Kalaw
Well-Known Member
Océanopolis Brest Review 22/08/24
One of the largest aquariums in France and Europe, Océanopolis Brest in western Bretagne (Brittany) has long been on my agenda for a variety of reasons. This is my first time ever visiting an aquarium which can truly be considered ‘world-class,’ with the best aquariums I have been to prior to this visit being the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and Aquarium Nausicaa in Boulogne, although the latter was prior to the opening of their open ocean tank asserted their position as one of the world’s best. In fact, the best aquarium I had visited was probably the ‘Ocean,’ which is the aquarium within Burgers’ Zoo. As such, this was a very special experience for me, my first impression of the potential that the aquarium genre has.
Océanopolis is divided into three pavilions, named Bretagne (Brittany, for native species), Polaire (for both Antarctic and Arctic species) and Tropicale (for coral reefs and open water species).
Bretagne Pavilion:
Native-species displays have a certain educational value, I believe. It is so easy for zoo or aquarium visitors to dismiss their own wildlife as being dull-coloured, small and inactive, drowned out by the excitement of seeing exotics. In Europe, where I must admit that there is a certain degree of truth to those presumptions, this value is even greater. This Pavilion is by far the best native species display that I have ever seen, something which has actually been quite a theme for my summer travels, with Dresden and Prague both having European aviaries and the small Marinarium de Concarneau, which I visited the day before Océanopolis, being entirely a native species aquarium.
The opening tank features many large fish, including an impressive European Conger. Opposite this, a very small row of tanks for native marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, oysters, scallops, an octopus and, the highlight, a large group of mussels, a species which I had heard some dismiss as impossible to care for in captivity. Nearby, a tank features some impressively big pipefish of multiple species, while a glass-topped sand-covered tank allows you to look down onto soles and plaice among others. Both tanks were very similar to ones that I had seen the previous day at Concarneau, only much greater in scale - it was also great to the Broad-nosed, which I had missed the day before, and were somewhat crocodilian in appearance. Just beyond this were a pair of tanks exposed to the elements, completely open-topped, followed by a series of indoor rockpool tanks. There were some interesting species in here, such as large flatfish of multiple species, sea cucumbers and cuttlefish.
Around the corner are the Harbour and Grey Seals. Between these and the two Arctic seals late on, Océanopolis holds 4 species of earless seal, more than any other in Europe. It also marked my first time ever seeing Greys (fairly certain I saw them from the window of a coach on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, but so brief was the passing that they may well have been Harbours, so I don’t count it), a long-overdue lifetick given that they are native. Here, there is one Grey and two Harbours, although I believe the aquarium operates an offshow rescue centre for injured ones found wild. The pool is of a very impressive depth, probably one of the deepest pinniped pools I have seen along with Hagenbeck, and there was good enrichment with a variety of floating, food-stuffed toys, although in terms of area it was just a little on the small side. The next room had two of my favourite tanks in the aquarium, both for larger native fish. One featured smooth-hounds with schooling mackerel and some of the biggest spiny lobsters that I have ever seen, while the other had a smaller and less imaginative species selection, but drew attention to itself with the huge size of the wreckfish that inhabit it. In the centre of this room, another tank for schools of fish, this time sardines, can be found.
Past another ‘exposed to the elements’ tank, this time with a wave machine and a half-tunnel viewing area, where the fish can swim above you, is one the Abyss Box. As a scientific achievement, this small circular box, with an even smaller circular glass window, is probably one of the most incredible achievements at a zoological institution, with a pressure of 200 bars (for reference, most road bicycle tires requires around 10 bars to be pumped up) to allow for the display of deep sea species from hydrothermal vents, namely Vent Crabs and Vent Shrimps. Very impressive, but in the context of one of Europe’ finest, a small box, likely no bigger than half a cubic metre, is a small feature. Nearby, gunnards and some Lemon Sole, among others, are housed in a dimly lit tank that somewhat continues the abyssal theme. One then climbs the stairs to the upstairs portion of the Bretagne Pavilion, where a children’s interactive area, educating younger visitors about the risk of pollution among others, is passed en route to the outdoor viewings for the seals and the wave machine tank.
Overall, I loved the Bretagne Pavilion. All the tanks were beautifully landscaped and faithfully replicated the environment, housing a very interesting selection of species that I imagine many visitors would be shocked to learn are native. An excellent example of how, when displayed well, any species can become interesting, especially the beautiful but alien world of saltwater fish.
