Yesterday we went to see the Octonauts Training Academy at The Sealife Centre Birmingham. We were lucky to be invited to try out the new activities before it opens today and runs until the 7th November, just in time for the half term holidays. If you love Octonauts or haven’t visited the Sea Life Centre recently then it is definitely worth a trip. It has improved so much in recent years and every time we visit there is something new to do.
As soon as you enter you are greeted with lots of Octonauts signs. These are used to take you around the tanks and give fun facts about their inhabitants. This is a brilliant way to maintain children’s interest as they go around. They are given a set of stickers and a card to fill with each activity as they go around. These include doing crafts and being brave and touching a starfish.
The best thing about the Sealife Centre is how close you can get to the sea creatures. Charlotte made friends with a stingray and it really did seem to be following her.
There is now a discovery zone half way through which gives you the opportunity to sit down and have a snack – something really useful when you have little one.s
The girls enjoyed colouring pictures of the Octonauts and filling in their cards. If you completed all of them then you are given a medal in the giftshop – which makes a fun memento of the day.
The Sealife Centre has all of your favourite sea creatures including some really beautiful seahorses. There is a large Clownfish exhibit coming soon which looks really exciting for any Finding Nemo fans.
There are a few places where the Sealife Centre is more interactive. The girls like being able to put their heads in a dome to get up close to the starfish.
I also like the jellyfish. They look so pretty and colourful.
One of the other main attractions is the 4D cinema. I felt this had improved since our last visit with a modern version of 20,000 Leagues Under the sea which was funny and exciting.
The main attraction is still the underwater tunnel. This feels so magical, like you are really walking underneath the ocean.
It’s amazing seeing the animals glide above you. There are so many different creatures to see, but we all loved the giant sea turtle the best.
The wonder on the children’s faces is amazing to see. The cheeky stingray kept photo bombing our photos, though!
We like looking back at the view of the underwater walkway and the girls enjoyed trying to work out how it was built.
A visit to the Sealife Centre Birmingham starts and ends in the penguin ice adventure. Seeing these amazing creatures look like they are flying through the water is a big highlight of the trip.
Although you get really close to them at the start – the view at the end is spectacular as they race towards you through the water.
Our trip ended with a meet and greet with Captain Barnacles himself. “Sound the Oco-Alert”.
Disclaimer: We were given a family ticket to the Sealife Centre for the purposes of this review.