The Bermuda Underwater Exploration Institute was buzzing with compliments at its official opening yesterday morning.

Governor Thorold Masefield cut the ribbon marking the event and told the crowd of dignitaries and trustees that he hoped BUEI would both educate and entertain its visitors.

Mr. Masefield said he hoped the Institute would bring people in Bermuda to appreciate their surroundings and that it would be one of the first attractions on visitors' list.

He also commended all the people from Bermuda and abroad who played a part in creating and completing BUEI and told them that they should "stand tall with pride''.

Working on a project like the Institute was a first-time experience for world-famous author Peter Benchley who wrote some of the audio scripts that are featured in exhibits and also stars in some of the film shorts shown in the different attractions.

But Mr. Benchley, whose novel "Jaws'' sparked off a series of movies featuring a great white shark, is no stranger to the waters of Bermuda.

His novel, The Beast, was a story about a terrifying giant squid which surfaced off the coast of Bermuda.

And yesterday he said the Institute was "the fulfilment of everyone's hopes and even more than expected''.

"It is the perfect example of taste, dedication and money,'' he added.

BUEI trustee Sen. Nola Haycock said: "It's been the most exciting project I've ever had the privilege to work on.'' Education Minister Jerome Dill said he thought that BUEI will be "an inspiration to others around the world''.

He also stressed the educational opportunity that it represented for young people.

"We in our Government are especially pleased with what this represents for Bermuda,'' Mr. Dill said.

The Institute focuses on eight perspectives of the sea -- the geological, biological, meteorological, physical, chemical, human, technological and global.

It consists of a series of galleries which use high-tech interactive film, video, and computer simulations.

BUEI also has a conservationist approach, a theme reflected in one exhibit that shows the state-of-the-art equipment that tests the effects of global damage while also helping to predict the weather.

And BUEI offers visitors a chance to experience their own underwater expedition in "The Dive'', where visitors of the Institute enter a dive capsule for a simulated trip to 12,000 feet below.

The facilities also include the restaurant La Coquille where people have the choice to sit inside or outside on the terrace that overlooks Hamilton