On the 17th of October the Buddy Scheme gave us Buddies the opportunity to visit the Sealife Centre on the Brighton Seafront. On a whim I decided to go, as it was offered at such an affordable rate. I didn’t know anyone else going on the trip, but I instantly made a friend at the bus stop and we ended up having so much in common. We arrived a few minutes early, so we decided to go for a quick walk on the seafront. The weather was absolutely beautiful, and the water and pier looked stunning in the sunshine! We walked back and joined the group for a group photo, and then we entered the Sealife Centre. The building has been so well preserved and refurbished, as it’s the oldest running aquarium in the world! Upon walking in my eyes were drawn to the fabulous ceilings, which were lit up in rainbow lights!
We then began making our way around the aquarium; there was so much to see. There was an interactive pool where we were invited to touch the anemones and starfish, crabs that were at least a metre wide, sparkly fish, fish with striped tails and fins, huge stingrays, sharks, seahorses, turtles, frogs, jellyfish, octopi, clownfish like Nemo and royal blue tang fish like Dory! The list goes on. I loved how some of the fish were in cylindrical tanks, as you could see them from all angles which was really unique. We were also lucky enough to see the sharks get fed, which was really fun to watch. We then walked through a tunnel that went underneath the shark pool; we could see all the sharks, stingrays and fish swimming above and around us which was awesome! My overall favourite was the rainforest section; this section had tiny yellow frogs and the turtles, which were my favourite of the day!
Overall it was a fantastic day out and it was amazing to see all the wildlife. I’ve been to aquariums before, but it was a new experience in the oldest running aquarium in the world! The architecture of the building and the different displays made it a worthwhile trip, and it was a great way to make some new friends.
Author: Hayley Silenieks