The next building is called the ‘Forum’ and features a cafe, a restaurant, and a lobby-type room with access to the other pavilions and the outdoor portion. On one side of this room, a dugong statue welcomes you to the Tropical Pavilion, while a Humpback Whale invites you to the Polar Pavilion. I chose to start with the latter, although I rushed it quite a bit so as to get lunch with the others who I was visiting with. After lunch (which was surprisingly good), I returned to the Polar Pavilion and took my time with it more.
Polar Pavilion and Otter Trail:
For most zoo enthusiasts, the Polar Pavilion will no doubt be the highlight of any Océanopolis visit, and I was no exception. This is due to it being home to Arctic seals, very scarcely seen in zoos. For myself, it had another interesting marine mammal, and a species that I had wanted to see for as long as I can remember - the sea otter.
Unfortunately, the Polar Pavilion won’t be around for long, with a Southern Ocean Pavilion being built in its place. I believe that by the end of the year, the exhibit would have closed to facilitate construction, so I may well be one of the last zoo enthusiasts to see this exhibit.
Before either marine mammal, however, you are greeted with penguins of three species - King, Gentoo and Southern Rockhopper. As far as all-indoor penguin enclosures go, this is easily the best I have seen, and with the best pool that I have seen in general, only the relatively small and flat indoor area keeps it from surpassing Edinburgh as the outright best penguin enclosure that I have ever seen. The pool is very deep, and allows for genuine diving and porpoising behaviours that I have only seen before in brief bursts, such as at Antwerp and Zurich where the penguins were utilising their deep pool for occasional dives before returning to the surface. At Océanopolis, however, they could demonstrate prolonged dives with the size and at times winding design of the pool giving them no reason to stop! Such design that encourages this behaviour is great for both animals *and* visitors, as the huge crowds around their enclosure demonstrated well, which made me wonder why more zoos and aquariums don’t invest more into their penguin enclosures, as when done well they can become tremendously interesting. There was an amphitheatre-like viewing with a floor-to-ceiling window which allowed for good views of the dives, and a higher up window for observing the porpoising. A fantastic display, with the sheer number of penguins, and the presence of three radically different species to compare, helping its case. Another strength is the aesthetics, with convincing kelp replicas, lovely rockwork and stunningly clear water.
Moving on to the seals, who you first view through another crystal-clear underwater viewing, and then from a harbour-themed upper area. Design-wise, I really appreciated the fact that the two fake icebergs (one floating, one attached to the wall) are not floor-to-ceiling with the water in fact continuing underneath it. It was also lovely to, later on in the day, watch the seals being fed. Three staff were positioned in different parts of the enclosure, with one at the near end of the ice, standing over a circular hole in said ice, one at the far end and one on the harbour. The seals would travel between them, porpoising quite magnificently in doing so, with the aquarists pointing to whatever feeding station they should go to next. Very entertaining, and made the enclosure design make a lot more sense. The seals themselves were the highlights, of course. With two subspecies of Ringed (Atlantic and Baikal) and Bearded, both species can only be seen at Oceanopolis and one other collection each. A huge Bearded by the name of Vlad was the highlight, and between its huge size, whiskers and enormous fan-like back flippers, as well as its behaviour, foraging among the bottom and curiously examining the ice, he reminded me a lot of the walruses at Hagenbeck. The Ringeds, Baron and Junior, looked very small and cute in comparison, and yet were just as fun to watch as they rolled around in front of the glass. I felt truly honoured to see them.
Between the underwater viewing and above-water viewing for the seals, a small room features cold-climate saltwater aquaria. The highlights were some very impressive and intimidating wolf-eels, but there were many more fish as well as some anomemes. Sadly, it was here that the signage quality began to deteriorate. Fish have short lifespans so signage can become out of date quickly, and while in Bretagne I spotted two or three mistakes, in Polar and especially Tropical, there wasn’t a single tank without glaring errors. This is the standard for aquariums, but it was still a shame as Océanopolis should be above the standard. Another theme throughout the Polar Pavilion, and this time one that I took to much better, were the many life-sized statues of polar animals such as elephant seals, walruses and albatrosses, as well as a Polar Bear sleeping above the visitor pathway. Indeed, before seeing any animals, you walk into a cinema-type room showing footage of polar animals in action.
