Man-made beaches are gaining popularity in various parts of the world like Monaco, Berlin, Hong Kong and Toronto.
These artificial beaches offer people the chance to enjoy a beach-like experience without having to travel to a natural coastal location.
Rise and fall of the Seagaia Ocean Dome:
The largest artificial beach in the world was the Seagaia Ocean Dome, located in Miyazaki, Japan.
It was built at a staggering cost of $1.8 billion which is considered an incredibly high amount at the time it was built.
The Ocean Dome, which was located at the Sheraton Seagai Resort was 300 meters long and 100 meters wide.
It also had the world’s largest retractable roof, which could open or close depending on the weather.
Ocean Dome had a sandy beach covering 12,000 square meters, which was made by crushing 600 tonnes of stones that were imported from China.
Additionally, it contained a large artificial ocean that was six times the size of an Olympic swimming pool, filled with 13,500 tonnes of unsalted, chlorinated water.
Ocean Dome also had artificial palm trees and a fake volcano that erupted every 15 minutes.
In addition to the Dome, the resort included five hotels, various sports facilities, golf courses, botanical parks and a zoo.
Ocean Dome maintained a warm and comfortable environment, with the air temperature set around 30C and the water temperature at 28C.
The dome also had a wave machine that could create 200 different types of waves.
The Ocean Dome created by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries opened in 1993 and became widely popular.
However, despite its beauty, the Dome failed to become financially successful. In February 2001, the Seagaia resort, which included the Dome went bankrupt.
It was then purchased by Ripplewood, an American private-equity fund, for less than 10% of the original price it cost to build and then renovate it.
Even after the resort was renovated, the hotel faced significant financial troubles and later the Dome was demolished in 2017.
