Sealife Brighton
Marine Parade,
Brighton
Sussex BN2 1TB
Tel: 01273 604 234

About Sealife Brighton

Sealife Brighton is based at Marine Parade in Suffolk’s leading coast resort and is the most extensive and impressive Sea Life Centre in Britain, besides being the oldest aquarium anywhere on the planet. Housed in an amazing Victorian pile, it’s recognised by maritime conservation aficionados as among the greatest in the world, and it’s without doubt a superb family day out. A ticket to Sealife Brighton takes in all manner of maritime wonders, with 57 exhibits including a tropical reef and submerged tunnel that offers a brilliant view of turtles, sharks, stingrays and a welter of other sea creatures. 

Sealife Brighton’s Tropical Reef has at least 150 species resident, including black-tipped reef sharks and giant sea turtles (one weighing in at some 27 stone!), as well as its own shipwreck. A walkthrough subsurface tunnel provides captivating views and other eye-catching features include windows and a walkway that runs over the tank. Equally impressive are populations of pre-historic Horseshoe Crabs, Decorator Crabs and Giant Japanese Spider Crabs, in addition to Lion fish and other exotic sea animals. Furthermore, The Kingdom Of The Seahorse has numerous rockpool displays that feature a hive of micro-forms, while numbers of piranha make for a fearsome spectacle – just the ticket for those angling for something out of the ordinary on a family day out. 
The family attraction additionally supports various conservation endeavours, while young stingrays are fed every day, provided ticket-holders on a family day out another must-see. A family day out to Sealife Brighton also offers the opportunity to literally get to grips with sea crabs, while ticket holders can find out about the local coast and observe species such as sea bass. The ticket also proffers The Victorian Explorer, where visitors can take a Journey Into The Ocean via The Submarine.

The main aquarium is nigh on 70 metres in length, an example of Victorian grandeur that now houses a Victorian Tea Room and Souvenir gift shop. First opened in 1872, the Aquarium was designed by Eugenius Birch, the brains behind Brighton’s West Pier, at a cost of some £130,000. 

Sealife Brighton’s huge hall has an arched, domed ceiling, rich ironwork and back-lit tanks that are a gothic wonder, as well as reportedly being home to at least one ghost! 

Among the other highlights of the variegated family attraction are a sandy seabed, an old harbour, a Titanic disaster zone, a children’s play area and Education facility with painting and clay modelling, and Captain Nemo’s Nautilus. Daily feeds and educational talks are run, an illuminating and fun family day out being thus assured.