$24 million dollar swimming hole?

[Mer_Adella]

I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong place.
This is for sale, and has nothing to do with mermaids, so I didn’t feel it should go into the news section.
For sale is a deep swimming hole located in the Bahamas for $24 million.
Details:
$24 million
180 acre bahama resort with no hotels golf courses airports…nothing but water and white sand
644 foot deep swimming hole
Record just set yesterday as a free dive with monofin only to 415ft depth

9001

　
http://homes.yahoo.com/news/dean-s-blue-hole-gives-new-meaning-to--money-pit--230905837.html

[MerEmma]

I saw this! Pretty cool.

[Mer_Adella]

alrighty everyone....lets pitch in some dough here. we could all be co-owners of an all exclusive mermaid resort :)

[MerEmma]

I have...about $70. :D

[babsannee]

Haha how awesome would it be to have a mernetwork getaway? Lol Mercon would be epic there

[Mermaid Melanie]

I played the lottery this month so fingers crossed ill let you know how i got on tomorrow LOL

[MerEmma]

Woo hoo! Good luck! I think I need to check the numbers my parents played...

[Mer_Adella]

we wpould have to have a priate airport and places to stay (since there are none) but it would be epic

[Ayla of Duluth]

A nice nice beach and suddenly it drops into a 644 foot hole? Nope.jpg I'd be terrified of what otherworldly creatures lurk in that miniature abyss. Also the fear of a current pulling me all the way to the bottom. O_O

[Mermaid Danielle]

Mer_Adella, great idea! lol That would be awesome if we could have though...

[Dacora]

I can put down 10 dollars! :p
That would be so neat to own it though.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[Dacora]

I dont know why this posted again. Sorry. :/

[Ashe]

O_O Daddy, I want a swimming hole and I want it now. Haha! That is so cool!

[Mermaid Allie]

OK SOMEONE ASK THE ADMINISTRATOR HOW MANY MEMBERS THERE ARE ON MERNETWORK. lolol that would literally be amazing!!!

[Mermaid Allie]

Hey we can stay in tents! And we can all swim to the island! haha just kidding!

[Usagi]

Now...how would we all GET to the Bahamas? Haha we poor! :P except for all you rich folk. Darn you, rich folk.

[lasserine]

Wow thats deep. Don't drop anything down it. pretty water.

[Dacora]

OK SOMEONE ASK THE ADMINISTRATOR HOW MANY MEMBERS THERE ARE ON MERNETWORK. lolol that would literally be amazing!!!

That would be cool if we had enough members to put down a fixed ammount for a cool swimming spot like that. The only issue is getting to it. Time to play the lotto so I can buy a mermaid airline!!

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2

[Mizuko]

Isn't this Deans Blue Hole?

[Mer_Adella]

Isn't this Deans Blue Hole?


Yes that is Dean's blue Hole

[Sea Pearl]

How awesome would that be if we could all go swimming there! *sigh*

[NatalieMermaid]

DONE! Once we get it.... How do we get there?

[seagirls626]

We could start a fundraiser! Everybody could do a little something to pitch in.

[XMermaidMarinaX]

Let me just say I love you all xD

[Jenna/Angelfish]

I'm in!! I will lay down some cash !

[Echidna]

Not to be a spoilsport- the spot looks fantastic-, but I don't think we'd need a swimming spot 100m deep.
I mean, how many of us actually dive that deep lol?
The price is rather steep too.
And then there's the issue of getting there...

We should totally pool our funds for a nice spot with great swimming/snorkelling opportunities, just not necessarily that deep.
30m (100ft) should be plenty?
And once it's private mer property, we forbid motorboats, surfing, jetskiing and all those vile other things and have a nice safe spot to swim in :)
How's that?

