Oceanarium, The Bournemouth Aquarium

About Us

Dive in to a magical underwater journey and discover 1000’s of amazing creatures above and below the waves at Bournemouth Oceanarium.

Submerge yourself in our newly re-themed underwater tunnel, home to stunning sharks, Carrie the loggerhead turtle and many more. Get up close to a cunning croc, mischievous otter family, mesmerizing jellyfish, colourful clownfish and not forgetting our playful colony of Humboldt penguins!

Shark Wreck Reef! The newly refurbished walk through tunnel display which incorporates a shipwreck theme surrounded by stunning coral, encompasses an impressive 350 thousand litres of salt water! Visitors can get up close to over 75 creatures, including a variety of shark species, southern stingrays, moray eels and a giant turtle.

Don’t miss:

- Daily talks and feeds

- School holiday activities

- Kids’ quiz trail

- 11 themed zones

- Kids’ play zone

- Walkthrough tunnel

- Offshore café and Bayview Terrace

- Cove gift shop

There is so much to sea and explore, whatever the weather!

Creature feeding experiences are available at an additional cost and must be pre-booked at least 5 days in advance – see the website for more info.

Book online for great savings!

Creature feeding experiences are available at an additional cost and must be pre-booked at least 5 days in advance – see the website for more info.

Visitor Information:

- Accessible for all

- Super saver family tickets

- Under 3’s free

The Offshore Cafe and Cove gift shop are both open to all. Enjoy amazing views of the bay from our beachfront Offshore Café, open daily from 10am providing a variety of hot and cold food, and proudly serves Starbucks Coffee. The Cove gift shop is full of fascinating and unique merchandise to suit all ages, tastes and pockets.

The Oceanarium is located next to Bournemouth Pier, on the beach front, just a 5 minute walk from the town centre.

Penguin feeding experience: 

To kickstart the summer holidays, The Oceanarium, Bournemouth is inviting penguin lovers to get closer to their favourite animal and become a Penguin Keeper for a morning - an exciting NEW VIP experience at the Bournemouth aquarium!

From Saturday 20 July 2024, penguin fans will be able to work alongside the Oceanarium’s penguin keeper and the cheeky colony of 11 Humboldt penguins on Penguin Beach and see what it’s really like to care for these flightless birds!

Penguin lovers can dive into a Penguin Keeper’s morning routine, carefully preparing the colonies food before having fun feeding them their fishy breakfast, while also discovering fascinating facts and assisting with daily health checks including weighing penguins and prepping their food with vitamins. Although this isn’t an experience for the faint-hearted, as an imperative task includes cleaning the beach up after an infamously poopy colony!

Honorary keepers will get to ask the penguin keepers’ expert knowledge on anything penguin related, before spending the rest of the day exploring the Oceanarium - being inspired by over 200 species of animals, many of which are vulnerable or threatened in the wild and part of important breeding programmes.

Perfect for both adults and families with children ages 7+, the new, 3 hours and 30- minute Penguin Keeper Experience will be available any day of the week, subject to availability. This experience must be booked at least 14 days in advance and is available for a maximum of two (either 1x adult and 1x child or 2x adults). Children must be accompanied by a paying adult. Tickets to this exclusive experience start from £100, which includes entry to the Oceanarium. For more details and additional price information, please visit the Oceanarium website.