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Indoor Diving Fun at Ocean Frontier Attraction
01 Dec 2003
Europe's largest indoor dive pool and techquarium has opened on the site of a former sewage works at Fort William in Scotland. The £2.5m Ocean Frontier attraction received funding from a variety of sources, including Lochaber Enterprise and Highlands and Islands Enterprise , and complements the £30m Fort William Waterfront Development which aims to make a feature of the town's lochside location.
Ocean Frontier was created by Don McGregor, Managing Director of Stenmar and The Underwater Centre, experts in underwater sonar and diving respectively. It is located next to The Underwater Centre on the shores of Loch Linnhe.
Ocean Frontier is an interactive visitor attraction at which members of the public can scuba dive in the centrepiece 1.4 million litre Atlantic Reef Pool, which features a shipwreck, wellhead, ROV and sonar equipment and local marine life. Diving is not obligatory and visitors can view through a 20m 2acrylic glass window, fly ROVs, control a submarine manipulator arm, communicate with divers as they work in the pool and see underwater sonar demonstrations.
Accompanied dives in the pool or Loch Linnhe as well as the chance to co-pilot a mini-submarine in Loch Linnhe are all available at extra cost.
Earlier this month three thornback rays and 17 cuckoo wrasse were carefully introduced to the Atlantic Reef Pool, joining 200 other fish already in situ, including whiting, bass, grey gurnards, dogfish and pollack.
For further information, visit www.oceanfrontier.co.uk
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