A shark tunnel (or aquarium tunnel, acrylic tunnel and exhibit tunnel) is an underwater
tunnel
A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...
that passes through an
aquarium
An aquarium (: aquariums or aquaria) is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. fishkeeping, Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aquati ...
, typically with
shark
Sharks are a group of elasmobranch cartilaginous fish characterized by a ribless endoskeleton, dermal denticles, five to seven gill slits on each side, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the ...
s and related aquatic life.
They are usually made of thick
acrylic glass
Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and bran ...
.
The first aquarium tunnel in the world was installed in 1985 at
Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World in
Auckland
Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...
, New Zealand.
Most aquarium tunnels are cylindrical in shape, though tunnels can be made elliptical (to make them wider and still keep the top of the tunnel closer to the visitors), or even square.
List of aquariums with shark tunnels
This list is sorted alphabetically by aquarium name.
† — Estimated based on top of tunnel being under the surface and to bottom of tunnel.
See also
*
Ithaa, an underwater restaurant in the Maldives.
*
List of Aquaria
Notes
Aquariums
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