The National Marine Aquarium goes to Infinity and Below
To celebrate the school summer holidays, The National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth is hosting an unmissable programme of events and will be boldly exploring deeper than ever before, uncovering the weird and wonderful world of ‘Ocean Aliens’.
Taking place from 27th July to 3rd September, the Aquarium’s ‘Ocean Aliens’ exhibition is set to include a host of out-of-this-world events and activities for the whole family to enjoy, including an exclusive alien-themed show, cosmic creature trails and live daily feedings and talks.
The daily summer shows will offer visitors the chance to become deep sea explorers for themselves, learning about the alien-like sea creatures which live at the deepest parts of our oceans and how experts have uncovered their secrets. The cosmic creature trail will build on the knowledge revealed in the show, leading around the whole of the Aquarium. Whilst on the trail, visitors will be able to stop off to meet each eerie ‘Ocean Alien’ during daily dive shows, talks and feeds.
Helen Gowans
Helen Gowans, Host Supervisor at the National Marine Aquarium, commented: “Amazingly, humans have only explored 5% of our seas, which means there is still a huge amount to discover and learn from the depths of our oceans. At the National Marine Aquarium we want to help uncover some of the mysteries surrounding our oceans, including the weird and wonderful animals that lie at the bottom of the sea.
“Our ‘Ocean Aliens’ exhibition will be perfect for the whole family and any budding explorers. More people have been to the moon than to the bottom of the sea, so we are bringing together these cosmic elements in a spectacular showcase. From octopuses to jellyfish, visitors will be able to join us to travel to infinity and below, and we can’t wait to see you there!”
Team members from the National Marine Aquarium will also be rocking the sunglasses and sun cream this summer as they head down to Bovisand Beach for a series of Rockpool Rambles and Beach Cleans. These sessions will be taking place on the 6th, 11th and 23rd August and are open for all to attend. Hosts will explore the local rockpools and identify the incredible animals living in them, without forgetting to give the beach a good clean before leaving. Visitors can join the hosts throughout the summer to learn more about what hides within the beach’s rockpools.
Continuing the beach theme, the National Marine Aquarium will be hosting three ‘Big Beach Bonanzas’ over the school holidays, on the 8th August at Bantham Beach, 20th August at Whitsand Bay and the 26th August at Bigbury Beach. Keep an eye out for the Aquarium’s splashtacular marquee for an opportunity to learn about local marine life and take part in arts, crafts, scavenger hunts, games and more!
Sleeping with Sharks
On top of all this, the Aquarium will also be hosting another popular Sleeping with Sharks event. Taking place on 5th August, visitors will have an exclusive chance to see what happens in the Aquarium’s underwater world after the lights go down. The presence of sharks gliding silently overhead whilst visitors sleep will mesmerize anyone daring enough to spend a night in their company.
Suitable for children aged 5-15, the evening also includes a twilight tour of the Aquarium, arts and crafts in the Just Add H2O Headquarters, games around the building, a big screen movie in front of the Eddystone Reef tank and a midnight snack. The sleepover will be finished off with a continental breakfast overlooking the harbour the following morning.
To book tickets and to find out further information about Ocean Aliens, Sleeping with Sharks or any of the summer beach activities, visit www.national-aquarium.co.uk