the fishes at the deep

When I was offered the chance to visit the deep in Hull, I jumped at the opportunity.  My eldest daughter absolutely loves fish, she always has and so a chance to take her to the worlds only Submarium is a dream come true for her.

The deep has over 3,500 fish including sharks, yes huge [well they are to a 2 year old] sharks, rays and my daughters favourite clown fish.  It really is a great family day out, the deep is run as a charity and undertakes some fantastic research.  The deep has won numerous awards:

'The Deep is operated as a charity dedicated to increasing the enjoyment of the world's oceans. It has won many accolades which include gold award for The Green Tourism Business Scheme. Gold in Sustainable Tourism (National Enjoy England Awards for Excellence) and Silver for Large Visitor Attraction of the Year 2009 (Welcome to Yorkshire’s White Rose Awards). Mumsnet voted us number one UK aquarium in their Best awards'

The deep is set overlooking the Humber estuary and from the third floor view point it really is rather stunning

Looking over the Humber

I have always loved the design of the building, it is striking and unique and gives a great view point over the Humber.  It is really fantastic to just sit up in the cafe and look out over the Humber. 

There are many educational items as you enter the deep, you begin your journey on the third floor and slowly work your way round the 10 metre deep tank.  As you are walking there are lots of interactive items for children and adults to play with, my two were a little young for these but we still had fun looking at the changing lights and made our way to the Lagoon of light.

the girls by the tankWatching fish



trying to catch the fishexcited by the fish

I have never seen the girls watch anything with such amazement before.  My youngest kept trying to grab the fish and they kept swimming right up to her.  My eldest was just mesmerized by it all.  We were just in time for one of the feeding talks and I found it really interesting listening to the talk about the different species in the tank, the girls loved watching the fish feeding.

Within the Lagoon of Light there is a great interactive play mat that my girls loved crawling on.  My eldest kept chasing the crab which scuttled across the floor.

interactive play mat

My eldest then spotted the star fish tanks and had to point them out to her sister

starfish

After posing for a family photo

Family picture

We headed off to find Nemo.  We managed to find Dory and some of the other 'Finding Nemo' characters

I found Dory

My daughter kept pointing and saying Dory at the tank, which was ever so cute.  She did not want to move from here, but she wanted to find Nemo and we could not see him in this tank so off we went.

We caught a glimpse of the 10 metre tank as we walked further into the deep.  We were just in time to catch the end of the divers feeding the sharks and it was really amazing to watch.  I did get slightly jealous though, as a diver myself I always want to get into the tanks with the fish!  My eldest said to me 'Look Mummy a diver like in my book' we have a story book with a picture of a diver in it, I really loved how she linked the two together.  

Diver

My youngest daughter was so excited to look at all the different fish that she kept crawling away to explore.

Escape

One of my favourite parts of the deep is the ice wall in the Kingdom of ice.  I like that it gives you the chance to be hands on, regardless of age and feel the cold ice.  My daughters really enjoyed it.

Youngest on ice wallEldest on ice wall

The deep also has a lovely soft play area which my girls had loads of fun exploring.  It was really great to see them play together and there was lots of things for them to do.

soft play


We approached the tunnel which sits at the bottom of the 10 metre tank.  

What is that
Looking at the sharks
If you are wondering what caused this look on my girls faces it would be the following swimming above them:

shark

even more sharksmore sharks

One even stopped right by the girls which made them jump

sleeping shark

To complete your journey from the deep, you can choose to walk the scenic stairs or take the lift.  As I had two young children I chose the lift.  The lift travels through the 10 metre tank and the girls really enjoyed it.


We could not leave without visiting the gift shop, where we managed to find Mr Turtle, sorry Crush and Squirt.

turtle

The deep is a truly magical place for children of all ages.  My eldest daughter has not stopped since we got home talking about it.  Her Grandad rang and she told him all about it.  She has stayed up talking to me and her Dad about the fish and all the finding Nemo characters.  I would really recommend visiting the deep in Hull, as its in doors its perfect whatever the weather outside.  A great way to keep the kids entertained during school holidays!


the deep

If you are wondering if we found Nemo:

Nemo

This day I love the fishes at the deep.

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30 comments

  1. Aww it's so cute :) Looks like girls had so fun. Sea life always amazed us. Yeah haha at last you found Nemo!
    Aree With Umbrella

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  2. What a great day out :)
    dropped in via the followers to friends blog hop, I already follow you on GFC, hope you visit back real soon xx

    http://british-bargains-and-beauty.blogspot.co.uk/

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  3. You have beauties! What a loving momma you are!

    New follower from the blog hop- thank you for co-hosting. Would love to connect with you!

    Tiffany
    The Dwelling Tree
    http://thedwellingtree.blogspot.com

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  4. wow that looks such an amazing acquarium to visit!! your children look captivated and i enjoyed seeing all your photos. i must take my two again this year to the one in Plymouth as Jenson was too young to appreciate it last year.
    and i see you found Nemo x

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  5. That looks like such a wonderful family place to visit.

    The photos tell such a wonderful story

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  6. This looks like an amazing day out & great photos! I love the idea of the ice wall too. We went to our local deep sea world when Master Tot turned 1 but I think he was just a wee bit too young for it at the time, but something to add to our list for the future.

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  7. I love the look of wonder on your children's faces! It just shows you how much even very young children can get from a day out.

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  8. A great family day out. Amazing how much children love to see the different coloured and shaped fish. I must say my favourites are the sea horses. A great insight into the underwater world!

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  9. Wow a very cool place! So much to see and do! We are yet to head to a sea aquarium not sure if my wee man would enjoy it all being so dark but I'm up for trying!

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  10. You have a wonderful blog!! I'm your newest GFC follower from the “Take Away” blog hop - this is my blog if you wanted to follow back: godsgrowinggarden.com
    Thanks
    Angie

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  11. I am your newest follower from the Daddy Space Saturday Bloggy Takeaway. This is so cool and love taking my daughter to place like this. Their expressions are priceless ;) Please feel free to stop by!

    Joanne @ jmacreativemess.blogspot.com

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  12. it looks like such a brilliant family day out, lots of lovely photos xx

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  13. What a lovely day out, fantastic pics. Aquariums really are magical for little ones x

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  14. I think it's brilliant too as does my 5 year old little girl. My brother works there and I know they care a lot about the fish and undertake some excellent conservation and research projects. He is also doing the London Marathon in an 8ft lifelike, homemade costume in aid of the Shark Trust. If you fancy sponsoring this mammoth task for a great cause....http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HamHill

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  15. We think it's brilliant too! My brother works there and I know they care a lot about the welfare of the fish and do some excellent conservation and research projects. He is also doing the London Marathon in aid of the Sharks Trust - in an 8ft lifelike, home-made sharks costume! If anyone fancies sponsoring this mammoth task for a great cause...http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/HamHill - Watch out for him on the tv!

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