[Aziara]

I'm with caltuna... as gorgeous as that place is, a hole that deep is a little scary:eek: It would be cool if there was a place with an airstrip and some buildings already too.... I got no problem playing survivor, but I know some folks need modern convenience ;)

[XMermaidMarinaX]

THATS IT! LETS HUNT DOWN A PLACE LIKE CATLUNA SUGGESTS AND GATHER FUNDS FOR IT O.O

[Sea Pearl]

Still, it's nice to dream :D

[Merman Dan]

This looks just as mermaid-friendly: Lagoon Caye (http://www.caribbeanislandbrokers.com/islands-for-sale/Lagoon-Caye)

http://www.caribbeanislandbrokers.com/listings_images/4238.jpg

[Mermaid Muir]

Allright I'll chip 500 clams for it. (please someone get this reference)

[Echidna]

This looks just as mermaid-friendly: Lagoon Caye (http://www.caribbeanislandbrokers.com/islands-for-sale/Lagoon-Caye)


some footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XfDLp4htzE

it looks so beautiful!
and costs just 1 million?
meaning, if thousand people on mernetwork each contribute 1000$ we could already buy it! :D

we would need to build a few facilities though.
something to hang out and rest/eat/sleep in, preferably with some shade.

my dream would be to build a restroom underwater, quite deep, that's really comfy and spacey and gets air from above.
we could then totally appear like real mermaids and be an exclusive tourist attraction (not mainstream, only a few adventurers).

utopian as of now sadly, but it would be incredibly cool.

[Mermaid Kassandra]

GOD O.O this is madness!But I love it! XD

[Merman Dan]

we would need to build a few facilities though.

How about a Pirate Ship (http://www.maritimesales.com/prl10.HTM)?

http://www.maritimesales.com/images/Others/PRL10-02.jpg


my dream would be to build a restroom underwater, quite deep, that's really comfy and spacey and gets air from above.

I hear they're working on that. ;) H2OME (http://www.ussubstructures.com/h2o.html)

Granted, if you absolutely have to spend over $20 million, might I suggest the USVI? Hans Lollik Islands (http://www.vladi-private-islands.de/en/objects/caribbean/us-virgin-islands/buy/great-hans-lollik-island-little-hans-lollik-island/) (600 acres, $22 million)

http://www.allianceinternationalmedia.com/cord/images/islands10.jpg

[Marlin]

@Caltuna- Well, what you would have to do, is like charge a little to stay on the island, or use the swimming hole, and the ones that donated to get it originally get to stay for free, or have a permanent place on reserve. I would pay a 1000 bucks for a place like that!

[Echidna]

The underwater things looks incredible!
would be perfect, but still too expensive I guess :p

As Marlin says, if we were to do this, we would have to
1) unanimously decide on a place
2) do a fundraiser.
everyone who contributes to the fund becomes a shareholder of the property.
One could also contribute manually (by helping to build & organize the facilities for example)

Now we only need 998 more members keen on the idea :D

on a sidenote; I could well imagine doing this for real, only on a smaller (and less caribbean, since expensive) scale.
One could run such a place as a tourist attraction ("The only place in the world where real mermaids live!!"),
but it would probably be difficult to maintain without some kind of show and lots of management.
And then there's the problem that most mers are scattered over the entire world.

But hey, we can dream!

[Marlin]

For me personally, something like a spring or a lake would be best. It would be smaller scale (compared to an island), would be cheaper, and much easier for others to come visit and stay.

[Merman Dan]

I could well imagine doing this for real, only on a smaller (and less caribbean, since expensive) scale.

The private island bug bit me some time ago. I have looked at islands at privateislandsonline.com and caribbeanislandbrokers.com , to see what sorts of islands are out there. Thinking on a smaller scale may not be as economically viable as thinking on a larger scale, depending on how many homesites you want to build, how much of the island you wish to leave in a natural state, and how many vacation/timeshare units you wish to offer. In terms of price, some land in Florida costs more per acre than islands in Belize or the Bahamas. One island that caught my eye was Stranger's Cay (http://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/strangers-cay-bs) in the Bahamas (Google Maps View (http://goo.gl/maps/9Mx8t)). The island is roughly 360 acres and costs $2,750,000. If 50 investors each paid $55,000 for 3 acre plots, that would leave 210 acres undeveloped. Stranger's Cay has a shallow marsh-like area, roughly 30 acres, that could be opened to the sea as a protected harbor.

Then you have to consider housing and utilities, as the island has no access to electricity or water. I have been researching "hurricane-resistant" Topsider (http://www.topsiderhomes.com/hurricane-proof-homes.php) pedestal homes, which could be placed on several of the higher elevations on the island. Electricity could be provided by solar arrays, wind turbines, and generators. Fresh water can be provided by wells, solar stills, and RO/DI filters. Provisions would be grown in hydroponic gardens and fruit tree groves. Herds of goats (milk, meat) and flocks of chickens (eggs, meat) would supplement a diet of freshly-caught fish.

