Recognised as one of the top tourist attractions in Cape Town, the Two Oceans Aquarium has since 1995 been educating and entertaining tourists and locals alike about the marine life that exists in the two mighty oceans that meet at the tip of Africa. The Two Oceans Aquarium showcases a total of 88 species and 3000 marine creatures, and is an integral feature of the V&A Waterfront and definitely one that should not be missed while enjoying a vacation stay in or near Cape Town’s most visited destination.

Now that you’ve decided to find out what makes this premier attraction so great, you might want to find out all the necessary information such as prices, and what you can get up to there.

While that may seem like a lot of information to acquire, we’ve saved you the trouble. Right here is everything you need to know to have an interesting and entertaining time at the Two Oceans Aquarium.

The aquarium is open 365 days a year from 9:30 to 18:00. As for getting in, the prices are as follows:

Ticket Office Prices

Adults                                                                         R125
Children Under 4 years                                           Free
Children (4 to 13 years)                                           R60
Children (14 to 17 years)                                         R97
South African pensioners                                       R97*
South African undergraduate students                R97*

* Note that pensioners and students only pay these amounts upon presentation of South African pensioner cards or student cards.

Online Ticket Prices (Here’s how you can save)

Purchasing your tickets online is not only convenient in that it spares you having to stand in a line at the ticket office, but it also helps you save up to 10%.

Adults                                                                       R112
Children Under 4 years                                         Free
Children (4 to 13 years)                                         R55
Children (14 to 17 years)                                       R87
South African pensioners                                     R87
South African undergraduate students             R87

The Exhibits

All 3000 marine inhabitants are found in various exhibits throughout the aquarium, according to their location in the ocean environment and class. The best time to view them is around the feeding times for the respective exhibits. The main reason why visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium during feeding times should be obvious. Aquarium divers hand-feed the aquatic inhabitants implying that this is the time to see every marine creature come out of hiding to feed.

I&J Predator Exhibit

There’s no denying it, when you visit the Two Oceans Aquarium, you definitely came to see the sharks with their iconic jagged-edged teeth. You’ll find them in the I&J Predator Exhibit, visible through a huge 11m-wide by 4m-high acrylic panel.

This exhibit, holding 2 million litres, additionally displays an impressive collection of predatory fish found on the South African south coast, including shoals of garrick, yellowtail, black musselcracker and dusky kob.

There are multiple ways you can view these hunters of the ocean environment, like the semi-tunnel that runs along the perimeter of the exhibit. This allows visitors a close look at the rays, sharks, fish, a green sea turtle and a loggerhead turtle.

Feeding times: Daily at 15:00 and for sharks Sundays at 15:00

The Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit

This is an exhibit that is the unique one among all the exhibits found at the Two Ocean Aquarium. It is an underwater forest where kelp plants grow to great lengths, fish swim through the fronds leaves,  rock lobsters and sea urchins feed and hide among root-like holdfasts.

Feeding times: Wednesdays and Saturdays at 12:00

The River Meander Exhibit

This is an exhibit that showcases the journey from the mouth of a river up to its origin in the elevated mountains. The exhibit has continued to develop over the years, and now features a colony where African penguins are bred and the juveniles are released from here into the wild, rockhopper penguins, a ten-year old forest of the rare milkwood kind, African black oystercatchers and an extensive array of freshwater fish, both local and foreign in our Western Cape rivers.

Feeding times: African Penguins daily at 11:45 and 14:30

Note that at the AfriSam Children’s Play Centre rockhopper penguins get fed daily at 11:30.

Where to eat

The Two Oceans Aquarium features a café on the premises, the Shoreline Cafe, where they promise to serve food from sustainable fisheries, but has also taken up a number of environmental initiatives to help reduce its effect on the environment.

If you’re interested in other kinds of cuisine, the shopping centre at the V&A Waterfront is just across the road from the Two Oceans Aquarium.

Other features

Kids can have fun at the AfriSam Children’s Play Centre where they can get involved in a range of fun, artistic activities as well as be entertained by a marine-themed puppet show.

For those concerned or interested about environmental concerns, you can visit the Sacred Ocean: The Great Whaling Debate, a campaign which raises awareness and works against the injustice of modern-day whaling.

You should also be pleased to note that for all aspiring scuba divers, Iain’s Scuba School at the Two Oceans Aquarium can get you on track to becoming a qualified scuba diver.

Whatever other needs you may have at the Two Oceans Aquarium, you’ll be accommodated with the following:

Visitor Services
First Aid
Nappy changing facilities
Facilities for the pyhsically challenged

Should you have any other questions, you’re welcome to give them a call.

Tel: 021 418 3823

Address: Dock Road, V&A Waterfront