There's so much to sea in Hull (From Advertiser Series)

There's so much to sea in Hull

8:37am Monday 11th May 2009

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There’s something fishy in Hull and it’s not a red herring!

If you want to get up close and personal with sharks – without risking life and limb – then The Deep is a great place for a day out because there are plenty of man-eaters to choose from and it’s one of those museums where you needn’t feel awkward if you don’t have any children with you.

Built in gleaming glass and aluminium, The Deep dominates the landscape on which it is built, inspired by natural geological land formations.

It opened in March 2002, and instantly became a major tourist attraction. It was built on land that has been used as a shipyard since the 1850s – built by Martin Samuelson – known locally as Sammy’s Point.

It’s an easy journey from Bradford to Hull and you can’t miss the building, which juts out like the prow of an ocean-going liner – although one of my companions thought it looked more like the Titanic going down.

It’s well signposted and it has a fairly large car park, but you do have to pay unless you are a disabled badge holder. It costs £3, but you do get a £2 voucher to spend in the shop or restaurant.

It’s all wheelchair friendly but is nearly all ramps, so be prepared. You start at the top of the building and there is a large lift – from then on it’s downhill all the way – with gradual descents.

The Deep is home to more than 40 sharks and 3,500 fish, so there’s a lot to see and do. The centre is filled with a massive aquarium with all sorts of weird and wonderful sea creatures, including giant stingrays, and containing – here comes the science bit – 2.5 million litres of water and 87 tonnes of salt.

What you are seeing is the same aquarium from all floor levels, and on the bottom floor there’s a glass tunnel to walk through with the fish swimming at you, over you and sneaking up behind. This is like walking the ocean floor with sharks and the incredible saw fish gliding around. Then you can rise up through one of the world’s deepest tanks in a glass lift.

There’s loads of information to look at and read as you go through the hall, and lots of buttons to press, computer screens to activate, wheels to turn and things to play with – more than enough to keep everyone happy, although most of them are aimed at children.

You have the chance to pilot a submarine (virtual of course), and young children – and some not-so-young men – loved this bit because they got to sit in a big chair and pretend they were in charge.

The Twilight Zone is all about life in the abyss and is home to the Giant Pacific octopus, the ancient Nautilus and Giant Japanese Spider crabs.

If you like slippery things, you can discover the secrets of slime and the animals whose lives depend on this sticky, gooey stuff to survive. See the Blue Poison Arrow frogs, which are so deadly that people in the rain forest wipe their darts and arrows on the frog’s skin before going hunting, There’s also the Hagfish, which spends most of its time hiding in the mud at the bottom of the sea, and Giant African Land snails, which can grow up to 20cms in length. Pay attention and you’ll find out which animal eats its prey from the inside out!

New this year is Lost Oceans, featuring Monsters Of The Deep 3D, the amazing story of our prehistoric oceans, the incredible animals that dwelt in their depths and how were they lost… or not, as the case may be.

While The Deep is a great place to visit, it is also a conservation and educational charity, working on a programme of conservation and research around the world, from the Caribbean to the North Sea oil fields. The Deep works with such partners as Equipe Cousteau, London Zoo, The Shark Trust and The Marine Conservation Society.

Factfile

How to get there: By train to Hull, then the number 49 bus from Hull interchange. For up-to-date times telephone (01482) 222222. By road, follow the signs from the M62.

Open daily from 10am to 6pm.

Tickets cost £8.95 for adults, £6.95 for children, under-threes free and £7.50 concessions, Family tickets are also available. Tickets can be reserved with 24 hours’ notice by calling (01482) 381000. You can also buy online at thedeep.co.uk with 48 hours’ notice.

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