We’ve always been suckers for an aquarium, often looking if a town or city has one if we’re visiting somewhere new or when we’re on holiday, which makes it no surprise that when we visit Cornwall we always visit the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay.
Located right down on the seafront, just off the main high street, it’s another one of our favourite places to visit as it’s the perfect size to visit for a morning before heading to explore the town or spend the afternoon at the beach.
We spent our first full day of our holiday here as it was just down the road to where we were staying in Perranporth. Here’s what we got up to…
Blue Reef
We’re not used to visiting Blue Reef Aquariums, as the majority of aquariums near us in Sussex are run by SEA LIFE, so it was nice to see another aquarium at work as well as what conservation work they’re currently doing in comparison.
Like most other aquariums, a lot of the creatures featured have been found locally or would have at one point been spotted on the Cornish coastline. This, therefore, made parts of the journey really unique as we were able to explain to T that some of the creatures actually come from the waters he paddled in.
Starting our journey in the rainforest, we walked past caiman crocs and terrapins, and then made our way to the seas where we looked through dozens of colourful tanks and enclosures, from piranhas to pufferfish to coral reef communities. There was also a really interactive octopus, however T has yet to warm to octopuses.
We then made our way through the main feature – the underwater tunnel – which is home to a rescued sea turtle, reef sharks, and some of the most colourful fish in the sea.
After spending plenty of time shark spotting, we then popped upstairs to the second viewing gallery for the underwater tunnel, this time looking into the tank via a curved vertical tunnel that covers floor to ceiling. This was a really interesting viewpoint and made us feel like we were inside the tank.
This area was quite busy by the time we arrived so we had a quick look and then made our way to the final viewing gallery for the same enclosure, which looked right above the tank. By the time we arrived, the sea turtle feeding talk was just starting!
It’s not often we stick around for talks as T either loses concentration or starts asking loads of questions during the talk, however during this one he was completely enthralled. What the speak didn’t know or talk about wasn’t worth knowing and, therefore, captivated T for the whole talk.
The aquarium itself is relatively small in comparison to others we’ve been to, however depending on how attentive you are to the tanks and talks you could easily spend a few hours here. We always have a nice time here and it certainly warms us up for the rest of the holiday! We definitely recommend giving the aquarium a visit if you’re in the area.
Have you been to the Blue Reef Aquarium in Newquay?
1 comment
This sounds like a fantastic day out. I do love a visit to an aquarium.
Comments are closed.