About

Overlooking the busy but beautiful Solent, Portsmouth's Blue Reef Aquarium takes visitors on the ultimate undersea safari.

From the rich variety of British waters to the beauty of a tropical coral reef and more than 40 other displays, the aquarium offers a fascinating window into the hidden world beneath the waves. At the aquarium’s heart is the tropical Shark Lagoon tank, home to a variety of tropical sharks and hundreds of brightly-coloured fish. Visitors are able to get up close to these creatures and see life from the sea bed, thanks to the underwater, walk-through tunnel.

During the summer, families can take a break in the outside play area and splash park. There are also a number of events running throughout the year, including animal feeding and educational talks. A full list of events and feeding times can be found on the website.

Some of the sea creatures on display include rays, brown banded bamboo sharks, California horn sharks, terrapins, poison dart frogs, giant gourami, and much more.

The aquarium also hosts special events like birthday parties. Youngsters can be immersed in an underwater themed celebration with activities to match. Marine enthusiasts can even book a VIP experience at the aquarium and go behind the scenes, where they’ll get to prep lunch for the animals and even feed it to the fish themselves!

Closed on Christmas Day. Last admission one hour before closing.

Sensory Saturdays

Blue Reef Aquarium now has 'Sensory Saturdays' to create an experience with minimal sensory disruptions, aimed at families and individuals with cognitive sensory needs.

Sensory Saturdays take place on the first Saturday of each month, from 9am to 10am. 

During this event, there will be no music playing, no distracting screens on, and no talks that generate large crowds. The aquarium will also implement increased lighting in darker areas of the venue, to create a more consistent sensory experience.

Visitors can see a silent gourami feed in the Monsoon Falls exhibit, which takes place at 10am during the Sensory Saturdays event.

To aid those ahead of the visit, the aquarium has also created a sensory guide. This lets visitors know what they may see, hear, smell, and feel in each of the areas in the aquarium before they arrive, and can be found on its website.

Ancient Animals

Families can turn back the clock at Blue Reef Aquarium Portsmouth this summer and enter a world of prehistoric giants and ancient marine marvels.

Ancient Animals runs from 23rd July to 31st August and takes visitors on an adventure through prehistoric eras which delve deep into the history of the ancient on land and sea.

You can take a walk through nine of the key geological periods of Earth's history, uncovering secrets through the fossil trail quiz. Step into the shoes of a palaeontologist at the fossil dig stations and uncover real fossils of the past, sessions will be held at 11.30am, 1pm, and 3pm.  

You will be able to see real fossils and decode their mysteries during the artefact talk at 4pm, and express your creativity in the dedicated dino craft zone to create a souvenir of your prehistoric adventure.

All included in standard entry to the aquarium.