Leaving the Polar Pavilion and making my way into the only outdoor exhibit of the Océanopolis (although the outdoor area is much bigger than this, with playgrounds and picnic benches), I made my way towards the Otter Trail. Here, Eurasian Otters and Alaskan Sea Otters have some truly excellent enclosures, with the former having a densely vegetated, forest-themed enclosure with a deep pool, and the latter having two very deep onshow pools equipped with wave machines, as well as an offshow section. If I had to criticise the enclosures, I would say that the glass wasn’t the easiest to see through, being a bit scratched up in places, but that was no doubt amplified by the raindrops. As alluded to earlier, the Sea Otters, which I had never seen before, but had always been fascinated by, were the highlight, and did not disappoint. I first saw them from the bridge that circles the Polar Pavilion, and connects its exit back to the Forum, but would return to their enclosure a further four times throughout the day. Some of the most lively and fascinating animals I had seen, there was always something going on with them, whether it be enthusiastic playfighting, diving or simply cleaning themselves. Ironically, it was just as exciting to watch all that as it was to watch one of them sleep, as one of them demonstrated their famous but bizarre ability to sleep while floating on the water, doing so entirely unbothered by the excited playfighting of the other two. The best moment of all, however, came when I stretched my foot onto the two inch tall metal railing that lined the glass viewing window, presumably in place to stop children from kicking the window. One of the otters, clearly quite curious about it, dove down and began circling the area of the glass while my foot was, attempting to sniff or scratch it through the glass. Simply adorable, and a fine display of the sheer size of these animals, which resemble small seals more than large otters in some ways. A moment that anyone would treasure forever.
I loved the Polar Pavilion and it is honestly a shame that it will be closing soon. I can only hope that the sea otters are not involved in the renovations, as the Otter Trail is very much separate to the Pavilion, but there is no guarantee, and either way the seals and that excellent penguin enclosure will be very much missed. Honestly, it is hard for me to guess why Océanopolis thought that replacing it was necessary. It is especially weird because, although it is hard for me to tell exactly how big the Southern Ocean Pavilion is going to be, I believe there would be space to build it elsewhere in the grounds, in addition to, and not instead of, the Polar Pavilion.
Tropical Pavilion:
The final of Océanopolis Brest’s three pavilions, and my personal least favourite of the three, although there are some fantastic elements in here. One of these, the abundance of live corals, was on full display from the very offset with an open-topped lagoon featuring many. It was a lovely start to the pavilion, being a high quality tank and having a wonderful, airy vibe through the brightness of the room and the fact that it is open, something that I don’t feel you get enough with aquaria. The many sea cucumbers were a nice addition as well.
Sadly, it is in the next room where the quality falls of a little. As well as three porthole-like viewing windows into the main tank, which were too small to use with the crowds, there is a room that features, as well as other fish, Horn, Bamboo and Bullhead Sharks. These tanks I thought were far too small for the inhabitants, and having six sharks in a tank about three or four metres wide struck me as completely unacceptable in a 21st Century European collection. Thankfully, the same project that will see the Polar Pavilion turned into the Southern Ocean Pavilion should also see the Tropical Pavilion renovated slightly, and I hope that these tanks are involved, as they are to the near-perfect Océanopolis what apes are to Zurich and polar bears are to Prague.
After descending down some stairs, I found the two main viewing areas for the shark tank, which stars some of the biggest and most impressive Zebra and Nurse Sharks that I have seen, the former being a species raised successfully by Océanopolis in 2013 for the first time in Europe. One of these was a half-tunnel, something which I am quite fond of as it allows you to get the immersion of sharks swimming above your head without taking away from the enclosure itself the same way that full ocean tunnels do. However, I found the mirrors on either side of this half-tunnel to ruin it, making it quite difficult to tell at a glance where the sharks were, and seeming to serve no real purpose. The more traditional viewing panel could be found near by, and I much preferred this. At just over 1 million litres, this tank is big, but if you ask me, it isn’t quite big enough to be the centrepiece of one of Europe’s best aquaria. It is bigger and better than what any sea life centre has to offer, but compare it to Plymouth or Burgers’ Ocean, never mind Nausicaa just northwest of here, and it is pretty mediocre. That said, there are some features of it that I liked, such as the large rocks to prevent cross-viewing and the anemones with clownfish dwelling in them scattered throughout. Clownfish and anemone displays are very common, of course, but as individual tanks, not as features within a larger ocean tank, and it did well here to put this beloved species into context of the wider ocean, which I liked. Overall, I liked this tank, and suspect I would have liked it a whole lot more if the woeful signage didn’t suggest that the aquarium still held the sawfish that died a year ago. I didn’t realise Océanopolis kept a sawfish, and having never seen one before, spent much time searching for it after seeing the sign. When I returned to the sea otters later in the day (outdoors, so I could get a phone signal), I decided to check Zootierliste and saw the sawfish under former holdings, and realised I had wasted a lot of time, but the damage was already done and I suspect the constant urge to return to this tank trying to see a sawfish greatly hindered my enjoyment of it.