As Stranger's Cay is in the Bahamas, I would partner with Community Conch (http://www.communityconch.org) to establish a conch farm in the shallows, similar to the one that used to be at Turks and Caicos.

[Marlin]

You may be right about buying the full scale island would be more cost effective over time (buying in bulk, long term economic strategy and all that) and I'm sure over time, as the mer population grew and more and more people were able and willing to contribute to such a large investment- an isolated island resort for us would be an amazing thing that I would most certainly participate in. But the overhead on something like that is staggering. 2.75 million on property alone, plus development, water purification/ collection, power, and transportation to and from the island. Airlines are getting expensive nowadays

I was thinking more short term, next couple of years sort of thing.

[Merman Dan]

I was thinking more short term, next couple of years sort of thing.

One could find an old quarry lake for sale or perhaps turn an old missile silo into a faux cenote.

Or, with a bit of an investment, buy land in Florida. At least it will be warm enough to swim for a good portion of the year. Sunset Key (http://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/sunset-keyflorida) (5 acres/$600,000)

http://www.privateislandsonline.com/content/listings/71/cimage_c9e625c9a4-thumbb.jpg

I lost out on the perfect opportunity to purchase a dilapidated light tower off the coast of NC, last year. The winning bid was $17,200 for the 5,000 sq ft platform but many hundreds of thousands of dollars would be required to make it habitable.

[Marlin]

One could find an old quarry lake for sale or perhaps turn an old missile silo into a faux cenote.

Or, with a bit of an investment, buy land in Florida. At least it will be warm enough to swim for a good portion of the year. Sunset Key (http://www.privateislandsonline.com/islands/sunset-keyflorida) (5 acres/$600,000)




See! Thats more what I'm talking about! And i am in no way biased toward doing this in Florida just because I live there -cough- -cough-

[Nashoba]

some footage:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XfDLp4htzE


my dream would be to build a restroom underwater, quite deep, that's really comfy and spacey and gets air from above.
we could then totally appear like real mermaids and be an exclusive tourist attraction (not mainstream, only a few adventurers).

utopian as of now sadly, but it would be incredibly cool.


This idea? ^^ Genius.

[Mermaid Kalliope]

If I had money, I would totally invest in this!!!

[Merman Dan]

And i am in no way biased toward doing this in Florida just because I live there -cough- -cough-

I learned how to SCUBA dive at SeaCamp in Big Pine Key and went to college at Rollins in Winter Park.

As for a mermaid park in Florida, perhaps Disney could repurpose River Country. Yep, it's still there. pictures (http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2344523) Mind you, it's a bit of a fixer-upper ;)

http://i301.photobucket.com/albums/nn76/Tri-Circle-D/River%20Country%202009/RiverCountry036.jpg

[Aziara]

Maybe it's simply from having lived in many fixer-upper houses throughout my life... But I can see how awesome that waterpark once was by seeing the overgrown photos. That would be pretty cool. Maybe Disney would sell it to us mers? ;)

[Marlin]

@ Aziara- Couldn't hurt right?

If it really came down to it, we could tap and aquifer and artificially make our own. So far though, my favorite idea has been re-purposing an old quarry an setting it up for ourselves. Then, with a relatively low number of investors we could buy it out, and have our own haven.

[Echidna]

Florida...dunno.
Isn't that the favourite hangout of the braineater amoeba? :<
Swamps...mosquitoes...alligators...? :p

Then rather an isolated island.
Electricity can be done solar there.
Fresh water and provisions could pose a problem though.

[Nashoba]

So . . . *cough-laughs* . . . So something came to my attention today that I didn't know before right this very minute.

My father? He owns a property with a natural spring on it . . . it's freshwater. It's here, in Indiana. Like a 5 minute drive from my house, actually. The property is undeveloped (only has a small storage building on it) and is currently being used for nothing except our vegetable garden. I didn't know there was a spring on it, at all.

There hasn't been anything on the property in my lifetime and . . . it's in the middle of my hometown . . . which they're in the process of turning into a tourist destination. Kinda like Brown County in Indiana.

Just thought I'd . . . you know . . . throw that out there.

[Nashoba]

North Manchester, Indiana (http://www.nmanchester.org/) - we'd only be able to do things in the summer, but that's when there's tourism, anyway.

