Explore the oceans with the National Marine Aquarium

The National Marine Aquarium is pleased to announce it will be offering boat trips to explore the famous Plymouth Sound from April. Setting off from Shepards Wharf, visitors will join the Aquarium’s team of marine biologists and ocean conservationists to discover the wonders of our oceans and learn more about its habitat and the animals which live in it.

The Plymouth Sound is one of Devon’s 19 special areas of conservation and is teaming with a wide variety of marine life, including; sea grasses, kelp, mackerel, flat fish, rays and a species of shrimp found nowhere else on earth. This unique opportunity will give visitors an opportunity to have hands-on experience exploring the creatures that inhabit the water, rock pools, sea bed and beaches along Plymouth’s coastline. Visitors will be able to pull up lobster pots to explore the contents and work with the biologist in on board to identify the different species.

The National Marine Aquarium is the nation’s largest public aquarium and independent conservation charity with the mission to connect people with our oceans. The boats trips will be the ideal opportunity for visitors to learn about the positive work that is taking place to look after our precious seas, the threats facing our native marine life, and the small actions they can take at home to help.

Nicola Murray, Discovery and Learning Manager at the National Marine Aquarium, commented, “We are delighted to be offering the boat trips this year, it’s a great way to connect people with the oceans, and what better way than to go out on them! The Plymouth Sound is right on our doorstep and has such a diverse range of wildlife reliant on it, making it the ideal example of a thriving marine environment. As an educational charity, we're always striving to engage our visitors with marine life and conservation - we hope our boat trips will provide another way for us to achieve our mission.”

The first boat trip will set sail on 7 April, during the NMA's Easter activity, with further dates planned throughout the year. To find out more information and book please visit www.national-aquarium.co.uk.