My favourite area of the Tropical Pavilion was the coral reef tank. With the Horniman Museum, a collection that pioneered the captive breeding of corals, just up the road from where I lived, I am no stranger to seeing live corals in zoos, but until my visit to Burgers’ Zoo two years ago, I had never seen it done on such a great scale. Since then, I have also seen Hagenbeck’s and Zurich’s attempts, and now have added Océanopolis to the list. While it isn’t as big as Burgers’, this is easily my favourite of all the live coral tanks that I have seen, being much better-stocked and thus giving you many more chances to observe the interactions between the coral and fish. It also seemed more colourful and I appreciated the fact that the curved glass window allows you to, at times, be completely surrounded by it. Asides from the main tank, there were also six or seven more coral tanks featuring garden eels, rays, giant clams and sea cucumbers among other interesting species. This whole coral reef area of the Pavilion is gorgeous and the feeling of having such beautiful tanks in every direction is quite special. Another welcome addition were the onshow breeding rooms for polyps, something that even the Horniman keeps offshow.
You then enter a large hall with five tanks that I must admit to having rushed through quite a bit, although I did like that in one of the larger tanks, a Honeycomb Stingray had a tail surely two or three times the length of its body. The finale to the Tropical Pavilion is a rainforest room, which to me felt like the most disappointing area of Océanopolis. I love rainforest tanks in aquaria, especially when they are part of a tropical hall of sorts. Océanopolis’ rainforest room felt half way there, with some lovely foliage, a roof that lets light in for a daylit aesthetic, and some pleasant streams and moats beneath the bridges in which freshwater stingrays, I suspect of multiple species, could be observed. And yet, with only three tanks (a large mangrove one with huge Southern Stingrays, a smaller mangrove one with puffers, and a more traditional rainforest tank with tetras and piranhas) it feels like a waste of potential. There are big gaps between the enclosures, which would be fine if there were free-flying birds, or perhaps small terraria for insects and lizards dotted throughout, but there is none of that. Hopefully, its potential will be taken full advantage of in the upcoming renovations to this area.
Asides from the small shark tanks near the entrance, there is nothing wrong with the Tropical Pavilion. Likewise, asides from the coral reef tank and some of the smaller coral displays surrounding it, there is nothing truly special either. I think that the combination of the sawfish disappointment, the poor signage, the rainforest being a letdown and the main tank failing to live up to the standards of the rest of the aquarium, I just didn’t enjoy it all that much personally, but I could have done with some slight changes as it really isn’t bad. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this Pavilion, as it feels like it just needs one or two more magnificent displays, something which a renovated rainforest hall could definitely contribute to, in order to truly stand out.
Overall:
This is easily the best aquarium that I have visited, and the first aquarium I have visited that can truly be considered world-class. If Nausicaa, Valencia, Lisbon and Den Bla Planet secure the Champions League spots of Europe’s aquaria, then surely Océanopolis Brest is a solid Europa League contender? Would be interested to hear how members who have visited more elite aquaria think it compares to the others, as I don’t have enough experience to speak and don’t see near as much discussion over the best aquaria as I do with zoos. The Bretagne Pavilion is perhaps the best example I have ever seen of making smaller species interesting, the Polar Pavilion is brilliant and has a great collection to boot, and even the Tropical Pavilion that left me a touch dissatisfied has some excellent elements. There are also trends throughout, such as the many marine invertebrates, excellent rockwork, wave machines and creative viewing areas, that hugely enhance the place as well. It was an honour for me to finally see the potential that the concept of an aquarium has be used to its fullest extent, and for that reason it is not just the best aquarium I have visited, but probably one of my favourite zoological institutions. I had a fantastic day there.
