‘First of its kind’: Miami Beach’s new digital experience blends high tech, ocean wonders

Miami’s recent immersive experiences have included waving fields of sunflowers, poppies bursting into bloom and a damp stumble through clouds (after paying an upcharge for the privilege).

Now, you can walk or dine under the ocean without getting wet.

Part cutting-edge attraction, part lesson in the risks to underwater ecosystems posed by looming sea level rise, this new oceanic experience comes from the creative minds of Hidden Worlds Entertainment, which has chosen the Rudolf Budja Gallery in Miami Beach to launch its first installation. The “impactainment” company — their word, not ours — aims to build attractions with a purpose, not only thrilling guests with digital wonders but also imparting a little science and reminding us of the vitality of the natural world — and how we need to protect it.

CEO Daniel Hettwer, who leads a team that includes veterans from the immersive installation “Beyond Van Gogh,” the award-winning virtual reality company Atlas V and oceanic explorer Philippe Cousteau, says that the project will show guests something they have never seen before.

“This is the first of its kind, no doubt,” he says.

Immersive experiences have become popular around the world and in Miami, which first experienced the trend with the immersive art exhibit “Beyond Van Gogh” at Ice Palace Studios in April 2021. A second exhibit about the Dutch painter called “Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience” followed at the Olympia Theater. In February 2022, “Beyond Monet” — a similar art installation showcasing the works of the French impressionist — opened at Ice Palace Studios, where it runs through April 24.

Artechouse in Miami Beach has offered interactive exhibits since it opened in December 2018. In 2021, Miami opened a museum dedicated to digital wonders: Superblue in Allapattah, which features immersive exhibits like “Massless Clouds Between Sculpture and Life,” which costs $12 extra and allows the viewer to don a raincoat and wander through a room full of foam.

The growing public appetite for such experiences taps into Miami’s FOMO — and helps groups like Hidden Worlds explore the next big digital leap.

“We’re incredibly happy there has been such an uptrend,” Hettwer says. “It has allowed us to build the next generation. You don’t just step into the space and passively sit there while things happen around you.”

What makes Hidden Worlds special is its integration of digital projection technology in a 360-degree audio environment. Instead of a two-dimensional experience, where images are merely projected onto the walls, Hidden Worlds uses projection mapping, a technique that uses images from multiple projectors to turn objects of any shape into display surfaces for video projection.

That means that during your undersea voyage, you won’t just see a crab scuttle across the wall. You could see one scuttle across your dinner plate.

Hettwer acknowledges it’s hard to visualize until you see it but suggests visitors think of it as virtual reality without the headset.

“Virtual reality tends to be not very scaleable,” he says. “You have to put on a headset, and it’s cumbersome. It’s difficult to build for the masses.”

There will be two types of experiences, a daytime show that’s similar in execution to “Beyond Van Gogh,” where guests go on a sunrise-to-sunset journey through the ocean, visiting mangroves and coral reefs and encountering sharks, whale sharks, turtles, manta rays and glowing bioluminescence. There’s a narrative story line, even performers, and the experience runs around 45 minutes.

At night, the journey is longer. The seas are served up with a seven-course prix fixe menu, with every scene having a corresponding dish. Hidden Worlds partnered with Chef Scott Linquist of Como Como Miami, Serena Rooftop and Coyo Taco to create a menu that’s not only sustainable but beneficial to oceans, aiming to combat overpopulation. Original craft cocktails will be created by mixologist Gio Gutierrez of Chat Chow TV.

Linquist says he’s “thrilled” to work on a project with purpose.

“As chefs, we are always thinking about sustainability, especially when it comes to our oceans,” he says “What most people don’t realize is even the most innovative aqua cultures and fish farming pollute and harm our water. ... Living in Miami, we are surrounded by water. I see it every day off my balcony, and we need to work better on keeping these oceans clean.”

For every pair of tickets sold, Hidden Worlds Miami will also donate a portion of sales to its charity partners, which include Clean Miami Beach, Oceanic, Beneath the Waves and Pangea Seed. The attraction has already been designated an official United Nations Decade of Ocean Science activity.

The show’s run is only a month and is unlikely to be extended because of the venue’s schedule, Hettwer says. But Hidden Worlds plans to move its operations to Miami full time and someday build out its own space.

“We invented a new industry,” Hettwer says. “I thought, ‘Let’s make Miami the hub for impactainment.’ It shouldn’t be Orlando — that’s the home for theme parks. Miami is such an interesting market, it’s sexy and fun and also hyper challenging. There are issues when it comes to climate change and biodiversity loss, pollution and sea level rise that will impact Miami quite a bit. It’s a young and interesting city, driven and innovative and at the same time a city that is somewhat at risk.”

Hidden Worlds

Where: Rudolf Budja Gallery, 1330 18th St., Miami Beach

When: May 20-June 20

Daytime shows: Weekdays $32 adult, $26 child; weekends $36 adult, $29 child

Dinner show: $225 (additional upcharge for cocktail pairing); there will also be an ala carte drink menu

Tickets: On sale April 12; ourhiddenworlds.com