To start this new feature, a focus on some of the best family attractions that are easily accessible from the local area, I took my son to one of Brighton’s most famous and popular of attractions, the Sea Life Centre. The added bonus of visiting in this half term, and for the week after, is the opportunity for the children to meet, CBeebies favourites, The Octonauts.
For those who don’t have primary school age children, The Octonauts follows a team of animated heroes who dive into action whenever there is trouble under the sea. In a fleet of aquatic vehicles, they rescue sea creatures, explore new underwater worlds, and often save the day before returning to their home base, the Octopod. Featuring the three leading characters – Captain Barnacles, Pirate Kwazii and Medic Peso – the Octonauts are always ready to embark on an exciting new mission!
Of course, with a remit like that, they fit in perfectly with the amazing underground and undersea world that is the Sea Life Centre and the chance to experience all that the centre has to offer, and to meet both Captain Barnacles and Peso, makes for a perfect day out with the kids.
Although the entrance to the centre is quite grand, it is nothing compared to the wonderful underground Victorian Arcade that houses the first of the fascinating and fabulous exhibits. Under an amazing vaulted ceiling, which constantly changes colour, both walls house huge tanks with hundreds of different fish and other underwater creatures in them. There is also an opportunity to get “up close and personal” with Anemones and Starfish in the central Rockpool area.
To one side of the, very reasonably priced, café there is a massive tank containing some of the largest fish and Rays in the attraction. With a walkway around the edge of the tank and a high viewing platform, so that even the smallest children can get a “bird’s eye” view, it is obvious that a great deal of thought has gone into planning each exhibit.
The brand new Rainforest Adventure area has two entrances, with the children making their way in through the roots of a Mangrove tree. With a soft floor underfoot, and the earthy smells of the forest all around, this is the area to explore and discover the Green Anaconda, Water Dragons, Poison Dart Frogs, Piranha and group of rescued terrapins who live in a quirky tank with a dome at the centre that kids can crawl into to get another “up close” experience.
Up the stairs and around the corner leads you to the largest exhibit in the Sea Life Centre, the Ocean Tank. Here it is possible to get almost within touching distance of more than a dozen sharks, a gigantic Sting Ray and the wonderfully named, but deadly venomous, Foxface Rabbit Fish!
Across the tank floats a glass-bottomed boat which, when added for a small increase in the entrance ticket price, provides an extra treat and an incredible view of these magnificent sea creatures and some very interesting commentary from the very knowledgeable centre staff.
After our boat ride we exit the area through the Ocean Tunnel and manage to get yet another superb view of the hundreds of sea creatures which live in this tank before heading into the Superheroes area, passing by the Big Fish, stopping in the Harbour for some craft activities and then entering Octopus Hideout. The main exhibit in here is the Common Octopus who, despite being quite huge, is able to fit through a hole about the size of a 10 pence piece due to the fact that they have no bones.
After about three hours we decide that we have seen enough for today and, armed with souvenir photos, fridge magnets, a couple of Octonaut souvenirs and a camera full of pictures of my son with his heroes, Captain Barnacles and Peso the Medic, we head out onto the Brighton seafront taking some fantastic memories of an incredibly enjoyable experience with us.
The Sea Life Centre, Brighton is open every day from 10.00am until either 5.00pm, 6.00pm or 7.00pm (depending on the time of year) and the best value tickets are purchased online at http://www.visitsealife.com/brighton/buy-tickets at least 24 hours before your visit. Captain Barnacles and Peso the Medic, from The Octonauts, will be appearing there until June 8th and the opportunity to meet them, and take as many photos as you like, is included in the entrance ticket price.
