London Mayor Boris Johnson officially re-opened the Sea Life London Aquarium on 17 April and came face-to-face with a green turtle adopted in his honour.
The sea creature, called Boris, is one of two rare green turtles housed at the aquarium in County Hall following a £5 million re-development. Other sea-life includes five species of shark and thousands of other marine species showcased over three floors and 14 themed zones.
The attraction features a journey to the Atlantic seabed, an Inca-style temple for seahorses and the river Thames story.
Johnson said: "I feel very privileged to have a rare green turtle named in my honour and will, of course, be back to visit my amphibious namesake. The fantastic new underwater tropical tunnel and sharks make the aquarium one of London's finest attractions. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit today and recommend the venue to families, visitors and marine-life lovers alike."
The new zones are available to hire individually or can be combined to accommodate up to 1,000 guests or 180 for a dinner.
Packages include the opportunity for guests to see fearless divers, branded with company logos, interact with sharks. Marine experts are also available for the first hour of every event to answer guests' questions.
The Sea Life London Aquarium experience concludes with, what organisers call a "nail-biting shark walk finale" that invites visitors to walk across a floating pontoon, as the sharks swim below.
Prior to its official opening, the aquarium held a Return to Atlantis-themed pre-launch event on 7 April that attracted around 500 events organisers. On 14 April, the venue then staged the début events industry Tweetup, which saw more than 100 events professionals, who use the social media tool Twitter, meet for an evening of networking.
