Our hard-working staff members would love to share their most loved animals with you!

Phil Verbinnen, General Manager says…

‘My favourite animal in the aquarium is our Port Jackson sharks. Why… Like me, they are relatively new to Blue Planet Aquarium and as such were the first species that I’ve seen arrive at Blue Planet Aquarium all the way through their quarantine and on to display in the reef section of our main tank. Whilst in quarantine, they were super interactive, and it’s great now seeing them on display interacting with our junior divers’

Our Port Jackson Sharks can found in our Ocean Exhibit!

Steff Cook, Guest Experience, Conservation & Education Manager says…

‘Mine is Marty our Zebra Shark. Zebra sharks always look like they are smiling! They remind me of puppies or cats, playful with the divers and love attention!

Their barbells at the end of their nose look similar to whiskers too, which help them in detecting prey. Plus, who doesn’t love a leopard print pattern!’

Marty can be found in our Ocean Exhibit!

Andrew Hopwood, Deputy & Retail Manager says…

‘A Chameleon to be precise – I like to believe we are both very similar.

We take things nice and steady. We watch from a distance and make relevant judgements and the best attribute being we can adapt to the environment we find ourselves!’

This sneaky Chameleon can be found at our Frog Zone Area!

Mike Cullimore, Catering Manager says…

‘My favourite fish id the Picasso Trigger Fish. It’s flamboyant, it can make a grunting sound when it feels threatened and it often has a fun and interesting personality.’

These beautiful fish can be found at our Coral Cave Exhibit!

Dave O’Hare, Curator & Zoological LSS Coordinator says…

‘My favourite animal would be my namesake, Dave, our best-looking Sand Tiger shark! It was a career highlight, successfully introducing Dave to our group of Sand Tigers.’

Dave can be found in our Ocean Exhibit!

We are dedicated to keeping our animals as happy and as healthy as they can be. We hope you enjoyed discovering what some of our staff favourite animals are!

Visit these fintastic animals! Purchase your tickets here now!

Thousands of marine animals worldwide have been affected by plastic pollution, including sea turtles, seabirds, and marine mammals. Therefore, Beach clean-ups are vital to mitigate the problem caused by ocean debris and the danger that plastic pollution poses to marine life.

Yesterday afternoon we teamed up with the lovely Caroline from Sharks Trust on a windy New Brighton beach on the hunt for shark and ray eggcases!

We found 118 Thornback Ray and 17 Small Spotted Catshark eggs!

FIVE reasons you should care about our ocean

1. The ocean regulates our climate and provides the air we breathe

The ocean produces over half of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than our atmosphere!

2. The ocean feeds us

The ocean and its biodiversity provide our global community with 15 per cent of the animal protein we eat. In least developed countries, seafood is the primary source of protein to over 50 per cent of the population.

3. It provides jobs and livelihoods

More than three billion people rely on the ocean for their livelihoods, the vast majority in developing countries. In many of those, ocean-based industries such as tourism and fisheries are key sources of income and jobs.

4. The ocean is a tool for economic development

The maritime economy is vast. Marine shipping accounts for trillions of dollars in trade. Ocean tourism is also valued in the trillions. Offshore energy, such as oil, gas, and wind, also make up the maritime economy.

5. We need a healthy ocean to survive

The Ocean is the heart of the planet. Water covers more than two-thirds of the Earth’s surface. The deep waters are home to some amazing wildlife and some of the biggest creatures on earth! It provides us with food, jobs, life, entertainment, and sailing!

Find out more about conservation here

What a Jaw-some first few days we’ve had!

There’s been lots of fin-tastic games and dancing from everyone! The team and Shakey the Shark are so excited to continue throughout the Easter Holiday’s

‘It is a great opportunity for children of all ages to get involved in important topics like habitats and conservation as well as dancing, winning prizes and having so much fun!’ Steff Cook, Guest Experience Manager

What’s in store?

 Bubble pop your way to cleaner oceans and safer habitats for sea creatures like our Sharks. Save the seas in the new Plastic Plastic Everywhere interactive game!

 There’s Some-Fin Missing! Can you pin our sharks missing fin? This game is played and loved by all ages and guaranteed to provide plenty of chuckles.

 Up for a game of Hide and Seek? we have a range of different habitat guessing games where you can win prizes if you guess them correctly! 

Each session will run for approximately 30-minutes, 4 times a day 11am, 12pm, 1pm, 2pm.

What to find out how you can attend?

Oceans of Fun 3rd April – 14th April 2023

Say Hello to Steff Cook, who has recently been promoted from Visitor Services team leader to Guest Experience, Conservation and Education Manager.

Steff is responsible for ensuring the highest levels of guest satisfaction, daily operation of the front desk and liaising with any area impacting the guest’s experience.

