The main thing that attracted me to the Oceanarium was their latest attracted called the Virtual Shark Cage but found out after I paid for tickets that it was not working, how dissapointing but we still enjoyed our trip out. The aquarium is a lot smaller than most other ones but they do have two large sea turtles and a few stingrays in their main tank. The size of the sharks in the main tank was a bit dissapointing but it did not spoil the whole experience. They did have another tank with a few mixtures of sharks which was quite interesting. I like the fact that they had a few other animals, not just animals you find in the sea to spice up the attraction. There was an interactive video unit that allows you to record yourself pledging not to do a few things to help save the environment. read more

(Don't come for me) I don't like it here. Let me explain.. I dont agree with the tanks, shows ect. Its animal cruelty MAKING them preform shows for YOU'RE entertainment, i'm sorry but its disgusting!! animals have feelings too you know!! Ok I'm done read more

The Bournemouth Oceanarium has a great location, settled down near the pier. Ok so it isn't the biggest of venues but its not the sizeits how you use it. The oceanarium has managed its size well with loads to look at and plenty for the kids to do. Make sure you take time at the seahorsesI love these little fellas. The staff are amazing and really helpful which is always nice at a place of interest. Parking can be found at any of the main car parks that serve the town or there is a bus stop nearby for public transport. read more

Popped in for a quick lunch on a day trip to Bournemouth. Was taken with the location as it is right on the sea front. Had the quiche and cheesy chips. The quiche was very bland (not a touch on my mother in laws!) and the chips not very hot. No salt and vinegar for the chips. Only ketchup and mayo in little packets. If it was cheap then it would be fine but not a great meal, I think it gets by because of the location. read more

It's a bit over priced but your ticket is valid all day - get your ticket early check out the feeding times and go for the best bits. Also if you go to the cafe first they have an offer on show your Cafe receipt and get £2 off the entry fee. There is a quiz that can be done on the way around with question posters on the wall. The shark/stingray and Turtle tank has multiple viewing windows and it was my favourite bit. you can walk through the tank and see all the sea life swimming around you or view from side windows or above. The staff are available to stop and just ask questions and they seem to know what they are talking about. Its a great way to spend a hour or so and learn something about the sea. read more

I have heard people talk about the Oceanarium so we decided to visit a few weeks ago. Nestled next to Bournemouth Pier it was easy to find, but we had to judge the amount of car parking we needed for the amount of time we would be in there. We found it to be expensive for such a small place and as we walked through the exhibits we realised how cramped it was and there was no choice but to leave our buggy in a buggy area for most of it, as there wasn't enough room to take it with us. The Oceanarium isn;t worth the money you will pay as the length of the visit took us half an hour to wander around the whole place and we paid over £20 for three of us. read more

This is a nice place to stop in when in the city. Located right on the water. This is your typical Tourist trap. Having not attended the Zoo portion I will refrain from comment.But lots of stuff for the kids. read more

If you're expecting something akin to seaworld then you're gonna be very disapointed but if you go in with reasonable expectations you will have a pleasant time in here. With a large selection of tropical fish of all colours and a few large sea creatures you can kill 30-35 minutes walking around and imagining you were a fish (or a crab if that's your bag) and it's quite relaxing (especially around exam time). The main downside is it's a tad pricey for what you get out of it but there is one sure fire way to make it worth your while, which is FIND NEMO, I found him (or one of his relatives) and it was certainly the highlight. read more

As aquariums go we found this one to be very good, lots of hands on stuff for the kids to push and lots of interesting facts to read etc. Then of course the fish themselves, well the walk through tunnel was amazing as these things normally are, we saw a vast array of wonderful colourful creatures like turtles, stingrays, sharks and exotic fish. A great day out with a nice cafe, bit pricey but food ok and full disabled access with adequate parking. read more

Looks lovely from the outside and the posters make it sound great and really plays on the fact it has a place where you can be right under the sharks. But once you hand over your money which is not a cheap fair you are very quickly disappointed, as it has nothing different from other places, and the shark bit actually is windows where you can see them beneath the water and that is it. Best to check what time feeding times are before you go, and to look out for tourist booklets as they sometimes often have buy one get 2nd half price offer in them.. read more

I enjoyed my visit here. In wet weather or fine this is somewhere to visit whatever your age. It is a fascinating venue and whilst not particulary large it makes a great time out for a morning or afternoon. Being located on the beach you can go for a good walk afterwards or have a meal in the cafe. read more

I visited here a little while ago while on holiday,and thought it was a great place to take the kids and to learn about sealife! Originally from Brighton now in Birmingham,I have visited the Sealife centres in those cities,and cannot believe people are saying how pricey the oceanarium is! In reality,it is approx half the price of the sealife,which just for 2 adults is more than £30,but here you can get a family of 4 (2 adults/2 kids) for approx £25! It is set out well,with a good selection of sealife creatures,staff can usually be found reasonably easily and I feel it is well worth the cost! (I have enquired about prices this week,so not going by past prices)! Kids love it! I would definatly recommend a visit! read more

Our day trip to Bouremouth took us to the Oceanarium, Good Value for money. A lovely display of Fish not seen at other Sealife centres. We managed to catch feeding times with the Stingrays and Turtles. All in all a good day however, the gift shop could do with some improvement. read more

we enjoyed the oceanarium - my son who is a complete nut on all sealife and kept us there for 3 hours, finding out loads of things. watching the feeling of the sharks was entertaining and a must! a small aquarium, but helpful staff who answered all my sons never ending queries despite the amount of information on the walls. theres a great interactive station downstairs which give out details of whales, dolphins and sharks, they are so realistic and the kids were scared in there! it cost us £20 for the family of 4. coffee shop on the side but a bit pricey read more

The aquarium is a great place to visit with all the family although quite pricey it is generally worth the money. Children and adults alike will love walking under the water watching the brightly coloured fish swim over their heads. After your visit you can enjoy refreshments in the cafe or spend some more money in the shop. The car parks are quite a walk away and are pretty costly but you could get a bus direct to the pier approach which may be easier. I would recommend a visit here on a rainy day when you've nothing left to do with the kids! read more

Not too bad but WAAAAAY over priced for what you get

A little bit on the pricey side for a small aquarium but a nice way to kill an hour if you have money to burn and time to spare.

We went here as it was raining and there was nothing else to do? So we went in after waiting 20 minutes in queue. We paid and got told to take our buggy with us, which was a NIGHTMARE!!! As this place was so busy that we could not hardly move and see any of the fish and otters as so many people were looking and time we got to see the otters the woman had finished feeding them. I just say DO NOT GO ON A RAINY DAY!! As god help if there was a fire in there you would not no where to go, so much for a one way system, everyone was going in different ways to the arrows. They really need to sort this place out and only have so many people in at one time,as soon as people leave have more in. They just want money?? Also they have a cafe and we could not even get in there to sit down and have a drink and bite to eat. Just a waste of time for the money. read more

Fairly expensive for what it is, but all the staff there are willing to talk to you and tell you about what you are looking at. Which makes it a bit more personal, which is what i liked. The tunnel is really good where you can see the sharks going over you and watch the massive turtles. Worth a visit. Pheobe x read more

Not a bad little aquarium - quite small though and expensive to get into. Great location (right on the seafront by Bournemouth pier). Small okay cafe, great for kids, but can get quite busy in the holidays. Small gift shop, usual overpriced novelties etc. New dive cage experience (virtual) which is meant to be good. read more