It's our birthday! The Two Oceans Aquarium turns 28

By Ethan Smit

13 November, 2023 - Animals, Blog, Conservation, Education, Foundation, Not On Our Watch, Plastic Pollution, Turtles

It's our birthday! The Two Oceans Aquarium turns 28

On 13 November 1995, the Two Oceans Aquarium opened its doors for the very first time, Today, on 13 November 2023, we celebrate 28 FINTASTIC years ''under the sea''. In honour of our 28th birthday, let's take a look at a few of the amazing things the Aquarium has done over the years!

Ocean education

Over the past 28 years, the Two Oceans Aquarium has been home to thousands of animal and plant species. Big, small, micro: they've all shared this amazing space with us. Without the Aquarium, many people would never have the opportunity to encounter and learn about these incredible animals. That, in itself, is a huge deal! For every visitor who marvels at marine life for the first time, we gain one more individual who understands the importance of our ocean.

In addition to the marvellous animals, the Aquarium has produced some of the most amazing staff who are passionate about the ocean and relaying our message to the public. Educators, floor guides, and outreach teams - the list goes on and on. Each one of them has positively contributed to broadening our ocean community.

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Turtle rehabilitation

With the establishment of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation's Turtle Rehabilitation Centre, the Two Oceans Aquarium has done impactful work with endangered turtles over the years. Thousands of injured or sick turtles have come through the Aquarium doors, been successfully rehabilitated, and then released back into the wild.

The most notable releases are those of the loggerhead turtle, Yoshi, and the green turtle, Bob.

Yoshi arrived at the Two Oceans Aquarium in 1997, the size of a dinner plate. In 2017, 20 years later, Yoshi finally completed her rehabilitation and was released, weighing an astonishing 183kg and measuring 107cm long and 89cm across. Five years later, in 2022, the Aquarium Foundation's turtle rehabilitation team celebrated the release of Bob, who spent eight years undergoing rehabilitation. After Bob's near-death encounter with plastic pollution, her story is quite a special one.

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Community/Environmental awareness initiatives

The Aquarium strives to educate as many people as possible on the effect of humans on the ocean and its animal population. The Aquarium understands its responsibility to put forward its best effort to change the way people think about and behave towards the ocean. Therefore, we've put a lot of focus on awareness campaigns and environmental initiatives that aim to do just that. Examples of initiatives like this include our Trash Bash beach cleanups and the African penguin #NOOW campaign.

Trash Bash

Trash Bash is a simple yet effective way to rid the ocean of as much waste as possible. Trash is often incorrectly disposed of, ending up on our beaches and, ultimately, in the ocean. Once there, it's almost guaranteed to be mistaken for food and ingested by an animal, leading to suffocation, illness, and even death.

NOOW Campaign

The African Penguin #NotOnOurWatch campaign aims to create a movement and raise awareness about the need for urgent action to reverse the decline of the African penguin population in the wild.

Creating special moments

The Two Oceans Aquarium has accomplished a lot throughout its 28 years, and we're thankful for all of it. However, the thing that brings us the most satisfaction and joy is the knowledge that we're consistently contributing to creating lifelong memories and moments for individuals and their loved ones. Whether we're leading somebody towards a career in the ocean field through our education courses, or simply making somebody smile when they see a shark for the first time - these moments keep us going!

We'd like to thank everyone who has contributed to 28 successful years. Our committed staff members, our loyal partners, and our amazing Aquarium visitors - none of it would be possible without any of you! For those of you who have not had the opportunity to experience the Two Oceans Aquarium as of yet, we'll sea you soon!