SEA LIFE Weymouth to reopen with brand new immersive experience

Site will reopen with extensive measures in place to keep guests, team members and fishy friends alike safe.

New ‘night and day’ immersive experience will take visitors through 24 hours in a coral reef.

SEA LIFE Weymouth is set to fully reopen to visitors on 4th July as national lockdown measures continue to ease.

Even more excitingly, a brand immersive experience, Night and Day, will launch as part of the reopening. The experience, which takes visitors through 24 hours in a coral reef as it moves from dawn to dusk, features creatures including Black Tip Sharks, Stingrays, Nurse Sharks, Green Sea Turtles and more.

Visitors will also experience the sensations of walking along a tropical shore, journeying underwater and diving beneath a swaying reef thanks to projected bio-luminescence, which fills the ocean tunnel setting.

Night and Day had been due to launch in April 2020 but was unavoidably delayed in its unveiling because of the national lockdown and the Weymouth site team is excited to finally welcome SEA LIFE fans to check it out.

As with the rest of the site, this new experience features carefully considered measures that ensure the space is safe for visitors and colleagues alike.

The following measures will be in place as a standard at all SEA LIFE sites nationally, which are all set to reopen from the 4th July:

• Online only bookings; guests will now need to pre-book a specific time slot for their visit to ensure visitor numbers remain at a safe level throughout the day
• Social distancing; queues outside and inside the attraction, plus features such as talks from expert team members, will be carefully spaced for everyone’s safety. There may also be phased entrancing in place at certain points around the site to keep groups apart while also making sure everyone gets to meet every creature on display
• PPE; while you won’t need specific PPE in order to gain admission, SEA LIFE staff may be wearing appropriate items and clothing so they can work safely. Fixtures such as clear plastic screens at check-in desks and tills may also be in-place
• Temperature checks; will be in place at all entrances for guests and team members
• Enhanced cleaning; additional cleaning will take place throughout the day and hygiene stations and hand sanitiser will be available

As with any activity post-lockdown, SEA LIFE Weymouth asks all visitors to closely observe guidelines, maintain a safe distance from those outside their party and to keep up with good hygiene practices. If they or any of their party displays any symptoms of COVID-19, they are asked to postpone their visit and to contact the site to change the date of their booking.

Tamsin Mutton-Mcknight, general manager for Sea Life Weymouth said: “We are really looking forward to welcoming guests back and as ever, the health and safety of our visitors and staff remains our number one priority.

“We’re utilising an extensive range of safety measures, designed to ensure a happy, safe and healthy experience for all. I’m sure after many the extended lockdown, many families, particularly with younger children, will be in real need of escapism, entertainment and a way of making happy new memories with those they love.

“I know our team here in Weymouth – plus our site’s aquatic residents – are all looking forward to offering just that, especially as we have a brand new experience available thanks to our new Night and Day area.”

While SEA LIFE has been closed during lockdown, aquarists and other team members have worked tirelessly to care for the creatures Weymouth is home to, both practically via cleaning and feeding for example, but also emotionally via activities and stimuli to ensure that fishy friends who are used to a lot of interaction and excitement didn’t become bored.

Visit www.visitsealife.com/weymouth/ for more information on the new Night and Day experience and to be kept up to date on reopening measures and arrangements.