Review: Sea Life Centre, Weymouth

Gemma and Jacob love anything to do with the sea and the water – I don’t know if this is due to living by the sea or whether it is just something that all children love, but they are definitely keen on visiting aquariums, ponds, rock pools and of course, the beach. This weekend we made the trip to the SeaLife Centre in Weymouth with 2 very excited children and a squealing baby, although I don’t think he really knew what all the excitement was about.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

If you book tickets online, they cost £15.50 a person, which is £7 less than the price on the door. Tickets include entry to the park and the Sea Life Tower – a 53m panoramic tower which offers you an amazing view of the coastline. To reach the tower from the park you can either stroll the 30 minute walk along the seafront,  drive (although this will incur another parking charge), or catch the seafront train between the park and the tower – again there is an additional charge for this, so do factor this into your budget.

On arrival at the park, the children were provided with activity booklets and stamp books – the idea being that they collect a stamp at each area of the centre and then show the completed book at the end to receive a reward (a Sea Life medal) – this is a great way to ensure that you see everything and don’t miss an area. The activity books provided have things such as wordsearches, mazes and puzzles in – great idea for snack/lunch stops, but the Sea Life do not provide pens or pencils, so make sure you pack one.

The centre is split into 15 different sections, and there are specific things to see in each area. First stop was the Bay of Rays, where we saw some enormous rays, as well as lots of other fish.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Our next stop was the one that Jacob had been looking forward to the most – Shark Reef. Here we saw a selection of sharks, and were able to watch feeding time. The staff presenting this were very knowledgeable and happy to answer all our questions.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

In the Rainforest area, we met a lot of exotic creatures, including this little fellow. He was SO still, you had to look really carefully to be able to spot him. Gemma has recently completed a topic on the Amazon at school, and so she was able to tell us lots of interesting facts about the rainforest and the creatures that live there. In each area there are screens and interactive tools to help you learn more about the creatures you are seeing.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Gemma and Jacob loved the rockpool area. They are familiar with rockpools, and often explore them when we are at the beach, and so they were able to identify some of the animals they saw. Gemma was able to touch a starfish too – she said it felt rough and spiky. The staff all around the park are so knowledgeable and keen to get the children involved.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

We were all looking forward to seeing the penguins, and we arrived just in time for their feeding session. The staff member was hand feeding the penguins, and we were told all about their diet, where they live and the Sea Life Centre’s very successful breeding programme, which is helping to conserve this endangered animal.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Next up was the Turtle Sanctuary, and here we discovered some very unusual animals, such as this snake neck turtle, as well as the very impressive giant turtle.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

The turtle sanctuary leads straight into the ocean tunnel – this was a real highlight, as you are surrounded by amazing sea creatures, and can watch as they swim above and around you, close enough to examine in real detail. Just something to not here – the ocean tunnel is very popular but quite small, so do be aware of this, especially if you have a pushchair!

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Once we had managed to drag ourselves from the wonders of the ocean tunnel, we came out into the Wetlands area – lots of marshland birds to see here, and some information about conservation. It’s also a lovely open area where the kids can run and play for a while.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Another area we had all been keen to explore was the seal sanctuary – seals are such beautiful animals, and ones that you rarely get to see. The seals at the Sea Life Centre were very playful, and we were able to watch them slip and slide around on the shallow rocks, as well as heading down to the underwater observatory to see dive deep down.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Crocodile Creek was next up, and this was a huge hit with the children, largely due to the log flume, that takes you on a boat ride through the crocodile zone, before soaking you on a speedy little hill. 

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

Finally, we met the family of otters – there was a sign telling us that they sleep and we may be able to see them in their holt, but we were lucky enough to catch them outside, and playing on the rocks. Gorgeous animals that you very rarely see in the wild now.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

There are other areas too, that we didn’t get snaps of as we were too busy exploring! You can find Nemo in the Shipwrecked area, find out about the breeding programme and spot some baby seahorses in the nursery zone, and burn off some energy on the rides in Adventure Island. There is also a lovely Splash Zone – it was too cold for us to take advantage of in October but in the summer this would be a wonderful place to spend some time.

SeaLife Centre Weymouth review

There are 2 places to eat – one offers hot meals and one offers sandwiches and snacks. They are both clean, have a wide selection of food, plenty of seating indoors or out and have a good amount of highchairs. The toilets on the park are clean and well maintained too, and there are separate baby change rooms. 

Overall we had the best day. There was so much to see and do, and everything was clearly designed with children in mind, making it a fun and interactive trip, as well as a valuable learning experience. We will definitely go again!

Spending time together as a family is so important, and days out can provide a great opportunity to have that quality time. The Family Adventure Company are keen on promoting active family fun, and they currently have a competition running, where you could win an amazing family adventure to Andorra. To enter, just answer a few fun questions to be in with a chance of winning an amazing activity holiday and other exciting prizes from their partners – Sea Life and Go Ape!

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34 Comments

  1. October 21, 2014 / 4:11 pm

    We went to Weymouth sea life centre when we visited Pool back in Spring and loved every moment of it. Your photos bought back the memories, we especially liked the rides as an extra something special.
    mummy M’s Memories recently posted…Blog Camp with Tots100 2014My Profile

  2. October 21, 2014 / 8:23 pm

    Looks like you all had a great day! So much to do too. We have a Sealife Centre in Blackpool but haven’t been yet with Baby M, thinking the start of next year. It’s got no where near as much as Weymouth though #TriedTested
    Mummy Melton recently posted…PicStick Review and Exclusive CodeMy Profile

  3. October 21, 2014 / 8:56 pm

    Oh sounds like a brilliant day out with the kids. My two would love this. There is one I think near us and I am dying to take them. You have just convinced me. Great review thanks for hosting my lovely. #tried&tested
    Jenny recently posted…How to carve Olaf & Doc McStuffins Pumpkins & GiveawayMy Profile

  4. October 21, 2014 / 10:03 pm

    What a beautiful park! WOW!
    I’m going to have to check out how far this is from us and maybe put it on the list for next summer.
    Really amazing from the pictures, I’ve always wanted to take the kids to this sort of place. x
    ERFmama recently posted…Deep conversation with my 2 year old (Video)My Profile

  5. October 21, 2014 / 10:11 pm

    I don’t remember sea life centre being anywhere near this awesome when I was younger! It looks amazing, love the log flume!
    We don’t have anything like that around here, I wish we did because the kids would love it! Maybe a wee trip to weymouth should be arranged… #triedtested
    bloggermummylauren recently posted…A World of Activities… Twinkl ReviewMy Profile

  6. October 22, 2014 / 5:14 pm

    What a great day out! Lovely photos – I love the penguins! 🙂

  7. October 23, 2014 / 1:48 pm

    Fab review your pictures look ace thanks for linking up #thankfulthursday
    Karen recently posted…First World GratitudeMy Profile

  8. October 29, 2014 / 2:44 pm

    i like all sorts of nature parks and sea life centres, so much fun, great review and oh my these penguins are cute!

  9. January 13, 2015 / 10:22 am

    What a great day out – I’ve been to a couple of SeaLife centres but didn’t know there was one in Weymouth. Looks like there’s even more to do there than some of the others.
    Cathy (MummyTravels) recently posted…Family day out: Ham House, SurreyMy Profile

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