We picked a brilliant day to visit the Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk. Why? Well it was a scorching hot weekend. Our caravan, based at Long Beach Camping Site in nearby Hemsby was really hot and we needed to go somewhere cool, preferably indoors! Not really knowing the layout of Great Yarmouth I managed to park just about as far away as I possibly could; by the time we reached the entrance, we were in need of shade (and also a drink!)
Located along the promenade, the Sea Life centre in Great Yarmouth is easy to spot along the seafront. There are lots of places to park, all of which were closer than the space I chose 🙂
The children were given paper pirate hats and also a ‘Dive Logbook’ whilst I collected our tickets. Throughout the aquarium the children had to find nine stamping stations and then hand them in to the guys in the shop at the end of the visit for a treat.
Dive Station 3: Where you emboss your Dive Log Book
There is also a Pirate treasure map; as you work your way through the different areas of the aquarium (following the map) you find treasure chests with coins inside. You simply make a note of how many coins are in each chest and at the end you add them up for a final count.
So, armed with our activity sheets we entered the aquarium. We had a huge amount of fun working our way between the exhibits/habitats. Here are some of our highlights:
Under the Ray-dar
This is an awesome new area: a large, quite shallow tank full of rays and other British sea life. You can use underwater magnifiers to get really up close to them.
Underwater magnifiers
Incorporated into this tank is a yellow submarine that you can walk through to observe the creatures through the portholes.
Walk inside the submarine to view the rays under water
Here you also find a supervised rockpool, where you can touch a starfish or crab. And if you are brave enough (I was!) you get a medal!
Befriending a starfish!
I have to say I loved the rays … they poked their heads out the water all the time – they either wanted to chat to us, or were hoping to be fed 🙂
Penguins
Who can resist visiting the penguins! Cute, funny, majestic, athletic, captivating little bundles of mischief. I’m a huge fan. I’m lucky in that I’ve seen Galapagos penguins in the wild, but my dream is to cruise Antarctica to see more, especially my favourites, the Gentoo penguins.
At Sea Life Great Yarmouth you can watch Humboldt penguins: you can watch them swim under water or view them from above water on the outside observation area.
Humboldt penguins
We timed our visit to listen to a talk from one of the keepers, which was really fascinating and Millie-Mae and Toby both learned new facts about penguins.
Tropical Ocean Display
This 250,000 litre ‘Lost World of Atlantis’-themed tank is incredibly impressive! As you approach it you are met by a wall of glass where you literally come face to face with blacktip reef sharks (these are part of a breeding programme). Or you might meet Noah, their green sea turtle (as well as many rather large and impressive fish). There is a brilliant glass tunnel to walk through – I do love these!
Glass tunnel through the Lost World of Atlantis huge tank!
Other highlights
For me, I have a childhood love of seahorses, so I could have stood and watched the seahorses for hours.
The children loved the jellyfish …
The two crocodiles didn’t move or twitch during the entire time we watched them. Are they made of concrete?
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our time at the aquarium. The marine creatures look really healthy and their tanks very clean. Everything was very clean and well-organised/looked after. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable and the whole experience was a positive one.
Finally, at the end of the visit there is a small gift shop and where you hand in your Dive Log Book, hopefully with lots of embossed stamps inside. For completing the task they got some badges and stickers – and you get the Log Book back to remind you of your visit.
Next to the shop is a lovely café, complete with softplay area. it was too hot to sit outside on the day we visited, but for cooler days there’s lots of outdoor seating. We purchased four ice-cold Slushies – just what the doctor ordered before our long, hot walk all the way along the promenade back to where I parked the car!
Sea Life Yarmouth is definitely on our list to revisit again soon. If you’d like to find out more, please visit here.
Disclaimer for Sea Life Aquarium, Great Yarmouth
We received tickets in return for an honest review. Our opinions are our own and were not influenced in any way.