One of the largest aquariums in France and Europe, Océanopolis Brest in western Bretagne (Brittany) has long been on my agenda for a variety of reasons. This is my first time ever visiting an aquarium which can truly be considered ‘world-class,’ with the best aquariums I have been to prior to this visit being the National Marine Aquarium in Plymouth and Aquarium Nausicaa in Boulogne, although the latter was prior to the opening of their open ocean tank asserted their position as one of the world’s best. In fact, the best aquarium I had visited was probably the ‘Ocean,’ which is the aquarium within Burgers’ Zoo. As such, this was a very special experience for me, my first impression of the potential that the aquarium genre has.
Océanopolis is divided into three pavilions, named Bretagne (Brittany, for native species), Polaire (for both Antarctic and Arctic species) and Tropicale (for coral reefs and open water species).
Bretagne Pavilion:
Native-species displays have a certain educational value, I believe. It is so easy for zoo or aquarium visitors to dismiss their own wildlife as being dull-coloured, small and inactive, drowned out by the excitement of seeing exotics. In Europe, where I must admit that there is a certain degree of truth to those presumptions, this value is even greater. This Pavilion is by far the best native species display that I have ever seen, something which has actually been quite a theme for my summer travels, with Dresden and Prague both having European aviaries and the small Marinarium de Concarneau, which I visited the day before Océanopolis, being entirely a native species aquarium.
The opening tank features many large fish, including an impressive European Conger. Opposite this, a very small row of tanks for native marine invertebrates, such as sea urchins, oysters, scallops, an octopus and, the highlight, a large group of mussels, a species which I had heard some dismiss as impossible to care for in captivity. Nearby, a tank features some impressively big pipefish of multiple species, while a glass-topped sand-covered tank allows you to look down onto soles and plaice among others. Both tanks were very similar to ones that I had seen the previous day at Concarneau, only much greater in scale - it was also great to the Broad-nosed, which I had missed the day before, and were somewhat crocodilian in appearance. Just beyond this were a pair of tanks exposed to the elements, completely open-topped, followed by a series of indoor rockpool tanks. There were some interesting species in here, such as large flatfish of multiple species, sea cucumbers and cuttlefish.
Around the corner are the Harbour and Grey Seals. Between these and the two Arctic seals late on, Océanopolis holds 4 species of earless seal, more than any other in Europe. It also marked my first time ever seeing Greys (fairly certain I saw them from the window of a coach on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, but so brief was the passing that they may well have been Harbours, so I don’t count it), a long-overdue lifetick given that they are native. Here, there is one Grey and two Harbours, although I believe the aquarium operates an offshow rescue centre for injured ones found wild. The pool is of a very impressive depth, probably one of the deepest pinniped pools I have seen along with Hagenbeck, and there was good enrichment with a variety of floating, food-stuffed toys, although in terms of area it was just a little on the small side. The next room had two of my favourite tanks in the aquarium, both for larger native fish. One featured smooth-hounds with schooling mackerel and some of the biggest spiny lobsters that I have ever seen, while the other had a smaller and less imaginative species selection, but drew attention to itself with the huge size of the wreckfish that inhabit it. In the centre of this room, another tank for schools of fish, this time sardines, can be found.
Past another ‘exposed to the elements’ tank, this time with a wave machine and a half-tunnel viewing area, where the fish can swim above you, is one the Abyss Box. As a scientific achievement, this small circular box, with an even smaller circular glass window, is probably one of the most incredible achievements at a zoological institution, with a pressure of 200 bars (for reference, most road bicycle tires requires around 10 bars to be pumped up) to allow for the display of deep sea species from hydrothermal vents, namely Vent Crabs and Vent Shrimps. Very impressive, but in the context of one of Europe’ finest, a small box, likely no bigger than half a cubic metre, is a small feature. Nearby, gunnards and some Lemon Sole, among others, are housed in a dimly lit tank that somewhat continues the abyssal theme. One then climbs the stairs to the upstairs portion of the Bretagne Pavilion, where a children’s interactive area, educating younger visitors about the risk of pollution among others, is passed en route to the outdoor viewings for the seals and the wave machine tank.
Overall, I loved the Bretagne Pavilion. All the tanks were beautifully landscaped and faithfully replicated the environment, housing a very interesting selection of species that I imagine many visitors would be shocked to learn are native. An excellent example of how, when displayed well, any species can become interesting, especially the beautiful but alien world of saltwater fish.
