Ithaa: World's First All-Glass Undersea Restaurant Opens

On April 15th the first ever all-glass undersea restaurant in the world opened its doors for business at the Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa. Ithaa (pronounced eet-ha) means ‘pearl' in the language of the Maldives, Dhivehi. The restaurant sits five meters below the waves of the Indian Ocean and is surrounded by a vibrant coral reef and encased in clear acrylic offering diners 270-degrees of panoramic underwater views.

Created by MJ Murphy Ltd, a design consultancy based in New Zealand, Ithaa's distinctive feature is the use of curved transparent acrylic walls and roof, similar to those used in aquarium attractions. “The fact that the entire restaurant except for the floor is made of clear acrylic makes this unique in the world,” says Carsten Schieck, General Manager of Hilton Maldives Resort & Spa.

The five-meter by nine-meter transparent arch, which spans the entire room, seats 14 people and provides a feeling of being completely at one with the underwater world while submerged beneath the surface of the ocean. Set with the resort's renowned house reef one side, and a clear lagoon on the other, diners enjoy their meal within Ithaa's translucent shell as the underwater drama unfolds on all sides.

Courtesy of DiveNews