Logically, if beaches are good and casinos are good, then a casino at the beach is even better. But what about a casino resort underwater? Joachim Hauser wants to find out with the Crescent Hydropolis Resorts he is currently planning.

Hauser's ideas depict a series of high-tech resorts, complete with spas, casinos, and deluxe apartments, that just happen to be underwater. He says that his goal is to combine mankind's age-old fascination with "conquering" the sea and man's ability to coexist peacefully with existing sea creatures. The resorts' website mentions the lofty goal of "taking mankind on a journey under the seas". Possible sites for the resorts include Dubai, Isle of Man, London, New York, Monaco, Munich, and Qingdao.

Hauser's creative journey began in 1999 when he and the Deutsche Aero-Space Administration (DASA Bremen) started researching and designing the world's first space tourism hotel. Studies included testing reactions of the human body to space conditions, which was a challenging new project for DASA.

Branching out from his original mission, Mr. Hauser began to look into designs for an underwater hotel, similar in form and function to his space tourism hotel concept. He nicknamed his new project "NEO". Hauser brought in herds of specialists to examine everything from submarine construction and offshore construction techniques to standard hotel business planning. His efforts were mostly in the interest of finding ways to circumvent the human body's resistance to living underwater.

By late 2002, the team settled on a solid concept and proudly presented the blueprint of world's first underwater hotel to Dubai. Since then, the idea has been made more available to the public, and has been presented to the other potential sites.

So, what will these mastermind hotels look like once the theory is put into practice? Crescent Hydropolis presents different sketches for deep and shallow water structures. Both versions have a main "hydropalace" at the center of the resort surrounded by tunnels and "land stations" that are at least partially above water. The various buildings designate tidy spaces with exact metric dimensions for security, ballrooms, dining areas, living spaces, lounges, and spas. The buildings are glassy and stream-lined, giving the effect of something very space-agey, a bit like something out of "The Jetsons".

No specific date has been determined for the Crescent Hydropolis dream to become a reality, but one thing is for certain: once opened, the avante garde party palaces will take the world's hotel industry by storm.

A PimpWiz Exclusive By, Jennifer Geroge