The Deep (aquarium)

The Deep is a large underwater aquarium situated at Sammy's Point, at the confluence of the River Hull and the Humber estuary in Hull, England. It opened in March 2002.

Billed as 'the world's only submarium', the tanks contain thousands of sea creatures (including seven species of shark), 2.5 million litres of water and 87 tonnes of salt housed in an iconic structure designed by Sir Terry Farrell and built as part of the UK National Lottery's Millennium Commission project.

So far the deep has welcomed over 2 million visitors from around the world.

As well as a tourist attraction, The Deep is a centre for marine research. Behind the scenes a team of dedicated marine biologists look after all of the animals in The Deep’s collection as well as carrying out vital research into the marine environment.

The Deep also has a very active education program with an average of 20,000 school visits a year passing through its three dedicated classrooms.

The Deep is the most successful millennium project in the Country. [cite web
url = http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/portal/page?_pageid=221,93203&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL&p_id=1402&p_month=Dec-07&p_page_number=5&p_mode=archive
title = East Park Voted Pick of the Poll
accessyear=2008|accessdate = 18 February
date = 4 December 2007
publisher = Hull City Council]

The Attraction

A visit will generally last between 2 and 3 hours. Using a combination of hands on interactives, audiovisual presentations and living exhibits it tells the story of the worlds oceans. Visitors will be taken on a journey from the beginning of time through the present day oceans the icy darkness of a futuristic Deep-Sea research lab, Deep Blue one. One is directed up to the third floor and from this level a gently sloping ramp with interspersed audio-visual displays and interactive features leads you back down a couple of levels. Along the way, the handrail depicts time from the beginning of the Earth (1.5cm = 1,000,000 years) and the displays are located at the chronological point along the way.

At the bottom of the ramp, a bright lagoon is found with many brightly coloured tropical fish. Details of their habitat can be found on the interactive "find your creature" panels.

Next comes the main feature, a 10 metre deep pool containing 2.5 million litres of water, several sharks and large rays and a multitude of other fish. Early each afternoon, a show dive is performed where two members of the team dive to the bottom of this tank and feed the sharks and rays by hand.Further things to see include fish that glow in the dark, coral and sea horses. Finally, there is an interactive area where one can learn to control an underwater diving vessel.

The Deep is a charitable public aquarium dedicated to increasing peoples enjoyment and understanding of the World’s oceans. The Deep hosts a variety of special events for schools, families and others, all maintained for all ages: details can be found on its website. [cite web|url=http://www.thedeep.co.uk/events/events.php|author=The Deep|title=Events|accessdate=15 October|accessyear=2007]

References

External links

*The Deep [http://www.thedeep.co.uk/ official website]
* [http://www.thedeep.co.uk/research/index.php research website] in association with the University of Hull
* [http://www.merouk.co.uk/structures/2001thedeep.htm Article on Construction of The Deep]