A SCUBA-diving Santa Claus will entertain guests at a popular aquarium during the holiday season.
The fearless Father Christmas is braving shark-infested waters at the Blue Planet Aquarium at Cheshire Oaks to deliver presents to a team of divers and hand out treats to fish residents.
The 3.8 million litre display will be shared with three-metre-long sand tiger sharks, lemon sharks, giant stingrays and more than 700 other tropical fish.
Blue Planet Aquarium's Paul Renolds said: “Three metres underwater may not be the first place you'd expect to come face-to-face with Father Christmas.
“It just goes to show there really isn't anywhere Santa can’t deliver presents – and it’s certainly a lot warmer than the North Pole!
“Judging from the reaction we’ve already had from our team members we're expecting our scuba-diving Santa to make a real splash with visitors of all ages.”
“One of the unexpected bonuses is that the sharks and other fish are extremely curious and tend to follow him around the display which makes for some spectacularly close encounters for Santa,” he added.
Diving Santa will be taking the plunge every weekend from Saturday, December 4, during the aquarium's regular dive shows and will be diving daily from December 22 right up until Christmas Eve.
There will also be a special Aquatheatre show featuring the Christmas Elf and Charlie the Clownfish, Christmas face-painting and the aquarium will be decked out with festive decorations.