Guests will go face to face with live sharks at the Bear Grylls Adventure
Thrill seekers swimming in the Dive experience at the new Bear Grylls adventure park at Birmingham NEC will find themselves face to face with live sharks.
The theme park is due to open in just a few months time, with a range of adventures based on TV explorer Bear's own experiences.
Today it was revealed that the diving experience will offer the chance to swim with a variety of aquatic creatures, including Black Tip Reef Sharks and Cownose Rays among the fish.
Guests with little or no previous experience will be able to scuba dive or snorkel through a giant megalodon jaw, pass through coral and rockwork and into a maze of flooded compartments in a simulated ship wreck.
Visitors will explore this all-encompassing underwater world alongside aquatic creatures; alongside the sharks and rays will be Starry Pufferfish, Queen Angelfish and Lipstick Tang, as well as blue lined snappers, Guinea Fowl Puffers and Doctorfish.
General manager of the Bear Grylls Adventure James Thomas has been giving the theming a final once over and making sure it matched the designs drawn up by Bear and the team from Merlin Entertainments, which also operates Alton Towers and Legoland. He said: “Dive is another epic adventure for our visitors to experience and really brings another amazing dimension to the attraction. Even if guests aren’t diving they can still get a glimpse in through the giant observation window.”
The Bear Grylls Adventure is also announcing a partnership with the Shark Trust, the leading UK-based shark conservation charity, which will see the adventure park donate a percentage of each and every dive to the Trust.
Each donation will help fund the new Shark Log citizen science project which will gather valuable information about sharks around the world via an app, contributing to the research and conservation of sharks.
The project will provide valuable tools to enable divers to identify and record the sharks and rays that they encounter on their underwater explorations globally, and provide new opportunities to connect shark conservation with responsible aquariums.
Paul Cox, managing director of the Shark Trust said: “It’s great for us to team up with The Bear Grylls Adventure for this new project. Getting involved in proactive solutions is what conservation is all about, and we’re absolutely committed at the Shark Trust in finding new ways to engage people with shark protection and preservation globally.”
“We’ve a long history of working with responsible aquariums. They can have a really positive impact on the conservation of sharks through quality education and acting as a connection between their millions of visitors and the challenges faced by wild animals. We’re really excited by this new venture”
Bear Grylls added: “I can’t wait for guests to be able to immerse themselves in this unique underwater world. We are so proud to partner with the Shark Trust, to highlight the importance of shark conservation, to further education and to allow our visitors to really engage and understand these majestic creatures.”
Accompanied by a pro diving team, thrill seekers will be able to explore the submersive experience, decked out in full kit as provided by the team. Adventurers do not need any previous experience and can choose between snorkelling or scuba diving activities. They will receive all necessary training during their visit at The Bear Grylls Adventure.
The Bear Grylls Adventure attraction provides the ultimate way to test yourself physically and mentally. The attraction opens at the NEC in Birmingham in the autumn 2018 with tickets available for purchase from August 1 For more information please visit www.beargryllsadventure.com
