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Located at the V&A Waterfront. Two Oceans Aquarium offers an underwater world of beauty, intrigue and entertainment for everyone. | |
![]() | +27 (0)21 418 3823 |
![]() | Dock Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town |
![]() | www.aquarium.co.za |
![]() | aquarium@aquarium.co.za |
![]() | 2OceansAquarium |
![]() | Two Oceans Aquarium |
![]() | 2OceansAquarium |
Last updated: Thursday, 22 July 2025
Two Oceans Aquarium is a Cape Town institution, with so much to rediscover each time you visit. So many people often miss the treasures: Brainless jellies grown in a behind-the-scenes lab, sharks with distinct personalities (our favourite is the gentle Gemma), and African penguin lovers who have been bonded for decades.
We spoke to Msa Maseko, senior guide, and Aryton King, aquarist, about the aquarium’s hidden secrets and tips. Here’s the inside scoop.
The aquarium has over 8 000 curious marine creatures. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
The best time to visit (and skip the queue) is…
In the afternoon on a sunny weekday. Mornings are often busy with school groups, but things quiet down after 2pm. By 5pm it’s almost empty - that last hour before closing is a secret gem.
If you want to get in quickly, buy your ticket online. And members get to skip the ticket office completely.
We have an after 3pm special…
Where visitors get 25% off their ticket. It’s R200 for adults (usually R265); R147 for children 14 to 17 and pensioners (usually R195); and R90 for children 4 to 13 (usually 120). It’s only valid for tickets bought at the on-site ticket office after 3pm and used on the same day.
There are large exhibit windows or you can walk along the viewing ramp. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
What most people don’t realise their ticket includes is…
Penguin and shark feedings. The African penguin colony is fed by the penguin keepers, and scuba divers hand-feed the stingrays and larger fish at the I&J Ocean Exhibit.
You can also watch divers feed hake to ragged-tooth sharks in the Save Our Seas Foundation (SOSF) Shark Exhibit.
And for members, there's free seawater you can collect for home aquariums.
To get a good spot for the feedings…
Arrive at least 15 to 20 minutes early. Some visitors play it extra safe and grab their spot a full half hour ahead.
The I&J Ocean Exhibit, filled with warm-water marine life like turtles and large fish, is fed on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12pm.
The Kelp Forest, with its towering display of real, growing kelp and indigenous marine life, is fed on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 12pm. And the Shark Exhibit is fed on Saturdays at 12pm. Penguin feedings are temporarily closed, but usually they happen daily at 11.30am and 2.30pm.
There’s daily shark and penguin feedings. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
To take the best route (so you don’t miss a thing) you need to…
Follow the arrows. The aquarium’s set up to flow in one direction, and it really helps avoid traffic jams, especially in spots like the tunnel in the I&J Ocean Exhibit. When people go their own way, they often miss entire sections (like the upper floor).
Interactive experiences most people don’t know about are…
The touch pool and the microscope exhibit. Both are free and super underrated. At the touch pool, you can get hands-on with marine life, and over at the microscope station, you’ll spot tiny ocean organisms you’d never notice with the naked eye.
You can also dive with ragged-tooth sharks in the SOSF Shark Exhibit or swim with stingrays in the I&J Ocean Exhibit.
Kids love the Nemo cylinder exhibit…
It has a pop-up area kids can climb into, and it’s full of clownfish, so kids can recognise Nemo. The baby jelly exhibit is another favourite. It has a crawl-through tunnel, and there’s often a line of kids waiting to get in, especially when school groups are around.
Kids also love the educational puppet shows at the I&J Children's Play Centre. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
Visitors find the jellyfish mind-blowing because they are…
Heartless, brainless, and spineless. They only have sensory organs that help them figure out what’s up and down and which direction they’re swimming. We have a jelly lab where most of the jellyfish you see are grown.
Most people walk right past the Kelp Forest without realising…
It’s the only above-ground kelp habitat on the continent. Not only is it massive and home to loads of tiny marine creatures, but kelp forests help produce a huge amount of the oxygen we breathe, even more than trees.
The secret stars of the Kelp Forest are...
Spotted gully sharks, pyjama catsharks and leopard sharks. Because they spend most of their time on the seafloor, people often miss them unless they happen to swim past the window.
They're really safe to dive with since their mouths are on the underside of their bodies. During feeding times the team hand-feeds them (unlike the ragged-tooth sharks, who get fed with tongs).
You’ll see spotted potted gully sharks, pyjama catsharks and leopard sharks in the Kelp Forest. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
Our ragged-tooth sharks have quirky personalities…
There are four of them: Gemma, Harper, Charlie, and Blue, and each one behaves differently at feeding time.
Gemma’s the shy one. She won’t come near the main feeding area, so the team swims out to feed her through the window. And despite being apex predators, they’re surprisingly delicate eaters. They pick the hake off of the tongs like it’s a toothpick.
Some of the penguin couples have been together for decades…
One of the oldest penguin couples is Teddy and Wallace. Wallace is actually female, but we named her before knowing. Teddy’s been at the aquarium since the late '90s, and they’ve been bonded ever since.
There’s penguin couples that have been bonded for decades. Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
Lesser-known creatures we secretly love are…
The creatures in the coral tank. It’s a tiny underwater world where everything works together; fish nibble away algae so the corals get enough light and sea cucumbers clean the sand.
The sea stars are also cool because they regrow lost limbs.
You can even do tours…
To give you a glimpse into the inner workings of the aquarium. Behind-the-scenes tours are 75 minutes and can take up to eight people. Book by emailing experience@aquarium.co.za.
And schools can book tours or educational sessions at the Discovery Centre. There’s also marine biology and oceanography courses, plus a job shadow programme for Grade 9 to 12 learners. To find out more, email: schools@aquariumfoundation.org.za.
Programmes are designed to align with the South African curriculum and support what learners are already covering in school.Image: Two Oceans Aquarium
Two Oceans Aquarium is open: Monday to Friday, 9.30am - 6pm, Saturday + Sunday, 9am - 6pm
Find it: Dock Road (by the Watershed), V&A Waterfront
Entry fee at Two Oceans Aquarium: R265 for adults, R195 for pensioners and students, R120 for children 4 to 13 , and free for kids under 3
Cost of membership: R630 for adults, R488 for teens, pensioners and students, R310 for kids aged four to 13
Contact on: 021 418 3823, aquarium@aquarium.co.za, @2OceansAquarium
By Saarah Gierdien
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