Sea Life Great Yarmouth

We are always on the look out for exciting family days out in our local area. When the Sea Life in Great Yarmouth asked if we wanted to review their attraction, we immediately jumped at the opportunity. Adam is fascinated with fish and I love penguins so it seemed a win win day out.

Sea Life Great Yarmouth is situated along the sea front next to Wellington Pier. It is home to over 1,500 creatures in ten themed zones.

Despite renovations to the outside and the main entrance, there was no delay in entering the Sea Life Centre. After a quick family souvenir photograph taken in front a green screen by a Sea Life Centre photographer, we entered The Shipwreck. Despite it being extremely dark Adam copied well with the change. We gave him his own camera to document the visit. However, because it is so dark inside do not expect your photographs to come out well.

After exploring the Jellyfish Zone, we entered my favourite section – the penguins! Great Yarmouth is home to several Humboldt penguins.

Unfortunately we were there after the penguins had been fed so they were sleeping their meal off. We didn’t get a chance to see the penguins swim around in the underwater viewing deck.

Next we entered the Bay Of Rays. I have many fond memories of swimming with rays on my travels so was keen to show them to Adam.

(Photograph taken by Adam)

He loved watching them swim or “dance” as he called it. We all thought the baby rays were incredibly cute.

After a little persuasion, we did manage to get Adam close to the Interactive Rock Pool. He was rewarded with a medal for stroking a starfish.

Next we met the two African Dwarf Crocodile named Ntombi and Masozi. Adam was convinced they were not real, until one of them moved. He jumped out of his skin!

I wish I had caught Adam’s reaction on film as we entered the ocean tunnel. I think the whole venue heard him shout “Wow Mum-Mum. A big Tony!!!!” Tony is our pet Musk Turtle and Adam believes that any turtle or tortoise is a relation to our Tony. In fact he was seeing Noah the sea turtle.

We got to walk through a million-litre underwater tank and see Black Tip Reef Sharks, a giant Medusa structure and other marine wild life up close.

There were two fish that Adam was particularly looking forward to seeing. He is a huge fan of Finding Nemo so he couldn’t wait to spot Nemo and Dory. The Sea Life Centre has a designated Clownfish Cave where Adam could get up close to his favourite fish.

This year the Sea Life Centre have opened a new zone – the Turtle Shelter. As mentioned before, we have our own Musk Turtle at home so Adam is used to seeing turtles. However, we couldn’t believe the variety and how many actually looked like Tony! The Turtle Shelter is home to sea and freshwater turtles. We learnt there are 263 known turtle species. Only seven of these are sea turtles and the rest are freshwater.

After walking around the Sea Life Centre, we had worked up an appetite. A restaurant is on site with a range of freshly cooked food options. There are Kids Eat Free offers available too. There is also an Indoor Kids Play Area so Adam was able to play and let off some steam. There is also a large gift shop with a range of pirate, sealife and branded merchandise. There was a large Finding Dory display too. Be sure to check out the amazing toilets too!

At the beginning of the trip Adam was given a Dive Log Book. He had to collect all nine stamps around the venue. There were questions inside the log book and the answers could be found at the stamping stations.

The Dive Log Book was an additional incentive for Adam to look closer at each zone. He came away with his completed Dive Log Book, a badge, stickers and a medal.

As the Sea Life Centre is on the Marine Parade, a mile long strip of seaside attractions, there are plenty of other activities to fill the day. From amusements arcades, crazy golf, boat trips to Scroby Sands and the Pleasure Beach theme park there is something for everyone.

Overall, we had a great few hours at the Sea Life Centre in Great Yarmouth and Adam certainly wants to go back again. The visit certainly has a wow factor to it. Admission is quite expensive if you are on a budget. However, it is cheaper if you buy tickets in advance online giving you a saving of up to 30%.

Check out our other adventures around Norfolk: