Named for the varied marine life from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans this watery zoo exhibits, Two Oceans Aquarium is a must-see attraction in Cape Town. The underwater reserve is home to over 3,000 living sea animals, including sharks, turtles and penguins, drawn from this unique bi-coastal stretch of the world.
One of Cape Town's most popular tourist destinations, Two Oceans Aquarium offers a plethora of watery activities and diversions. The interactive zoo has everything from a touch pool for the kiddies to a massive underwater five-storey Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit plus a predator tank with ragged-tooth sharks, turtles and rays to view and for certified divers to tackle. The kelp forest, one of only two such exhibits in the world, has towering tree-size kelp plants and a diverse mix of species including fish, abalone and sea urchins.
The Oceans of Contrast: Atlantic Ocean Gallery plays host to fish, octopi, jellyfish, seahorses and crabs to name a few of the sea characters that inhabit the icy waters of the Benguela Current. From the clear, tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, you can spy a colourful kaleidoscope of marine life including clownfish, coral, eels and anemones of the Oceans of Contrast: Indian Ocean Gallery. There's also penguins to behold, frogs to watch and a touch pool where you can get up close to crabs, starfish, anemones and more.
Time your aquarium trip just right and you can watch feeding time in the Predator Exhibit (daily at 3pm), Kelp Forest Exhibit (Wednesday and Saturday at 12pm), the African penguins at 11:45am and 2:30pm daily, and the Rockhopper penguins daily at 11:30am. Online ticket prices to the aquarium are slightly cheaper than at the ticket office with adult entry for R100, children aged 14 to 17 for R78, kids aged four to 13 for R50 and tots under four admitted for free. Scuba diving attracts an extra charge which varies depending on whether you have your own gear. To get to Two Oceans Aquarium, take a bus from Adderley Street in the centre of Cape Town to the V&A Waterfront which stops outside the aquarium.
