Two Ocean's Aquarium / Waterfront

See 3000 creatures on show, from microscopical to sharks.

This activity is not only for those rainy Cape Town days, it’s a real adventure all year around. Enter a unique underwater world with over 3,000 creatures to discover. You can explore various exhibits and experiences during your stay and we promise, it won’t get boring!

The I&J Ocean Exhibit, for example, can be viewed from the 10-metre long transparent tunnel or the giant viewing window. It holds 1.6 million litres of water and is home to rays, musselcrackers, green sea turtles, indigenous fishes and much more. The best thing: you can even scuba dive in there. But before you arrive at this exhibit, you first come across mesmerising and fascinating jelly species that all look like from another world.

At the Shark Exhibit you’ll see some of the most misunderstood species in South Africa’s oceans. Sharks, giant yellowtail and yellowbelly rockcod stand its ground to much larger predators and you can watch them in awe floating right next to you. You can also dive with the sharks if you dare.

Another highlight is the enchanted underwater forest. In this magical kelp forest, giant sea bamboo grows like tall trees, fish swim through the algae fronds like birds and abalone, sea urchins and rock lobsters feed and take cover among the root-like holdfasts. This is a truly special exhibit since only a handful of aquariums in the world are displaying living kelp forests. Don’t miss the opportunity to experience it while you and your children can!

To get a little break from the many fish species, you can now enter the Penguin Exhibit. It is home to a colony of African Penguins, rockhopper penguins and common platannas. They’re always fun to watch and the kids will love the close encounter with them.

Scuba Diving Experience

Yes, I’ve mentioned it before. For the brave ones among you, you can book a unique scuba dive experience in on of their amazing exhibits. Divers of all skill levels – from complete novices to seasoned pros – can get up close to the turtles, rays, fish and friends of the I&J Ocean Exhibit. Qualified divers can now also swim with the sharks of the Save Our Seas Foundation Shark Exhibit – no cage required- or explore the underwater grove of the Kelp Forest Exhibit.

The Two Oceans Aquarium Dive School also offers PADI-certified training courses to new and experienced divers.

The scuba diving adventures and courses are open to anyone older than 10 years of age (or ages 12 and up for PADI Advanced Open Water Diver) who is in reasonably good health. A detailed price list can be found here: SCUBA DIVE PRICES

Penguin Experience

At the interactive penguin experience no more than two people can join a bird keeper for an informative, fun and exhilarating face-to-face encounter with their adorable rockhopper penguins. If you’re lucky, you might even end of with one or two of them sitting on your lap.

The Penguin Experience happens Tuesdays to Sundays at 10h30 on the roof of the Kelp Forest Exhibit, where the rockhopper penguins enjoy their morning swim at the Two Oceans Aquarium.
The Penguin Experience is suited to adults and for children aged 8 and up.
Prices: Adults = R785, Child 8 to 17 = R630 (those fees include the general entry ticket to the Aquarium)

Behind the Scenes Tour

Join a member of their Curatorial team during work and find out how the Aquarium operates behind the scenes. You will gain access to places where only few members of the public ever go and learn in an exciting way about the daily operations of the Two Ocean’s Aquarium.

Guided tours take place at 10h00 and 13h00 daily and last up to 75 minutes (please arrive 15 minutes early to complete an indemnity form)
Your Behind-the-Scenes Tour booking includes general access to public areas of the Aquarium for the day
A maximum of 8 persons can join a tour
Price: R620 per adult (aged 18+), R495 per child (aged 8-17), Active annual members receive a 25% discount on all experiences
The Behind-the-Scenes tour is not suitable for children under the age of 8
Tours must be booked at least 24 hours in advance, subject to availability.

Restaurant

In case you’re getting tired from all the activities and endless possibilities in the aquarium, you can now enjoy a coffee or meal at the new Bootlegger’s Aquarium branch. They are the only Bootlegger in South Africa serving pizza and they even feature a kiddies play area so that the little ones can entertain themselves while you munch on your food.

Our Experience

Since our kids are still young, we’ve never taken part in any of their amazing activities (yet), but we’ve visited the Aquarium many, many times and it never gets boring. The kids are fascinated by this unusual world and all the sea creatures, there are plenty of things to explore and you’ll even find a play area for the kiddies downstairs in case they get tired and need to do something else for a little while. It is a fantastic experience for young and old and we cannot recommend it enough. In case you want to book a Skip-The-Line Entrance Ticket to the Aquarium, you can click HERE.

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Checklist

Opening Times: Monday – Friday 09:30 – 18:00, Saturday – Sunday 09:00 – 18:00
Age Group: 0 – 99
Rates: Adults = R220, Children 14 to 17 = R165, Children 4 to 13 = R105, Children under 4 = Free
Baby Changing Facilities: Yes
Kids Menu: No
Price Category: Medium
Fun Factor: 5/5
Free WIFI: No