Over time the juvenile sharks will triple in size, growing up to 14ft (4.2m) in length and more than 300 pounds in weight. The endangered scalloped hammerheads – a new addition to the tank – were born last year at a stable breeding ground in Hawaii. “It’s an adventure that you can only get here.” Of course, patrons will also be allowed to touch the sharks at the Aquarium’s 5,000-gallon exhibit. The Aquarium features 85 feet of acrylic tunnels through a 385,000-gallon shark tank, a shark bridge and a shark nursery.
It took about 788 hours of labor to make, build and install the Shark Bridge. Shark Week allows the Newport Aquarium to showcase some of their most popular sharks.
The V-shaped rope bridge is 75-feet-long and is suspended over the open water of the 385,000 gallon Surrounded by Sharks exhibit. “For our thrill-seeking guests who dare to cross, Shark Bridge is a breathtaking way to experience sharks like never before,” said Eric Rose, executive director at Newport Aquarium. Newport Aquarium celebrates the one-year milestone of the world’s first Shark Bridge on April 30th.
The tank below features seven species of shark, four rare shark rays, multiple stingrays and more than 300 fish.Ĭincinnati-based GBBN Architects and THP Limited designed and engineered the Shark Bridge respectively, with work starting in February and completed by mid-April.
Newport Aquarium’s ‘Shark Bridge’ – a 75ft (22.8m) rope suspension bridge crossing the Kentucky aquarium’s 385,000-gallon shark tank – has opened to the public, offering the world’s first such attraction.ĭeveloped over an exhibit which features North America’s largest group of scalloped hammerhead sharks, the V-shaped rope bridge, first announced in January, hovers inches above the shark-infested waters for intrepid guests to cross.