St. Augustine Aquarium, Snorkel Adventure set to open on Monday

An aquarium and snorkel adventure is set to open in St. Augustine on Monday after years of planning and construction.

The St. Augustine Aquarium announced the grand opening of the attraction on Florida Route 16 in St. Augustine on Friday.

Phase one is complete and includes an 80,000-gallon snorkel adventure, an interactive shark and stingray cove and seahorse and hands-on habitats.

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Admission to the aquarium is $8 for adults and $5 for children.

The snorkel adventure costs $35 and includes aquarium admission, wet suits, masks and snorkels.

Visitors can snorkel the traditional way with a mask and wet suit or experience marine life without placing the face and full body in the water.

Phase two of the aquarium will add 170,000 gallons and 8000 square feet of indoor marine conservation habitats for more marine life, including several types of sharks, fish, eels and rays.

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After phase two is complete, visitors will be able to experience an 18th century shipwreck reef surrounded by sharks while submerged in a real shark cage.

A zip line is also currently under construction.

The Castaway Canopy Adventure by Zipstream will be a guided tour with climbing walls, bridges and more.

The aquarium was developed by Shawn and Kathy Hiester. They received almost $1,500 for the project from One Spark in 2014.

The Hiesters broke ground on the facility in March 2015. It was expected to open in summer 2016.

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