Sharjah Aquarium and Maritime Museum celebrate building of the 'Sharjah Aquarium Reef'

The goal of this new living reef project is to save Sharjah's wild life and inspire people to cherish the amazing marine life found so close by. Now the landmark Sharjah attraction looks set to develop its mission of environmental conservation and learning with its new living reef project.

this artificial reef made from recycled construction material will be built by the Sharjah Aquarium dive team and volunteers. Visitors will be able to have a trip on the Sharjah Aquarium dive boat, watch scuba divers, see Sharjah seahorses and other wonders of the sea.

The Sharjah Aquarium is almost 1 year old and has the unique distinction of having wild seahorses and turtles living in the sea a few meters away from its walls. 'People are surprised to see what diverse life lives in the sea directly outside,' says the Aquarium Curator, Kerwin Porter, 'We will carefully grow, study and collect marine life from our new reef, which is great as it reduces the impact of collection on wild populations'.

The Sharjah Aquarium houses 22 captivating living displays recreating Sharjah's sea habitats and showcases more than 200 different species of animals and plants. All the species are indigenous to the waters of Sharjah's East and West coasts.

And in a fitting tribute celebrating the sea traditions of Sharjah, the Sharjah Aquarium is located few minutes away from the new Maritime Museum set to open in June 8th, 2009. The Aquarium will also celebrate a new seafood restaurant "Sammach" opening in June which is directly in front of the reef in the beautiful and historical Al Khan area of Sharjah.