The Wikipedia article (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Manchester,_Indiana)

Our very own Weeki Wachee? And, as far as I know, the spring has no name, so we could create a poll amongst the community and vote on a name . . .

How's this for tempting bait? ;-)

[XMermaidMarinaX]

I APPROVE

[Marlin]

@VisionaryBri-

you have me hook, line, and sinker. How much?

[Nashoba]

Asking price for the property is $25,000. But if this was something owned and operated by mers, maybe we could work in tandem with the state conservation efforts. Make a special display for the freshwater fish of Indiana, maybe?

Mers could also branch out and do talks in the local schools / state parks as well regarding conservation. Tourism AND the eco-focus that lots of us mers promote! Also, just down the road there is a huge public pool that offers water safety, diving classes and CPR certification. I'm sure that the mers could partner up with them, as well, for kids' activities. I know that people can rent out the public pool for children's birthday parties so having merfolk to add to that might also be things we could do in this community. Pretty much every single town around here has its' own public pool, so we could branch out into the surrounding areas, as well.

Sorry. I've run two of my own businesses, now, so I've always got those ideas popping. I think we'd need stuff to do outside of tourist season, too. We could just go with the "this is our place to play" thing, but I don't know if any of us feasibly have that kind of money. This way we'd have a place to play that could generate income for the upkeep of the place and maybe generate income for us for our "play," too. No point in building a fun playland if we can't keep it maintained, ya know?

[Christopher Chandler]

Nice diving spot!

[Marlin]

@Bri-

Look, As far as money and feasibility- I would be willing to kick 1000 bucks toward this if it meant that I could have some stake in something like this, and I'm sure we can get money elsewhere and from other mers. I am also relatively certain that we could bump the asking price down a couple thousand. If a few others would be willing to help back me on this, say in the order of 15 or 20 more 1000 dollar contributors, who could also have stake in this, it is defiantly possible.



And if it means that I get a place to relax with my fins in the sun without being judged, heck yeah I'm in.

[Nashoba]

Of course, any mer that contributed to this project would be part owner. What we could do is set up a corporation, then "sell" shares of it. Such as $100 would be one share. Any money gathered would be put toward purchasing the property and building a facility and any mer that contributed could come and swim and be who they are in the company of other mers without judgement. And all the mers that contributed would be on the board of the corporation and would have a voice in determining what happened in the facility and how it would run. And, if anyone ever didn't want to be a part of it anymore due to life or what-have-you, their shares could be sold to interested parties.

If we turned it into a conservation awareness thing as well, mers would even be celebrated in a facility like this like they are in Weeki Wachee. We could do show themes and water education and even have a "splash zone" for kids. There's already thriving businesses that use this template. There's a restaurant and bar in Vegas with mer performers, but this would be the first "created by mers, owned by mers" facility. I don't think there are any others that are run like that. (If I'm wrong on this, please correct me.)

If there's more interest, I'm more than willing to set this up and spearhead it. Like I've said before, not my first time opening / running a business and I'm very familiar with all the legalities involved. I just need to know how much interest there actually is.

I've got Marlin for $1000. Any other takers?

[Mermaid Kalliope]

Man, if I wasn't broke.

My main concern with jumping on board with this (granted I had $1,000 to throw at this) is that I live in California. There is no WAY it would be "worth" my money. I'm not saying that I'm against this, I just have a lot of things in my life that need that money. (Cats, bills, my stomach, my car, etc... ) It sounds like an amazing idea, but what is the point of being a part of the board and making decisions for a facility that I may never even get to see in person? I would love to have it as a job, trust me! I just don't see how I'd be getting my $1,000 worth out of it... $100, I would do if I had the extra income, but I don't. :-(

Best of luck, I really hope this can become a reality!

[Marlin]

Well, as an alternative- would anyone else be on board a "long-term goal" oriented thread? Something with a more realistic price goals and we can all keep an eye out for valid locations. I would be willing to set one up and we could just sit on the idea for a while until more money and better options pop up.

I can understand the concerns about availability and range- but I also don't see anything wrong with creating what could essentially be a mer-mecca. In my mind, I don't see just a swimming spot, but a place where people could stay for vacation and what not. (Long-term goals here) The last time my family went on vacation, we stayed at a nearby spring and the attached camp-ground. If we could get a spot close to anything; beach, amusement park, sea-world, ect. It could be a spot mers could stay whilst on vacation.

