SWIM WITH DOLPHINS—IN YOUR POOL! UNDERWATER 3-D ANIMATION CREATES AN UNDER-THE-SEA EXPERIENCE

SWIM WITH DOLPHINS—IN YOUR POOL! UNDERWATER 3-D ANIMATION CREATES AN UNDER-THE-SEA EXPERIENCE

If you've ever been snorkeling, you know how exciting it can be to see the beauty and mystery of ocean life. Gazing at coral reefs and colorful sea plants as schools of fish swim past you is an experience like no other. Unfortunately, most of us can only have this experience when vacationing somewhere along the coast (and those one-time-use underwater cameras rarely capture anything close to the true look and feel of the ocean). But…could you have this experience in your own swimming pool at home?

According to Paul-Bertram Petereit, creator of the aptly named Aquatic Dreamworlds, you can!

Introduced in November 2010, Aquatic Dreamworlds is the first system to create simulated underwater environments for swimming pools. By projecting realistic 3-D computer animation on acrylic glass on the pool’s floor and walls, this unique system creates an underwater paradise. Can you imagine looking down and seeing a friendly dolphin waving and interacting with you? How about schools of angelfish that appear to swim right up against the pool walls before continuing on their way? Sea turtles, oceanic plants, rocks, and coral adorn the other walls and corners to complete the realistic effect.

Creator Paul-Bertram Petereit is an interior designer and one of Europe's leading trompe l'oeil mural artists. Petereit got the idea while on a glass-bottom boat trip in Florida. Looking down at the ocean through the clear window of the boat floor, he saw the amazing diversity of sea life and was inspired to recreate such a world in virtual form in a 5-foot (1.5-meter) deep swimming pool, complete with moving sea creatures a realistic mural setting. Together with VARIO POOL Systems, Panasonic, and Evonik, as well as the specialists for camera-guided interactive worlds, Vertigo Systems, Petereit has combined high-quality art with innovative modern technology.

This high-end, custom-designed projection system—combined with painted murals—can be installed on residential pools, although it carries a very hefty price tag. For those who can afford it, it’s definitely a unique feature worth bragging about!