The Blue Planet Aquarium is a marine and freshwater aquarium located by the Cheshire Oaks retail and leisure complex, near Ellesmere Port in Cheshire, England.
When opened by the Queen in July 1998, it was the largest
aquarium in the UK, and is still the largest in North West England.
The building was designed by Manchester-based Buttress Fuller Alsop
architects to resemble the shape of a crashing wave.
The interior houses tanks, pools and submerged tunnels designed
to take the visitor through different habitats of the marine
environment. The main aquarium tank holds 4,000,000 litres
(1,100,000 USgal) and features a 71-metre (233 ft) underwater
tunnel.
Themed areas include Tropical Rivers, Lakes and Ponds, Where
Land Meets the Sea, and Seas and Oceans. The aquarium
contains many varieties of marine and freshwater fish, including
more types of shark than anywhere else in Britain. It also keeps a
variety of mammals, reptiles and amphibians.
The aquarium's shark dive won the Visit Chester and Cheshire
Awards 2010 category for Best Tourism Experience of the Year.