New ocean exhibit to open

THE newly upgraded I&J Ocean Exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium will open in mid-June.

This comes after the aquarium’s I&J Predator Exhibit’s last two ragged-tooth sharks were transported to East London this week.

The two sharks were the last of four to be released ahead of the aquarium closing its predator exhibit for upgrading and the unveiling of a brand-new I&J Ocean Exhibit, said Two Oceans Aquarium assistant communications and sustainability manager Renee Leeuwner.

“The last contact we had (with the sharks’ truck transporters) was that the sharks were looking good and everything was going well. They will be released later today (into East London’s ocean),” she added.

Leeuwner said the soon to be opened I&J Ocean Exhibit had been under construction since January 2014. It was situated on what had once been the parking area between the Aquarium building and the One & Only Hotel.

Holding 1.7 million litres of seawater at between 20 and 22ºC, the I&J Ocean Exhibit is 6m deep and the first of its kind in South Africa to boast a 10m-long tunnel.

Its main viewing window is 9m wide, with a 4m-high panel weighing 22 tons and an entrance boasting a brand-new Jelly Gallery that showcases various jelly species.

Animals on display will include Yoshi, the loggerhead turtle that is currently in the I&J Predator Exhibit, and other fish species.

“I am absolutely delighted that our plans have come to fruition and that we are able to separate the fish, rays and turtles from the large sharks,” said the Aquarium’s chief executive, Michael Farquhar.

“The warmer water in the new exhibit allows us to include some subtropical species as well as species from the southern Cape coast.

“This means we can showcase a greater diversity of species from the waters off southern Africa.”

The new I&J Ocean Exhibit was the first major construction at the aquarium in nearly 21 years, said Leeuwner.

Its opening would allow the aquarium to temporarily close the I&J Predator Exhibit and Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit for renovations.

The I&J Predator Exhibit and Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit would reopen in 2017, with the former housing large sharks and other species yet to be decided on, Leeuwner said.

But the new I&J Ocean Exhibit would not house any large shark species.

Picture: INGRID SINCLAIR CAREFUL: Divers try to guide a ragged-tooth shark into a cone prior to it and another shark being transported to East London, where they were set to be released into the ocean.