Now- I get that this is all a little far-fetched... but so are all big ideas, and I see no reason not to keep the idea going, and at least just wait for an opportunity to present itself.

Anyway- thanks for listening to my ramblings- And I'm serious about the thread- if there is any interest, please let me know.

[Aziara]

I think it would be pretty cool to have a mer-friendly vacation destination...

[Mermaid~Summer]

I think that would be awesome! For location I would keep an eye out for somewhere in the southern states since the climate is warmer most of the year and would provide a larger window for people to enjoy swimming. I like the idea of a quarry or natural spring. I for one am terrified of sharks or any other creature that could potentially eat me. Sharks, gators, barracuda, ummm.....no thanks :) but having a mer-mecca would be incredible! When I tell people that I want to be a professional mermaid they look at me like I'm crazy lol. Personally I think that they are crazy for not doing everything they can to make their dreams come true and being a mermaid has been a dream of mine my entire life :)

[Aziara]

Personally, I would think saltwater might be better for the south, considering how some people worry about that brain-eating ameoba we have in freshwater. It's extremely rare, but just saying 'brain-eating ameoba' gives most people the willies.

[Marlin]

Seemed to be enough interest so-

Here you go guys- http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?5700-Mer-Resort-Planning-Committee&p=81312#post81312

Feel free to jump in :D

[MermanJesse]

In 72 degree spring fed water you will not have to worry about the brain eating amoeba. They are primarily found in warm lakes, streams, and hot springs.

There is Mineral Springs in Ohio. Depending on the time of year you go, the lake can be crystal clear or a few feet of visibility. They also have fresh water jellies! There is an "electric motor only" rule for water craft. They have a nice campground as well. I have only been once, and wore a tail there.

[AptaMer]

I apologize in advance if this is in the wrong place.
This is for sale, and has nothing to do with mermaids, so I didn’t feel it should go into the news section.
For sale is a deep swimming hole located in the Bahamas for $24 million.
Details:
$24 million
180 acre bahama resort with no hotels golf courses airports…nothing but water and white sand
644 foot deep swimming hole
Record just set yesterday as a free dive with monofin only to 415ft depth

9001

　
http://homes.yahoo.com/news/dean-s-blue-hole-gives-new-meaning-to--money-pit--230905837.html

The owners of the Dean's Hole property have had it up for sale for a long time (I think more than ten years).

I think the reason there are no buyers is because the island doesn't have the infrastructure to handle a resort of the size you would need to build to make to pay for the purchase price. For example, there is just a small airstrip at present that can only handle small aircraft, the runway would have to be extended to handle even a small turboprop commuter plane like the Q400. You would need to provide services to a resort, like water and electricity. Generating electricity can be very expensive in the Caribbean if you can't bring it over from a central power plant, and you would have to find out if the island has enough natural water reserves to feed a resort, otherwise you need a desalination station, which needs more electricity.

The bottom line: I'm sure all the buyers who have look at the property have been deterred by the issues of servicing a resort, and for the price the owners are asking, a resort would be the only way to do it.

So, I think if the property ever sells, it will sell for a lot less than 24 million.

Hmmm, do we have enough dedicated and geeky Mers on here who could afford the travel, and could manage such a demanding project if the property were to be purchased for something more reasonable? Say, $10 million?

[AptaMer]

Interesting, the latest asking price for Dean's Hole has been set at $10 million, I guess the sellers are acknowledging reality. http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/jan/15/deans-blue-hole-stay-hands-bahamian-people/

[AptaMer]

FWIW, it looks like Dean's Hole, the site for sale in the Bahamas that started this whole discussion, won't be sold.

The Bahamian government is discussing preserving the land around it as public property, possibly even creating a park. Few concrete details yet, but from this article ( http://www.tribune242.com/news/2013/jan/15/deans-blue-hole-stay-hands-bahamian-people/ ) it's looking like there is strong support for keeping at least the land around the hole itself public.

The owners might welcome a decision to purchase the land by the government, since it has been offered for sale for years with no purchasers at $24 million, and the price was recently reduced to $10 million.

Well, if the Bahamas does turn this spot into a park, it might be a great place for mers to visit.