Day Out at SEA LIFE London Aquarium

With the children being off school for two weeks, other than the family-filled Christmas get-togethers, I wanted to have a couple of things that we could do as a family to get out and about. Being cooped up over the school break isn’t fun for anyone, but luckily the weather has been pretty mild so we have been able to make the most of it.

In the first week of the Christmas break we were invited along to SEA LIFE London to see what it was all about. The big draw at the moment is that they have penguins and it is the baby penguin’s first Christmas. So visiting at the moment means that there are a lot of different things going on, and makes it extra special if you are able to spot the chick. You can quite literally chill out with the baby chick and the whole Gentoo family at ‘Penguin Point’, where you’re able to discover their favourite Christmas treats and other fun facts about these birds. So off we went into London for the day.

Situated on the Southbank, the  aquarium is in a great spot for a day out. We spent a good two hours or so at the aquarium, but there are lots of other things to see and do in the area, so I think it is great as part of a whole day out in London (and you can make tickets cheaper if you wanted to do something like the London Eye and SEA LIFE all in one day).

What is there at SEA LIFE?

I have never been to SEA LIFE London, so I naturally presumed that it was all just sea creatures and fish to see and learn about. But the reality is that there is so much more to the aquarium than that. You can see and explore:

• Rainforest Adventure
• Ocean Invaders
• Radical Rays
• Penguin Parade

So as you can see, there is a whole host of areas to explore, and all different creatures to see and learn abut, not just aquatic life. The children loved the penguin area the most, as well as the rainforest adventure; who knew they’d enjoy seeing the creepy crawlies so much? The whole attraction is very well done, with the decor and the layout all making it look good as well as being fun and interactive.

There were so many different interactive points along the way, so that was another great selling point when going with kids. There are trails that they can follow along with a map, which always keeps the attention of my two as they have something to look out for, as well as being able to touch star fish, and there were some immersive pods where you can climb through tunnels or passageways to get even closer to the fish, insects, and the penguins. This helped to keep them focused on what was going on, so we could read up all about the sea life and other creatures.

Conservation

As someone that is more and more conscious of the world around me and no longer eats meat or fish, I was interested to see what SEA LIFE do in terms of conservation around the world, and for the species that they have in their care. I was able to learn a lot more about what they do and was pleased to hear all about it. They have an ethos of BREED, RESCUE, PROTECT, with established breeding programs to better understand species, from Undulate Rays to Coral Propagation. 

They have their own registered charity, The SEA LIFE Trust, that was set up in 2013 so that they can support projects and campaigns that make a difference to the protection of marine wildlife and habitats. They also work alongside conservation specialist around the world like Bite-Back Shark and Marine Conservation, The Big Fish Campaign, and The Marine Conservation Society’s Good Fish Guide to make a difference. It was great to hear; now if only more of us stopped eating them!

The children had a great time at SEA LIFE London and I really enjoyed myself too. I learned a lot about what they do to help and conserve, and found out a lot about sea life and different creatures that I didn’t have a clue about. The whole day was really interactive and the staff were all knowledgeable and friendly.

I would completely recommend this for a family day out in London – I think it is much more value for money than other attractions in the area.

*our tickets were gifted in exchange for this post. All opinions are my own.