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Immotion announces new tiger shark immersive VR experience

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Immotion Shark Dive

Immotion Group, the virtual reality entertainment specialist, has announced the release of a new VR experience, featuring all-new footage of tiger shark and hammerhead sharks in the wild.

Immotion Group is proud to announce this world-first footage, taking a close look at tiger and hammerhead sharks in their natural habitat. The stunning video images are now being rolled out to aquariums and attractions all over the globe in a brand new immersive and educational VR experience, Shark Dive.

The footage is a result of the world’s first successful tagging of a tiger shark and a great hammerhead shark with a small VR camera. It reveals some intriguing new information about these beautiful creatures.

Sharks in the wild

While tiger sharks have a reputation for being lethal killers, Shark Dive takes a closer look at the more nuanced place that they hold as apex predators in a fragile ecosystem. Visitors can now get closer to the sharks than ever before through this experience, and start to learn more about their habits and personalities.

The footage was recorded at Tiger Beach in the Bahamas, which is the migratory home of the sharks. Under the leadership of Matthew Smukall, CEO of the Bimini Shark Lab and the Save our Seas Foundation, the project team were able to get intimate footage of tiger sharks, as well as great hammerhead sharks.

New insights

Shark Dive reveals that in actual fact, tiger sharks ‘killer instinct’ may be something of a myth, as their main role is to clean the waters of dead and dying prey, as well as smaller fish. This helps to keep the ecosystem and the food chain in balance.

However, the project team still needed to treat the sharks and their hunting skills with respect. Tiger sharks can be curious or aggressive to humans in the water thanks to their ravenous appetites, particularly when hunting at night. While filming, the team were able to observe signs of aggression in the sharks, such as fluttering eyelids.

By tagging both a tiger shark and a great hammerhead shark with a small virtual reality camera, the project was able to show viewers what life feels like from a shark’s point of view. For the great hammerhead, this meant seeing the world in 360 degrees, as the footage shows how the hammerhead needs to move its head constantly to eliminate its central blind spot.

Blue Ocean Aquarium

This new release from Immotion is the latest in its Blue Ocean Aquarium series, following on from Swimming with Humpbacks. Immotion presents its VR experiences on a proprietary motion platform where seat motion is synced with the film to give a truly immersive experience.

Rod Findley, Group Commercial Director, Immotion Group says, “The experience makes full use of the visual, sound and motion capabilities of our VR Cinematic motion pods to deliver something ground-breaking and memorable, that will enhance the conservation efforts to protect these creatures.

“Using VR technology to study the movement and behaviour of these sharks can play a crucial part in educating people to gain a better understanding of the species, and the vital role they play in preserving the marine ecosystem.”

Immotion Group recently announced that it is working on three new projects at popular aquariums on both sides of the world. These installations are taking place at Dubai Aquarium, San Antonio Aquarium and Austin Aquarium.

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charlotte coates

Charlotte Coates

Charlotte Coates is blooloop's editor. She is from Brighton, UK and previously worked as a librarian. She has a strong interest in arts, culture and information and graduated from the University of Sussex with a degree in English Literature. Charlotte can usually be found either with her head in a book or planning her next travel adventure.

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