The next building is called the ‘Forum’ and features a cafe, a restaurant, and a lobby-type room with access to the other pavilions and the outdoor portion. On one side of this room, a dugong statue welcomes you to the Tropical Pavilion, while a Humpback Whale invites you to the Polar Pavilion. I chose to start with the latter, although I rushed it quite a bit so as to get lunch with the others who I was visiting with. After lunch (which was surprisingly good), I returned to the Polar Pavilion and took my time with it more.
Polar Pavilion and Otter Trail:
For most zoo enthusiasts, the Polar Pavilion will no doubt be the highlight of any Océanopolis visit, and I was no exception. This is due to it being home to Arctic seals, very scarcely seen in zoos. For myself, it had another interesting marine mammal, and a species that I had wanted to see for as long as I can remember - the sea otter.
Unfortunately, the Polar Pavilion won’t be around for long, with a Southern Ocean Pavilion being built in its place. I believe that by the end of the year, the exhibit would have closed to facilitate construction, so I may well be one of the last zoo enthusiasts to see this exhibit.
Before either marine mammal, however, you are greeted with penguins of three species - King, Gentoo and Southern Rockhopper. As far as all-indoor penguin enclosures go, this is easily the best I have seen, and with the best pool that I have seen in general, only the relatively small and flat indoor area keeps it from surpassing Edinburgh as the outright best penguin enclosure that I have ever seen. The pool is very deep, and allows for genuine diving and porpoising behaviours that I have only seen before in brief bursts, such as at Antwerp and Zurich where the penguins were utilising their deep pool for occasional dives before returning to the surface. At Océanopolis, however, they could demonstrate prolonged dives with the size and at times winding design of the pool giving them no reason to stop! Such design that encourages this behaviour is great for both animals *and* visitors, as the huge crowds around their enclosure demonstrated well, which made me wonder why more zoos and aquariums don’t invest more into their penguin enclosures, as when done well they can become tremendously interesting. There was an amphitheatre-like viewing with a floor-to-ceiling window which allowed for good views of the dives, and a higher up window for observing the porpoising. A fantastic display, with the sheer number of penguins, and the presence of three radically different species to compare, helping its case. Another strength is the aesthetics, with convincing kelp replicas, lovely rockwork and stunningly clear water.
Moving on to the seals, who you first view through another crystal-clear underwater viewing, and then from a harbour-themed upper area. Design-wise, I really appreciated the fact that the two fake icebergs (one floating, one attached to the wall) are not floor-to-ceiling with the water in fact continuing underneath it. It was also lovely to, later on in the day, watch the seals being fed. Three staff were positioned in different parts of the enclosure, with one at the near end of the ice, standing over a circular hole in said ice, one at the far end and one on the harbour. The seals would travel between them, porpoising quite magnificently in doing so, with the aquarists pointing to whatever feeding station they should go to next. Very entertaining, and made the enclosure design make a lot more sense. The seals themselves were the highlights, of course. With two subspecies of Ringed (Atlantic and Baikal) and Bearded, both species can only be seen at Oceanopolis and one other collection each. A huge Bearded by the name of Vlad was the highlight, and between its huge size, whiskers and enormous fan-like back flippers, as well as its behaviour, foraging among the bottom and curiously examining the ice, he reminded me a lot of the walruses at Hagenbeck. The Ringeds, Baron and Junior, looked very small and cute in comparison, and yet were just as fun to watch as they rolled around in front of the glass. I felt truly honoured to see them.
Between the underwater viewing and above-water viewing for the seals, a small room features cold-climate saltwater aquaria. The highlights were some very impressive and intimidating wolf-eels, but there were many more fish as well as some anomemes. Sadly, it was here that the signage quality began to deteriorate. Fish have short lifespans so signage can become out of date quickly, and while in Bretagne I spotted two or three mistakes, in Polar and especially Tropical, there wasn’t a single tank without glaring errors. This is the standard for aquariums, but it was still a shame as Océanopolis should be above the standard. Another theme throughout the Polar Pavilion, and this time one that I took to much better, were the many life-sized statues of polar animals such as elephant seals, walruses and albatrosses, as well as a Polar Bear sleeping above the visitor pathway. Indeed, before seeing any animals, you walk into a cinema-type room showing footage of polar animals in action.
