As a family we love a trip to a Sea Life Centre and have been so many times but each time we visit the children love it just as much as the time before, finding something new to look at and seeing the whole Sea Life Centre with fresh eyes each time.
Our latest visit was to Sea Life Brighton with our Merlin Annual Passes where we hadn’t been since before Little Man was born. LP wasn’t even two back then so we were looking forward to a brand new Sea Life experience – and the children couldn’t wait either.
We had such a great time and I’ve put together ten things to make sure you do at Sea Life Brighton the next time you visit:
Have your photo taken – It’s a bit of a tradition that at the start of any Sea Life Centre you have your photo in front of a green screen. This is so much fun and at the end of the visit you can see yourselves superimposed onto various backdrops from under the sea. Although we didn’t buy our photo the children loved seeing themselves inside a giant sea shell at the end.
Collect stamps on your passport – Children get given a passport at the start of the Sea Life Centre and they get to stamp it as they work their way around. This is not only fun to do but makes sure you see everything too.
At the end of the visit the children got to show their passport in the shop and get a prize – a shiny Sea Life medal! This was such a lovely bonus at the end of a day out and something to really remember the day by.
Touch star fish or sea anemone whist admiring the rainbow ceiling – The start of Sea Life Brighton is in the Victorian Arcade, a big vaulted ceiling room with the most incredible arches. The whole ceiling is lit up with rainbow coloured lights and it’s worth a visit just to see that! But, in this area the children got the chance to touch star fish or sea anemones. This is a great start to the Sea Life Centre.
See turtles being fed – The sea turtles are one of the most amazing parts of Sea Life Brighton and not something I remember seeing at any Sea Life Centre before. The children loves these huge, graceful creatures and if you visit at the right time you can even see them being fed.
Learn about protecting the seas – So much of Sea Life Brighton is dedicated to learning about conservation, protecting the sea and making sure you don’t inadvertently do damage to the sea or the creatures in it. The children learnt how long different pieces of rubbish take to break down in the sea, the damage they can do as well as learning about the Sea Life breeding programs. There are talks to learn more about these important topics too.
Climb inside the terrapin tank – The children love areas where they can climb in and look through windows right inside the aquarium tanks and their favourite was the terrapin tanks. The tunnel lets you get right inside the tank and gives an incredible view of such cute creatures.
See sharks being fed – The sharks are another fantastic sight at Sea Life Brighton, something the children were so in awe of. There are shark talks every day to learn more about them and if you visit on a Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday or Sunday you can see the sharks being fed too.
Ride a glass bottomed boat – One big attraction at Sea Life Brighton is the glass bottom boat ride across the turtle and shark tank. This gives great views of the creatures below but does incur an extra fee. The boat ride can be booked when you arrive at Sea Life Brighton.
Walk through the ocean tunnel – The children’s favourite part of Sea Life Brighton was walking through the ocean tunnel. This takes you through the turtle and shark tank and you can see the glass bottom boat moving above. It gives a great view and has seating areas through it too.
Meet incredible crabs in the Claws exhibit – Sea Life Brighton ends with the new Claws exhibit, full of giant crabs and facts about crabs and other crustaceans. The children rushed through this as they’re not keen on crabs but it was a great end to the visit.
We had such a great time at Sea Life Brighton and cannot wait to continue our year of Merlin adventures. I wonder where our next day out will take us?
Disclosure: We are working with Merlin Annual Pass this year as ambassadors – thanks Merlin for providing the year of fun for our family.
