Blue Reef Aquarium, Portsmouth
Clarence Esplanade
Southsea, Portsmouth 
PO5 3PB
Tel: 023 92875222

About Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea

Blue Reef is a new generation of thrilling sealife family attraction designed to instill an appreciation of the seas and provide an engaging and truly memorable family day out. A ticket to a Blue Reef Aquarium – located in Southsea, Hampshire; Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear; and Newquay, Cornwall – is a passport to an exotic parallel world, with open-top tanks allowing ticket holders to get up close and personal with stingrays, the inhabitants of tide-pools, and the sharks and shoals of coral reef fish in its giant ocean tanks. 

Blue Reef offers an undersea tour from the British coast to the tropics for a family day out with a difference, taking in giant crabs, lobsters and seahorses in over 40 displays. The family attraction holds regular talks and feeding displays, and the multi-level Blue Reef viewing facilities can be booked for special occasions like children’s parties. These include a Guided Tour, birthday tea, and party bags for each child, with themes such as Finding Nemo, with a tour to spot characters from the animated film, including clownfish in their sea anemone homes. 

For fans of Pirate Of The Caribbean, the Pirates Party is just the ticket, with an eye patch and cutlass for each Pirate King or Queen, and a treasure trail to find hidden gold dubloons. Ha ha, me hearties! The Shark Party features shark feeding (not with guests), a shark-themed goody bag and shark expert certificate. The Mermaids Party introduces sea creatures that inspired children’s stories and legends, and a fairytale storytelling session is supplemented by a mermaid-themed goody bag.

The family attraction additionally stages Educational Tours including Food Chain; Pollution; Myths & Legends – looking at seahorses, fish that create their own electricity and others that blow up as big as a balloon; Habitats –  from seabeds to coasts, reefs to deep-sea trenches; Camouflage – featuring the octopus, decorator crab and colour-changing flatfish; Hunters; Art & Design – focusing on the sea as an inspiration for artists, and providing visitors the chance to sketch a seahorse or paint a puffer fish; Reproduction – including male seahorses that give birth; and Sharks.
 
Additionally, Blue Reef venues offer workshops including the Rockpool workshop, where school parties can experience close encounters with crabs, lobsters and starfish; Shark workshop; a Seashore Safari beach visit for 45 minutes (Newquay); and Rockpool Roadshow (Newquay). The family attraction offers a Kids Go Wild Tour, with a special feeding demonstration, ugh touch boxes, rockpool encounter and quiz trail, and an Undersea Garden Tour taking in undersea fauna. Just the ticket for a fascinating, fun family day out.  

Blue Reef centres are not just a family attraction, but can be booked for weddings and corporate team-building. But with disabled access and a café, Blue Reef offers an all-year round family attraction for everyone that the weather cannot spoil.
Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea is located at Clarence Esplanade, Southsea, Portsmouth, and is a fascinating, fun family attraction, voted Visitor Attraction of the Year by Tourism South East.

Situated between two piers overlooking the Solent, Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea is an all-year round family day out that the weather cannot spoil. It provides ticket holders with the chance to encounter scores of local and exotic marine species in a giant ocean tank with underwater tunnel and more than 30 displays. At the Seahorse Ranch, Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea’s aquarists explain their breeding programme for the endangered species. 

A family day out at Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea should also take in the Beach Club, with its man-made Sandy Beach and Splash Play zone, featuring a children’s play area with fountains, water cannon, covered picnic area, grass sundecks, pirates’ bridge and stepping stones – just the ticket!
 
Among the other highlights of Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea are the largest, deadliest amphibians in the world, the poison dart frog and giant cane toad, as well as Nursery displays of baby sharks, cichlids, cuttlefish, coral and tree frogs. The indoor freshwater display boasts Asian short claw otters – a family attraction in their own right – while the coral reef hosts angelfish, puffer fish, clownfish, anemone, wrasse, black tip reef sharks, rays, moray eels, crabs, lobsters, shrimps, hermit crabs, giant spider crabs, lobsters and lionfish. Local species include ‘walking’ gurnards, sea bream and bass.

Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea’s innovative open-top tanks and feeding demonstrations mean a varied, informative family day out, and children’s parties are catered for by the family attraction. These include a tour, high tea and party bags, with themes  like Finding Nemo, incorporating a tour to spot characters from the film, including clownfish in their anemone homes. For fans of Pirate Of The Caribbean, the Pirates Party is a hot ticket, with an eye patch and cutlass for each Pirate King or Queen, and a treasure trail to find hidden gold pieces. Shiver me timbers! The Shark Party features shark feeding (not with guests), a shark-themed goody bag and certificate. The Mermaids Party introduces sea creatures that inspired children’s fables and legends, and a fairytale storytelling session is supplemented by a mermaid-themed goody bag.

The family attraction additionally offers a Kids Go Wild Tour, with a feeding demonstration, ugh touch boxes, rockpool visit and quiz trail, and an Undersea Garden Tour taking in undersea fauna, as well as a Rockpool Encounter and Shark Workshop. Just the ticket for a captivating family day out. 

Blue Reef Aquarium is easily accessible for wheelchairs and with the Blue Reef Café and disabled access, a ticket to Blue Reef Aquarium Southsea is a great family day out for everyone.