Leaving the Polar Pavilion and making my way into the only outdoor exhibit of the Océanopolis (although the outdoor area is much bigger than this, with playgrounds and picnic benches), I made my way towards the Otter Trail. Here, Eurasian Otters and Alaskan Sea Otters have some truly excellent enclosures, with the former having a densely vegetated, forest-themed enclosure with a deep pool, and the latter having two very deep onshow pools equipped with wave machines, as well as an offshow section. If I had to criticise the enclosures, I would say that the glass wasn’t the easiest to see through, being a bit scratched up in places, but that was no doubt amplified by the raindrops. As alluded to earlier, the Sea Otters, which I had never seen before, but had always been fascinated by, were the highlight, and did not disappoint. I first saw them from the bridge that circles the Polar Pavilion, and connects its exit back to the Forum, but would return to their enclosure a further four times throughout the day. Some of the most lively and fascinating animals I had seen, there was always something going on with them, whether it be enthusiastic playfighting, diving or simply cleaning themselves. Ironically, it was just as exciting to watch all that as it was to watch one of them sleep, as one of them demonstrated their famous but bizarre ability to sleep while floating on the water, doing so entirely unbothered by the excited playfighting of the other two. The best moment of all, however, came when I stretched my foot onto the two inch tall metal railing that lined the glass viewing window, presumably in place to stop children from kicking the window. One of the otters, clearly quite curious about it, dove down and began circling the area of the glass while my foot was, attempting to sniff or scratch it through the glass. Simply adorable, and a fine display of the sheer size of these animals, which resemble small seals more than large otters in some ways. A moment that anyone would treasure forever.
I loved the Polar Pavilion and it is honestly a shame that it will be closing soon. I can only hope that the sea otters are not involved in the renovations, as the Otter Trail is very much separate to the Pavilion, but there is no guarantee, and either way the seals and that excellent penguin enclosure will be very much missed. Honestly, it is hard for me to guess why Océanopolis thought that replacing it was necessary. It is especially weird because, although it is hard for me to tell exactly how big the Southern Ocean Pavilion is going to be, I believe there would be space to build it elsewhere in the grounds, in addition to, and not instead of, the Polar Pavilion.
Tropical Pavilion:
The final of Océanopolis Brest’s three pavilions, and my personal least favourite of the three, although there are some fantastic elements in here. One of these, the abundance of live corals, was on full display from the very offset with an open-topped lagoon featuring many. It was a lovely start to the pavilion, being a high quality tank and having a wonderful, airy vibe through the brightness of the room and the fact that it is open, something that I don’t feel you get enough with aquaria. The many sea cucumbers were a nice addition as well.
Sadly, it is in the next room where the quality falls of a little. As well as three porthole-like viewing windows into the main tank, which were too small to use with the crowds, there is a room that features, as well as other fish, Horn, Bamboo and Bullhead Sharks. These tanks I thought were far too small for the inhabitants, and having six sharks in a tank about three or four metres wide struck me as completely unacceptable in a 21st Century European collection. Thankfully, the same project that will see the Polar Pavilion turned into the Southern Ocean Pavilion should also see the Tropical Pavilion renovated slightly, and I hope that these tanks are involved, as they are to the near-perfect Océanopolis what apes are to Zurich and polar bears are to Prague.
After descending down some stairs, I found the two main viewing areas for the shark tank, which stars some of the biggest and most impressive Zebra and Nurse Sharks that I have seen, the former being a species raised successfully by Océanopolis in 2013 for the first time in Europe. One of these was a half-tunnel, something which I am quite fond of as it allows you to get the immersion of sharks swimming above your head without taking away from the enclosure itself the same way that full ocean tunnels do. However, I found the mirrors on either side of this half-tunnel to ruin it, making it quite difficult to tell at a glance where the sharks were, and seeming to serve no real purpose. The more traditional viewing panel could be found near by, and I much preferred this. At just over 1 million litres, this tank is big, but if you ask me, it isn’t quite big enough to be the centrepiece of one of Europe’s best aquaria. It is bigger and better than what any sea life centre has to offer, but compare it to Plymouth or Burgers’ Ocean, never mind Nausicaa just northwest of here, and it is pretty mediocre. That said, there are some features of it that I liked, such as the large rocks to prevent cross-viewing and the anemones with clownfish dwelling in them scattered throughout. Clownfish and anemone displays are very common, of course, but as individual tanks, not as features within a larger ocean tank, and it did well here to put this beloved species into context of the wider ocean, which I liked. Overall, I liked this tank, and suspect I would have liked it a whole lot more if the woeful signage didn’t suggest that the aquarium still held the sawfish that died a year ago. I didn’t realise Océanopolis kept a sawfish, and having never seen one before, spent much time searching for it after seeing the sign. When I returned to the sea otters later in the day (outdoors, so I could get a phone signal), I decided to check Zootierliste and saw the sawfish under former holdings, and realised I had wasted a lot of time, but the damage was already done and I suspect the constant urge to return to this tank trying to see a sawfish greatly hindered my enjoyment of it.
