Commanding the waves

Time and tide wait for no man at the National Maritme Museum next week when it launches a new display exploring the power and workings of the oceans. Making Waves forms the first part of the museum's Planet Ocean initiative, linking the three Greenwich sites and showcasing the past, present and future of the oceans through the themes of ships, time and the stars.

Central to the display will be an 11m x 4m transparent tank and wave-generating machine, running the length of East Street in the museum's huge central courtyard. Suspended above the tank will be a modern, lightweight 49-er racing dinghy alongside Dodo, an 1890s sailing boat. Thanks to a mechanical wave flume, visitors can generate their own waves along with twisting currents, vortexes and whirlpools - beats ducks in the bath any day.

Making Waves, from Thur 14 Mar, National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, SE10 (020-8858 4422)