Two Oceans Aquarium Two Oceans Aquarium news thread
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Strides towards the future: Work Integrated Learning programme at the Two Oceans Aquarium
The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town has been involved in marine research throughout its 27-year existence. We work with higher education institutes, researchers and scientists from formal conservation bodies and research institutes, government research departments, and other aquariums. In 2018 the Two Oceans Aquarium signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to collaborate on research projects in the fields of marine science and conservation research and technology development, training, and capacity building.
Strides towards the future: WIL programme at the Two Oceans Aquarium
The Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town has been involved in marine research throughout its 27-year existence. We work with higher education institutes, researchers and scientists from formal conservation bodies and research institutes, government research departments, and other aquariums. In 2018 the Two Oceans Aquarium signed a memorandum of understanding with the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) to collaborate on research projects in the fields of marine science and conservation research and technology development, training, and capacity building.
Strides towards the future: WIL programme at the Two Oceans Aquarium
Has anyone visited Two Oceans Aquarium recently?
I am going to be whale watching in the Cape in September, when it will be springtime in South Africa. I am tempted to spend a day or two in Cape Town to visit the Aquarium, which looks interesting in a couple of YouTube videos I have watched.
I would be interested to know any ZooChatter's opinions.
I am going to be whale watching in the Cape in September, when it will be springtime in South Africa. I am tempted to spend a day or two in Cape Town to visit the Aquarium, which looks interesting in a couple of YouTube videos I have watched.
I would be interested to know any ZooChatter's opinions.
Jaguar_X
Active Member
I haven't visited the aquarium myself in quite some time, but I have heard from more than one friend that visited recently that it is still a must visit!
As a South African it definitely has to be one of the top zoos/aquariums to visit in the country, and as far as aquariums go it can only be rivaled by uShaka Marine World, that being said they are very different and it is quite hard to compare them.
The Two Oceans Aquarium has definitely not gone down in standards from my last visit in 2017.
One of the most breathtaking exhibits in the country has got to be the Kelp Forest exhibit which the aquarium is proud to be able to say is the only above-ground kelp forest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The aquarium is also home to a colony of Northern Rockhopper Penguin, making them the only place in ZA with a colony of penguin other than just the normal African Penguin (which they also have).
Add this to the fact that South Africa has an extremely diverse coastline and the aquarium does a wonderful job to display a wide variaty of these species and you got yourself an amazing day out at the aquarium!
(note: the aquarium is a bit pricey for locals, and so I am guessing it is also on the more expensive side for tourists when they visit ZA, but it is definitely worth every penny in my opinion)
As a South African it definitely has to be one of the top zoos/aquariums to visit in the country, and as far as aquariums go it can only be rivaled by uShaka Marine World, that being said they are very different and it is quite hard to compare them.
The Two Oceans Aquarium has definitely not gone down in standards from my last visit in 2017.
One of the most breathtaking exhibits in the country has got to be the Kelp Forest exhibit which the aquarium is proud to be able to say is the only above-ground kelp forest in the Southern Hemisphere.
The aquarium is also home to a colony of Northern Rockhopper Penguin, making them the only place in ZA with a colony of penguin other than just the normal African Penguin (which they also have).
Add this to the fact that South Africa has an extremely diverse coastline and the aquarium does a wonderful job to display a wide variaty of these species and you got yourself an amazing day out at the aquarium!
(note: the aquarium is a bit pricey for locals, and so I am guessing it is also on the more expensive side for tourists when they visit ZA, but it is definitely worth every penny in my opinion)
I don’t have much to add to JaguarX’s perfect description above other then that the aquarium is a must-see. It’s certainly not the largest nor grandest of it’s kind in the world but nevertheless has an atmosphere unlike any other.
In addition to the rockhoppers, the aquarium keeps ocean sunfish which is a rare treat not seen to frequently.
