Voyage to the bottom of the tank
March 21, 2002
Visitors will take the world's longest underwater lift ride to come face-to-face with seven species of sharks in Europe's deepest aquarium opening in Hull.
‘The Deep’ has billed itself as the world's first ‘submarium’ which tells the story of the birth of the planet through to the influence man has had on the seas.
It features marine life from the equator to the poles, early fossils and the chance to become a submarine pilot in a computer simulation.
Built on the banks of the Humber estuary at a cost of £45.5m, The Deep is the latest landmark millennium project and will be open to the public this weekend after being officially opened by the Duke of York on Friday.
Visitors can journey across the watery planet and through the different ages of the oceans using interactive displays.
It features what is claimed to be the world's only acrylic lift which descends into Europe's deepest aquarium. There are also large viewing windows to see into a variety of marine environments.
Big-bellied seahorses
A polar gallery features two real ice walls which evoke an eerie ice cavern populated by giant isopods.
The murky depths of the abyssal - the deepest oceans - are shown and exotic fish swim in the coral lagoon.
Species in the aquarium include: Banded bamboo sharks, Zebra sharks, Chinese trumpetfish, Warty frogfish, Batfish, Bluespotted ribbontail rays, Big-bellied seahorses and Moon jellyfish.
There are hundreds of other species of fish swimming in the tanks of The Deep.
It is hoped The Deep will develop a greater knowledge of the oceans and their secrets and work towards greater conservation of the seas.
There is also a research station on the ocean floor called Deep Blue One, with interactive experiments and computer simulators.
The Deep is also working on conservation projects with organisations including The Shark Trust and The Darwin Foundation.
Marine experts from the aquarium also plan to become involved in fish breeding and local beach cleaning projects.
The Deep was part funded by the Millennium Commission and is part of a wider regeneration scheme in Hull which has seen a range of projects totalling more than £1bn of investment in the area.
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