The world's largest underwater theme park opens in Bahrain

Dive Bahrain has a 70-metre Boeing 747 submerged at 22 metres for divers to explore

A diver explores the sunken Boeing 747 at Dive Bahrain. Courtesy Padi

Photos show the Boeing 747 plane that has been submerged to create the first underwater theme park in Bahrain. Courtesy Padi

Dive Bahrain opened to the public on September 7, 2019. Courtesy Padi

The decommissioned Boeing 747, seen before it was submerged in June 2019, off the coast of Bahrain. Courtesy Padi

An eco-friendly underwater theme park has opened in Bahrain. Dive Bahrain, a 100,000 square metre dive site, complete with sunken Boeing 747, is now ready for scuba divers to explore, located to the north of the Gulf country.

The newly opened dive site, which is said to be the largest of its kind in the world, was opened by Bahrain's Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Zayed bin Rashid Al Zayani, on Friday, September 6. It opened to the public on Saturday, September 7.

Click through the gallery above to see inside the underwater themepark.

As well as the sunken plane, there is an artificial reef and marine life for divers to see and explore.

The eco-friendly focus of the site has been a focus of Dive Bahrain. Organisers say that the submerged plane is the "first aircraft to be used as a reef which [has been] have been processed in a truly eco-friendly and pollutant free manner".

They add that "phase one of the project includes submerging the aircraft, a replica of a pearl merchant’s house and sail structures. Future phases of the project are still being studied but could include reef balls, ships and sculptures." Future phases will include sunken ships and a sculpture gallery.

When the project was announced, President of the Supreme Council for Environment, Sheikh Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, said the 100,000 square metre site would also feature a "replica of a traditional Bahraini pearl merchant’s house, artificial coral reefs and other sculptures fabricated from eco-friendly materials" to encourage marine life.

To access the site, divers must go through a licensed dive centre. Full details can be found at divebahrain.com.