My favourite area of the Tropical Pavilion was the coral reef tank. With the Horniman Museum, a collection that pioneered the captive breeding of corals, just up the road from where I lived, I am no stranger to seeing live corals in zoos, but until my visit to Burgers’ Zoo two years ago, I had never seen it done on such a great scale. Since then, I have also seen Hagenbeck’s and Zurich’s attempts, and now have added Océanopolis to the list. While it isn’t as big as Burgers’, this is easily my favourite of all the live coral tanks that I have seen, being much better-stocked and thus giving you many more chances to observe the interactions between the coral and fish. It also seemed more colourful and I appreciated the fact that the curved glass window allows you to, at times, be completely surrounded by it. Asides from the main tank, there were also six or seven more coral tanks featuring garden eels, rays, giant clams and sea cucumbers among other interesting species. This whole coral reef area of the Pavilion is gorgeous and the feeling of having such beautiful tanks in every direction is quite special. Another welcome addition were the onshow breeding rooms for polyps, something that even the Horniman keeps offshow.
You then enter a large hall with five tanks that I must admit to having rushed through quite a bit, although I did like that in one of the larger tanks, a Honeycomb Stingray had a tail surely two or three times the length of its body. The finale to the Tropical Pavilion is a rainforest room, which to me felt like the most disappointing area of Océanopolis. I love rainforest tanks in aquaria, especially when they are part of a tropical hall of sorts. Océanopolis’ rainforest room felt half way there, with some lovely foliage, a roof that lets light in for a daylit aesthetic, and some pleasant streams and moats beneath the bridges in which freshwater stingrays, I suspect of multiple species, could be observed. And yet, with only three tanks (a large mangrove one with huge Southern Stingrays, a smaller mangrove one with puffers, and a more traditional rainforest tank with tetras and piranhas) it feels like a waste of potential. There are big gaps between the enclosures, which would be fine if there were free-flying birds, or perhaps small terraria for insects and lizards dotted throughout, but there is none of that. Hopefully, its potential will be taken full advantage of in the upcoming renovations to this area.
Asides from the small shark tanks near the entrance, there is nothing wrong with the Tropical Pavilion. Likewise, asides from the coral reef tank and some of the smaller coral displays surrounding it, there is nothing truly special either. I think that the combination of the sawfish disappointment, the poor signage, the rainforest being a letdown and the main tank failing to live up to the standards of the rest of the aquarium, I just didn’t enjoy it all that much personally, but I could have done with some slight changes as it really isn’t bad. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this Pavilion, as it feels like it just needs one or two more magnificent displays, something which a renovated rainforest hall could definitely contribute to, in order to truly stand out.
Overall:
This is easily the best aquarium that I have visited, and the first aquarium I have visited that can truly be considered world-class. If Nausicaa, Valencia, Lisbon and Den Bla Planet secure the Champions League spots of Europe’s aquaria, then surely Océanopolis Brest is a solid Europa League contender? Would be interested to hear how members who have visited more elite aquaria think it compares to the others, as I don’t have enough experience to speak and don’t see near as much discussion over the best aquaria as I do with zoos. The Bretagne Pavilion is perhaps the best example I have ever seen of making smaller species interesting, the Polar Pavilion is brilliant and has a great collection to boot, and even the Tropical Pavilion that left me a touch dissatisfied has some excellent elements. There are also trends throughout, such as the many marine invertebrates, excellent rockwork, wave machines and creative viewing areas, that hugely enhance the place as well. It was an honour for me to finally see the potential that the concept of an aquarium has be used to its fullest extent, and for that reason it is not just the best aquarium I have visited, but probably one of my favourite zoological institutions. I had a fantastic day there.
