on the surface of Miami’s Hotel Gansevoort swimming pool. Spa… [More]

Dance Floor Aquariums - Sharks Swim Under Qua Bottle Lounge (GALLERY)

Qua Bottle Lounge has tapped into the obsession with extreme sports and exotic experiences involving wild animals. The Austin, Texas club found a way to bottle up and serve that adrenaline to their patrons on a nightly basis; beneath their glass dance floor is an aquarium filled with dangerous sea c… [More]