NC Aquarium Fort Fisher
Aquarium Hologram
Kure Beach, NC –Visitors to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher can now come face-to-face with an astonishing marine creature of prehistoric time, with the newly opened exhibit, “Megalodon: Diving with North Carolina's Ultimate Predator.” The exhibit opened to the public for the first time on July 1.
Megalodon was a huge whale-eating shark that ruled the seas from about 20 million to two million years ago. Although the species is now extinct, it virtually comes to life again at the Aquarium, thanks to an engaging suite of interactive creative elements.
The new exhibit includes dynamic 3D animations, interactive video displays, a complete set of realistic Megalodon teeth, and a feast of astounding facts about a long-gone predator of the prehistoric seas. The result: an up-close perspective that highlights Megalodon’s awesome size and power.
A life-sized Megalodon jaw, bristling with 184 razor-sharp teeth, serves as a gallery centerpiece. Nearby, a 50-foot carpet-inlay, silhouetting the size of a full-grown Megalodon, leads the eye to an alcove housing the exhibit’s headline presentation.
Here, on a 23-foot curved projection screen, a diver comes to life at the touch of a fingertip, becoming the ringmaster in a Megalodon-themed multimedia program. As the diver expounds, our school-bus-dwarfing predator sweeps out of the distant depths and dominates the screen, sometimes appearing to devour the camera itself. It is a tour de force of sight, sound and information that visitors will want to enjoy more than once. Touch-sensitive fossils offer choices from a repertoire of presentations.
Built into a replicated underwater ledge, a “Shark Smarts” kiosk lets visitors use clues on a touch-screen to sharpen their shark knowledge. When a correct species is selected, the animal’s moving image appears as a hologram overhead. On still another interactive screen, called “Meg’s Diner,”visitors learn about the importance of sharks to healthy oceans, the threats that sharks face, and what humans can do to better understand and protect these amazing animals. Guests will learn how small steps such as sustainable seafood choices can greatly benefit an entire ocean ecosystem.
NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher is located just south of Kure Beach, near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, on US 421. The site is less than a mile from the Fort Fisher ferry terminal. Hours: 9:00 am to 5:00 pm daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day). Admission: $8 adults ages 13-61; $7 seniors 62+; $6 ages 3-12. Free admission for: children under 2; registered groups of N.C. school children, and NC Aquarium Society members. General information: www.ncaquariums.com
