The small town of Primošten in the south of Croatia is set to be the site of a new panoramic submarine tunnel. The 1.5-million-euro underwater tunnel is being constructed in Porat Bay with the aim of being a leading tourist attraction in the area.
Stipe Petrina, the Mayor of Primošten, described the new underwater tunnel.
“The panoramic pedestrian underwater tunnel will have transparent surrounds and will be 60 meters long and 6 meters wide. It will be located at the deepest part of the sea floor in Porat bay, 18 meters below the sea surface,” said Petrina.
Made from transparent plexiglass, the tunnel will extend across the whole of Porat Bay. It will include viewing spaces, as well as catering areas.
Original plans to build a pedestrian bridge in the town were superseded by plans to construct the tunnel. As Petrina said:
“The idea was to build a pedestrian bridge in the area of the Porat harbor, but this would make the maritime traffic underneath it more difficult. We concluded then that it is best to build a tunnel that will be deep enough under the sea so that the biggest ships can be driven above it, and the price of the tunnel construction will be roughly the same as if we were to build a bridge.”
The amusement attraction is to be the second major investment in tourist attractions in the town of Primošten in recent years.
In 2017, a monument was erected in the town in honour of the Virgin Mary. The ‘Our Lady of Loreto on Mount Gaj’ statue is 17-metres high and was built to attraction religious tour groups and pilgrims from around the world.
The Primošten underwater tunnel is the latest in a series of subaquatic tourist attractions to be built in recent years around the world.
In 2018, the Underwater Museum of Art, which enables divers to explore artificial reefs and sculptures, opened off the coast of Florida.
Bahrain has also announced plans to open the world’s largest underground theme park later this year. The underwater amusement site will include a sunken Boeing 747 jumbo jet submerged on the seabed.
