Clacton Pier (Clacton-on-Sea, U.K.) will be closing its Seaquarium attraction this November. The 40-year-old aquarium will make space for a new themed ride with a dinosaur theme. The new experience will include a walkthrough that will lead into a 4D theatre. The new attraction is expected to open during the Easter season in 2023.
Clacton Pier announced the closure of the Seaquarium, which contained about 900 individual fish and sea creatures, on 3 October. A press-release that day stated that the owners of the pier had to make a decision between a relocation of the aquarium to make it larger and meet with the higher standards of today, or to close it for good. A relocation would mean a significant investment. The owners have decided to close the Seaquarium and invest in a new attraction instead.
“If it was to remain, we would have also wanted to look to come up with more conservation activities and that was simply not viable,” says Clacton Pier director Billy Ball, “We are now in a very different world with emphasis on protecting the environment quite rightly gaining greater priority. All things considered – including overheads and the rising cost of energy – we decided it was time to close that chapter in the pier’s history and move forward.”
The new replacement dinosaur attraction was announced in a press-release today. The experience will involve a Jurassic-themed walkthrough that leads into a 4D theatre. The theatre will include motion seats, 3D multimedia and water and wind effects for a full immersive experience. The motion-seats will be provided by Simworx. According to the press-release, it will also be possible for the attraction to receive an overlay during holidays such as Halloween and Christmas.
Clacton Pier expects to open the new attraction in the spring of 2023: “Work will begin as soon as we have closed the seaquarium at the end of the month and rehomed all the fish and sea life,” says Ball, “We will then start to deconstruct and remove all the exhibits and tanks ready to move forward. It is always difficult to say exactly how long a project will take and it will depend on any other demands that come along. But we are anticipating having it ready for Easter 2023 provided everything goes to plan.”
