Ever dreamed of diving with sharks but been too nervous to take the plunge? Well now SEA LIFE Manchester is providing thrill-seekers with the opportunity to dip their toe in the water with a brand-new snorkel cage experience.

Launching on March 20th, the exciting new feature sees fans invited to swim in an unexplored underwater world and get closer than ever before to more than 1,000 creatures of the deep.

Explorers brave enough to duck their head under water in the attraction’s 500,000 litre ocean tank will come face to fin with shivers of three shark species including Black Tip Reef sharks measuring up to 1.6m in length, near-threatened Brown Banded Bamboo sharks and Tessa the resident nurse shark.

Snorkellers taking a dip at the popular Barton Square attraction need not worry about becoming shark food however, they’ll be fully protected by a slatted Perspex cage, providing incredible unrivalled views of the underwater world from the comfort of a secure surround.

Gliding alongside the sharks, swimmers can also expect to see majestic stingrays measuring more than 1m in length and meet the king and queen of SEA LIFE’s ocean tank, Cammie & Ernie, the leading attraction’s much-loved giant green sea turtles, amongst over 30 other types of creatures.

If news of the new feature isn’t exciting enough, SEA LIFE has launched a search for two people with the greatest love (or fear!) of sharks to take the very first public plunge!

To be in with a chance of winning and seeing sharks swim right before your eyes entrants should comment on the attraction’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/SEALIFEManchester/ sharing why they or their nominated party would love to snorkel with sharks. Ocean fans not on social media can also write to the team at the leading aquarium on [email protected]. Entrants must be 10 years or over and a competent swimmer. Children under 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult in the snorkel cage.

Speaking on the exciting new Snorkel with Sharks feature, Jenn McDonough, General Manager Manchester Cluster, Merlin Entertainments, said: “SEA LIFE Manchester has been inspiring and educating families for many years on the wonders of ocean life. Our brand-new experience, Snorkel with Sharks, is a fantastic addition to the attraction providing a truly immersive experience that promises to excite the most inquisitive ocean explorers.

“Movies like JAWS have instilled a widespread fear in the public about sharks however they are in fact highly intelligent and on the whole, placid creatures. With this new feature we are looking forward to further educating visitors on all our wonderful marine creatures and reiterating the importance of taking care of our oceans for generations to come.”

Snorkel with Sharks is a one-hour surface snorkelling adventure. Activity sees a full briefing, introduction to the incredible creatures you can expect to see, and 20 minutes snorkelling in the purpose-built shark cage. The attraction launches this March 20th.