The Aquarium
London Aquarium
County Hall, Westminster Bridge Rd, SE1 7PB
£26
After watching numerous episodes of David Attenborough's new series of Blue Planet, I became so fascinated by fish I wanted to go and see some in the flesh. I haven't been to the Aquarium since I was little, and my only memories of it are stroking the back of a stingray in awe and seeing a Shark for the very first time.
The Aquarium has since been renamed 'Sea Life', and is located in tourist trap hell on the Southbank, just left of the London Eye. Sandwiched between Shrek's Adventure and the London Dungeon, you almost have to elbow your way to the entrance of the building. I must admit, it did look slightly underwhelming when I entered, and I started to think my marine dream may have just been a fantasy. A ridiculously hefty entrance fee of £26 now applies - you can get some money off if you book the Aquarium as well as London Dungeon, Shrek's World or the London Eye, but we didn't bother as it was only a couple of quid and we didn't want to do anything else.
Firstly, you are introduced to some smaller fish: some cool, some pretty ordinary. Some seem docile and unaware of their surroundings; unfazed by the gawking strangers which surround them everyday. Others seem lost, alone, and pretty sad - swimming right up to the glass and staring you in the face as if to say "you bastard, get me the hell out of here". The aquatic turtles were playful and energetic, however, they too gave you an all too human look when they came too close - a look where you couldn't help feeling uncomfortable.
Cooler areas of the Aquarium included a tunnel which you could walk through as a host of all kind of marine life swim above you (big turtles, schools of smaller fish and crabs). The shark tank was also pretty cool, and allowed you viewpoint on all three floors. The big guys seemed to prefer the top of the tank, so it was great to be able to see these up close when we finally got there. Other additions were a whole section on Jellyfish which was cool, for the first couple of tanks, but went on a bit...
At the end of the visit we were offered a book of our Photographs (a series of silly green screen shots we posed for upon entering), we thought this was free and this seemed to make the entrance fee a tad more acceptable. However, a young girl came over and explained "you could have this book for the small price of £20". Firstly - TWENTY POUNDS?! You must be joking. Secondly - they'd already gone to the trouble of printing the damn books, what a waste of paper, a bit hypocritical given all the conservation and environmental chat they had displayed throughout the venue.
Overall, the Aquarium is a decent place to take curious children wanting to see some scary fish up close. However, the glass itself is pretty thick making the actual viewing slightly distorted, whilst the entrance fee is ridiculous. I thought it insane that people would be willing to pay this amount (although, I did it...) Whats more, those old enough to understand can't help but feel a bit sorry for all these fish, and notice the dark, cramped conditions they're forced to live in. I'd recommend giving the aquarium a miss and waiting until the man who does these things best graces your screen on Sunday at 8pm, BBC one, free of charge.
OVERALL RATING: **
https://www.visitsealife.com/
