Photos: SeaGlass Carousel opens Thursday at The Battery

The SeaGlass Carousel, a nautilus shell shaped attraction, opens to the public Thursday at The Battery.

The monument is equipped with 30 luminescent fish and is surrounded by the new Tiffany & Co. Foundation Woodland Gardens.

“The opening of SeaGlass and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and Woodland Gardens marks a major step forward in plans to revitalize The Battery, as it recaptures its place as a major cultural destination in the city,” said Warrie Price, president and founder of The Battery Conservancy.

The fish figures were designed by the George Tsypin Opera Factory, best known for creating the opening ceremony for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics in Russia.

The SeaGlass is unique in that its motors lie under the floor, which allows full visibility across and around the shell. It does not have a center post and visitors can sit within the fish figures instead of atop them.

While visitors sit in the fish, they will be immersed in the sights and sounds of and aquatic adventure.

“SeaGlass carousel allows visitors to experience “a mini opera” in which they are spectators, actors and participants,” said Tsypin. “A sculptural and visually striking ride, it is a reinvention of a traditional carousel for the 21st century that creates a fully immersive underwater experience by integrating sculptures, movement, light and music”.”

The carousel opens tomorrow August 20 from 1 p.m. to midnight. Regular opening hours start the day after from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day from March to December. Admission to SeaGlass is $5 per ride.