Oceanarium

Oceanarium

EXPLORE THE OCEANARIUM - THE AMAZON
The Amazon is the largest and most powerful river in the world. It’s vast rainforest supports a diverse range of plant and animal life, with the river itself forming part of the massive Amazon Basin covering an area measuring 2.5 million square miles.
The Amazon and its surrounding rainforests may hold up to 90% of all the world’s animal and plant species and produces 10% of medicines used in this country.
Scientists estimate that it is the home of 250 species of mammals, 3,000 freshwater fish, 1,800 birds, 10,000 trees and 70,000 plants species.
There are so many different varieties of insects still being discovered that experts simply don’t know how many there are – some believe it may run into hundreds of thousands.

EXPLORE THE OCEANARIUM - THE MEDITERRANEAN
The Mediterranean Sea covers nearly a million square miles and borders three continents: South Europe, Western Asia and Northern Africa.
It is also one of the world’s youngest seas – until approximately five million years ago the area was a hot desert dotted with shallow salty pools of water.
Today the Med is connected to the Black Sea through the Dardanelles and the Strait of the Bosphorous, and (since 1869) the Red Sea through the man-made Suez Canal.

EXPLORE THE OCEANARIUM - AFRICA
Africa covers over 30 million square kilometres, making 20% of the Earths surface.
The African continent is made up of 54 countries, with 797 million people speaking 1000 languages.
Most of the freshwater in Africa is carried across the continent by the worlds longest river, (the Nile, 6,695km), drops over the widest single curtain of falling water, (Victoria Falls) and stored in the longest and second deepest freshwater lake in the world, (Lake Tanganyika, 660 km long, 1436m deep.
The African Great Lakes are one of the worlds most endangered water systems due to the effects of pollution, over fishing.
Lake Malawi contains the largest number of fish species of any lake in the world, with at least 500 recorded. Over 400 of the cichlid species in Lake Malawi are only found in this body of water and 30% of all the worlds known cichlids are found in this lake.

EXPLORE THE OCEANARIUM - THE GANGES
The Ganges is one of the world’s great rivers. Its valley stretches across northern India and Bangladesh from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal.
Its rice and other crops feed most of India and Bangladesh, where it is known as the Padma. The river is also an important trade artery.
The Ganges is about 1,557 miles long with its source in an ice cave on the southern slopes of the Himalayas, some 10,300 feet (3,140 meters) above sea level. From there it flows eastward until it empties into the Bay of Bengal.
From them ghats, or steps, lead down to the water. Pilgrims go down to bathe or to fill little bottles with the sacred water. Some are burning ghats where the dead are cremated and their ashes scattered on the Ganges.

EXPLORE THE OCEANARIUM - GREAT BARRIER REEF
The Great Barrier Reef is actually made up of around 2,100 individual reefs and 800 island or coastal reefs.
Despite its enormous size – 2,000kms long and covering a total area of 350,000kms – the reef has actually been formed, over millions of years, from the skeletons of tiny marine organisms called coral polyps.
Literally thousands of other creatures ranging from jellyfish to sea turtles, starfish to whales and shellfish to sea birds rely on the reef to support them.


OPENING TIMES:

The Oceanarium is open daily from 10am throughout the year. We are closed Christmas Day.
Last admission to the aquarium is currently 5pm, closing at 6pm.
Tickets are valid for the entire day of purchase. 
Daily feeding presentations:
11.00am - Amazon feed
12.00pm - Cownose stingrays
12.30pm - Abyss feed
2.00pm - Sharks or Turtles
2.30pm - Key West feed
3.00pm - Cownose stingrays
4.00pm – Turtles

2010 ADMISSION PRICES:

A 2010 Annual Pass entitles you to:
Unlimited free admission for the registered cardholder until 31st December 2010
4 guest entries at ½ price, per membership
10% discount in the Offshore Café and The Cove gift shop
Half price admission to Lakes Aquarium (Cumbria) and Blackpool Zoo
Regular e-newsletters on upcoming events
Child pass holders automatically become members of the Kids’ Club and will receive a welcome pack along with invitations to special events


From the A338 Wessex Way, follow the brown tourist signs to Oceanarium, Pier and beaches or BIC.
The nearest pay and display car parks are located just a few minutes walk away from the Oceanarium: Bath Road South, Bath Road North and the BIC car park.
Coaches can drop off their passengers in the turning area behind the Oceanarium, next to the BIC, just a minute walk from the Oceanarium.
DISABLED PARKING
For blue parking badge holders, the nearest disabled car parking is available at Bath Road North and Bath Road South.

Oceanarium,
Pier Approach,
West Beach,
Bournemouth
Dorset, England
UK BH2 5AA