Dive Deeper

New Imax undersea adventure opens Friday

Gazing into the Secret Reef exhibit at the Tennessee Aquarium is as close to scuba diving as many visitors will ever get.

But beginning Friday, May 25, guests will be able to delve deeper when “Oceans 3D: Our Blue Planet” premieres at the Tennessee Aquarium Imax 3D Theater, 201 Chestnut St.

This new Imax film takes audiences on the undersea adventure of a lifetime. Using OceanX’s research vessel, the Alucia, as the base of operations, filmmakers hopscotch from the frigid waters of the polar regions to the brightly lit tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific.

As the journey progresses, viewers are drawn into an unfolding story of the beauty and fragility of the ocean and its inhabitants.

A pod of Indo- Pacific bottlenose dolphins, leaping for joy through the surf, kicks off this journey from the coastal shallows to deeper, more mysterious worlds. One of the first stops is a vibrant coral reef. Although these underwater cities cover just 0.1 percent of the ocean’s surface area, they are a vital aquatic habitat that houses one-quarter of all known sea creatures.

Viewers will f eel as though they’re scuba divi ng among t he world’s most amazing reefs alongside the BBC Earth f ilm crew that produced this underwater film.

During one memorable scene, viewers will watch as the notoriously intelligent octopus gathers shells and rocks in

its suckers, creating a “suit of armor” to protect itself from sharks and other predators.

“Oceans 3D’s” adventure also rises above the waves to capture moments with creatures such as polar bears, walruses and sea otters.

Filmmakers make an unprecedented descent in a pair of submarines to capture the first footage of erupting methane volcanoes on the sea floor. The six-story Imax screen will be filled by basketball-sized bubbles as they shoot out of the sea bed almost a halfmile under water.

“Oceans 3D: Our Blue Planet” will air daily at noon, 4 and 6 p.m. in the Imax.

Ticket prices are $11.95 for adults and $9.95 per child. Aquarium/ Imax combo tickets are $ 37.95 adults and $26.95 for children.

Purchase tickets online at www.tnaqua.org/ i max or by phone at 1-800-262-0695.

BBC EARTH I MAGES An orange-dotted tuskfish holds a clam in its jaws on the Great Barrier Reef near Australia.