Search

There is a general consensus among marine scientists that sharks have an exceptional sense of smell. This is definitely very true and absolutely necessary for their survival. The idea though that sharks have super sniffers that they use to sniff out the minutest amounts of blood in vast bodies of water is, for the most part true, but greatly embellished.

There’s no better setting for an enchanting dinner than the breathtaking exhibits of the Two Oceans Aquarium. To celebrate our reopening, and to give our fans and friends a different way to experience the magic of our underwater world, we are opening our doors to let you in on a truly spectacular experience…

The Two Ocean Aquarium has teamed up with Professional Emergency Care (PEC) to offer certified training to schools, industry and corporates on how to best manage the risks of Covid-19 in the workplace. We provide the incredible setting - with a view of the I&J Ocean Exhibit from The Avenue at the Two Oceans Aquarium (our new, versatile venue) - while PEC’s qualified trainers (all registered healthcare providers) will guide you and your team through everything you need to know about the risks of the coronavirus and how to build into your lives and places of work all those essential practices that keep ourselves and those around us safe.

On 20 August 2020 the African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions held its first virtual conference. Following hot on the heels of five successful in-person conferences, this year was as innovative, informative and intense as previous years and did not disappoint – although we did, of course, miss getting together face-to-face with friends and colleagues from across the country and globe, all of whom are in the attractions industry in some form or another. Nonetheless, #AAVEA2020 delivered a diverse line-up of local and international speakers, some of whom may not have had the time to visit Cape Town, South Africa, for a one-day conference.

"Bubble butt" is a semi-official term that's used to describe a condition in turtles where the back of their body becomes too buoyant, making their butts float. Often this is the result of a build-up of gas inside the turtle's carapace caused by an infection or injury - often from ingesting sharp bits of plastic. Unfortunately, despite its relatively innocuous name, bubble butt, or the condition that causes it, can be potentially deadly to a sea turtle. So why does Anette, a.k.a. Annie, the loggerhead turtle at the Two Oceans Aquarium have bubble butt?

On Thursday 3 September 2020, reports reached the several Cape Town-based animal welfare organisations of an unusual-looking, distressed seal on Clifton 4th Beach. Upon closer inspection, it was identified as a young female Subantarctic fur seal - which would later come to be known as Daisy, because she was found at the beginning of spring.

With lockdown restrictions slowly being lifted and people having more freedom to leave their homes and travel, Yoshi the loggerhead sea turtle seems to have found her home range along the Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia and is certainly choosing to travel less. Over the past two months, she has covered an average of 12km a day, much less than the 42-48 km/day she was cruising at before her arrival at Eighty Mile Beach. All this leads us to the belief that Yoshi is now comfortably in familiar waters and awaiting the Western Australian loggerhead mating season.

It's been a long five months, but it's finally the moment - the Two Oceans Aquarium is reopening! In line with the Alert Level 2 regulations that were recently announced, the Aquarium will be reopening its doors on 1 September 2020, but members will be able to enjoy exclusive early access.Active members of the Aquarium will have four exclusive days to rediscover the magic of the Aquarium and to say hello to all their favourite animals – Friday 28 August, Saturday 29 August, Sunday 30 August and Monday 31 August - ahead of its reopening to the general public on Tuesday 1 September.

The Two Oceans Aquarium is open again! Visitors are already returning to their favourite underwater experiences, so we thought we'd share a few "favourites" that you may have missed during lockdown:

Foundation Crew is for the loyal supporters of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation, who want to support the Foundation’s work in ocean conservation, awareness, research and education. By signing up to be part of the crew, you not only ensure that the Aquarium Foundation can do more, but you will also get access to exclusive content created by the Foundation’s team of teachers. For your monthly donation, you will get special access to the online Foundation Crew portal, where you will find weekly content.

Senior Aquarist Deen Hill is one of the Two Oceans Aquarium team members responsible for collecting and releasing plants and animals from the wild that are brought to the Aquarium. These routinely involve species like the giant sea bamboo in our Kelp Forest Exhibit and the sea star and urchins used in the classroom lessons of the Two Oceans Aquarium Foundation.When Senior Aquarist Deen Hill collected mysids at a nearby marina, he didn't expect to come back with adorable, tiny bobtail squid hitchhikers!

The Two Oceans Aquarium has now been closed for 139 days – never in our wildest dreams did we ever think that our doors would be closed to you, our members, fans and supporters, for this long. I commented in a blog a while ago that I miss the noise of excited visitors in the foyer, eagerly waiting to get through the turnstiles and into a different world. It is very hard to save the oceans without any visitors! We have no doubt that you have missed us as much as we have missed you.