Thank you both for these replies. I have decided to add a couple of extra days in Cape Town to my trip, so that I can visit the Aquarium. I was very interested to learn that since the arrival of Covid, several Cape clawless otters have been seen around the Waterfront - I think I would be very lucky to see one, but that would be the icing on the cake 
I enjoyed visiting the Aquarium for two days this week. Most of the fishes were quite new to me, as they are from in South African waters (in other words in the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans). I also enjoyed the tour behind the scenes with one of the aquarists, learning about the Aquarium's conservation work with injured and stranded sea creatures, including a large nuber of rescued hawksbill turtles.
I hope to write a proper report and to post a range of photos within the next week or two, but I also have a lot of photos from the Western Cape wildlife tour that was on before, so it will take me some time to do so.
I hope to write a proper report and to post a range of photos within the next week or two, but I also have a lot of photos from the Western Cape wildlife tour that was on before, so it will take me some time to do so.
I know it has now been almost half a year, but @gentle lemur, if you happen to have any further thoughts or tips or tricks about visiting this seldom reported on facility, I would be very interested in hearing them
I will be visiting South Africa for the first time in eight years this June, and I will be in Cape Town at the beginning and end of my trip. I am considering trying to fit the aquarium into my itinerary, as I missed it on my first trip to Cape Town all those years ago.
I know it has now been almost half a year, but @gentle lemur, if you happen to have any further thoughts or tips or tricks about visiting this seldom reported on facility, I would be very interested in hearing them
Any specific type of advice you are looking for? I visited in November. While Two Oceans is quite good, it is small compared to the major aquariums of the US and only took me couple of hours to visit. While I would certainly visit the aquarium again if I was ever to return to Cape Town, I don't feel like I would need to visit it on two different days of the same trip as @gentle lemur did. It is pretty straight forward in terms of a visit as it is really a single path that leads you through the two levels of the aquarium and then out to the same area in which you started. There is an outdoor seal platform that is essentially in the harbor behind the aquarium that may be worth checking out, but there is no guarantee seals will actually be there. I also did not know this prior to visiting and would have tried to make plans to visit if I had, but there is a trailer right next to the aquarium that says "Reptile World Snake Park" on it and appears to have animals in it. It was unfortunately closed when I was at the aquarium/noticed it.
Unfortunately several circumstances have delayed my work on my photos and my report about the Aquarium. I would recommend a visit if you have the opportunity.I know it has now been almost half a year, but @gentle lemur, if you happen to have any further thoughts or tips or tricks about visiting this seldom reported on facility, I would be very interested in hearing them
I should explain that I took 2 days because I am aquarium nerd, as you may have guessed, and I was trying to photograph as many of the unusual species as I could. So my second day was spent on the species that I missed or failed with on the first day. I also enjoyed listening to a couple of the presentations. Additionally I was able to book a tour behind the scenes for my second visit, which was very rewarding. There were always fur seals on their haul-out platform when I looked, but the reptile trailer was closed on both days.
Absolutely no explanation needed! I was just trying to give my own experience with the facility, had noticed you mentioned going two days, and felt it was important to note that an average visit won't take that long unless your an "aquarium nerd" as you state.
Everyone on here has different priorities when visiting an aquarium/zoo and takes vastly different amounts of time. Zoos that I think take a couple hours, others will spend all day at. As you said, there are lots of uncommon species at Two Oceans and I definitely did not see them all in my 2-3 hour visit or get good photos of them. I always take exhibit photos and quick snaps of the animals I see, but the animal photos are never very good unless I really take the time.
Thank you very much! I was pretty much just curious about how long an average visit would take and if there was anything that was easy to miss! Just to figure out when exactly I can schedule in a visit. The two to three hours you suggested in your follow-up post sounds pretty standard for me for a moderate sized aquarium. I will be visiting with a good friend that is a local herpetologist and fellow overall animal nerd, so I think it shouldn’t be too hard to get him on board with that amount of time
Absolutely no worries! I am in a similar boat with writing up my own reports from my trip to Europe last fall… I just figured it was worth asking as I start to plan my trip a little more. I appreciate the additional insight. Thank you!