Merlin Entertainment Group, a British operator of tourist attractions such as Legoland and Madame Tussauds, is the new owner of the Underwater Adventures aquarium at the Mall of America. The purchase price was not disclosed in today's announcement.

Merlin Entertainment, based in London, has 58 theme parks around the world, including six in the United States. Its Sea Life aquariums in Europe drew 10 million visitors last year, which Merlin said makes the company the largest aquarium operator in the world.

Merlin said it plans to spend about $5 million to improve Underwater Adventures, a 1.2-million gallon aquarium under the east wing of the Bloomington mall. Mallgoers pay $18.95 -- $11.95 for children -- to walk through the aquarium's signature glass tunnel as sharks and turtles swim overhead.

The sale marks a turning point for the once-struggling Underwater Adventures. Originally known as UnderWater World, the attraction had just pulled out of Chapter 11 bankruptcy when a group of investors led by Minnesotan Todd Peterson bought it in 1999 for $10 million, less than half its value.

Underwater Adventures now draws 600,000 people a year and is profitable, Peterson said. Sales are up 8 percent over last year.

Glenn Earlam, managing director of Merlin's Midway Operating Group, said in a statement that Underwater Adventures' Mall of America location gives it "huge potential for further development, and will also offer an excellent base on which to develop other attractions in the future."

Jackie Crosby • 612-673-7335