Steff is one of our most busiest members of staff, planning, directing, and coordinating activities to ensure exceptional service is achieved.

In her new role Steff has already revamped the educational classes we provide and has introduced colour and camouflage classes to all key stages to include our venomous habitants. Steff has big plans for conservation this year including, sponsorship’s and working closely with our charity partnerships.

Steff says ‘I have always been passionate about conservation for as long as I can remember, education is incredibly vital in the fight against species decline. I am very keen to provide all of this in one for a brilliant day out for our guests’. Steff is our longest standing visitor service member and her team continue to follow her lead.

Steff’s education skills provides our school guests authentic opportunities for learning and gives early childhood centres, home educations and schools an opportunity to connect with the animals in a meaningful way. Steff provides operational support, training, motivating, and recognizing team members, encouraging them to thrive in their roles.

Exercising independent judgement and initiative, Steff carries out overall responsibilities such as respond to all guest concerns and guest satisfaction either in person, electronically or by phone.

After working in the Aquarium for four years and providing a professional upscale guest service experience in her previous role, we believe Steff will look after you more than anyone else could.

As it draws to an end, let’s dive in and take a look at what we have accomplished!

The room catered to nearly 1,000 visitors a day where they enjoyed many different Sharky crafts!

Visitors to Blue Planet Aquarium were ecstatic to see a whole room dedicated to crafts! look at our Tissue Paper art wall below:

“It is an creative and exciting experience for the children, they are so entertained with the all the fun sharky activities. Our guests are able to show off their artistic skills and were made up they could take their own extra special shark fossil home which they dug for themselves in our sand pits”. – Guest Experience Manager, Steff Cook.

Visitors are currently entering the colouring competition daily, all of the winners are receiving their prices and are happy to be returning back to Blue Planet Aquarium with their winning tickets. There are a few more days left to enjoy some craft activites!

Meet the Creepy Creatures…

Huntsman (Heteropoda venatoria)

Huntsman spiders are large, fast spiders which live in warm climates throughout the world. Huntsman spiders are venomous, and their bites can be painful to humans, causing localised swelling and pain. Some people may also experience headaches and nausea.

Chilean Rose Tarantula (Grammostola Rosea)

Chilean rose hair tarantulas are venomous. Their venom primarily helps them eat and is not known to be fatal in humans, but reactions can vary widely from person to person. These tarantulas are known for their docile and relatively slow-moving nature. They are located in desert and scrub habitats.

Social Spider(stegodyphus sarasinorum)

A social spider is a species whose individuals form relatively long-lasting aggregations. Whereas most spiders are solitary and even aggressive toward other members of their own species, some hundreds of species in several families show a tendency to live in groups, often referred to as colonies. 

Goliath Birdeater(Theraphosa blondi)

Although venomous with inch-long fangs, the Goliath Birdeater’s bite will not kill a person. It will, however hurt quite a bit, and has been described as somewhere between the pain of a wasp sting and hammering a nail into your hand. They are located The Goliath bird-eating tarantula lives in the rainforest regions of northern South America

Golden Poison Dart Frog (Phyllobates terribilis)

Meet the Golden Poison Dart Frog Phyllobates terribilis, suitably named because of the terrible consequences should you ingest any of their toxins!
Slightly over 5cm in size, these small amphibians are the most poisonous frog in the world!
The Golden Dart frog gets their toxins from their diet, such as ants and centipedes.
This species is endemic to Colombia and can be found in the leaf litter of rainforests. They are listed as endangered on the IUCN red list with populations decreasing due to extent and quality of habitat.

Did you know?
It is believed the Golden Poison Dart Frog can have enough poison to kill 10 grown men!

Giant Spiny Assassin Bug(Psyttala horrida)

It is the largest species of assassin bug in the world, These sturdy built insects are characterized by an elongated head, a large Rostrum and Antennae are long and thin. Although assassin bugs are generally not aggressive towards humans, they may bite if they feel threatened. Their venomous bites are intensely painful with some pain and swelling persisting for a day or two. In rare cases they can even cause anaphylactic reactions.

The process continues…

What’s coming next… can you guess?

Are you ready to face your fears in our Venom display? Plan your visit today!

Immerse yourself in the sounds of the rainforest, our tropical flooded river exhibit mimics the environment found in the Amazon. You’ll come face to fin with Giant Pacu, the often misunderstood Piranha and a new arrival… Discus fish also known as the King of The Aquarium!

Wild discus live in the margins of floodplains, flooded forests and lakes in the Amazon basin. For the most part these areas are away from the fast flowing river tributaries and are called ‘Lentic’ meaning slower moving. They are tall and thin (or ‘laterally compressed’) to help them navigate through tangled undergrowth and sunken branches. Angel fish have evolved into a similar shape for the same reason. Discus can grow to the size of small dinner plates, reaching a diameter of 25cm or more. It’s not known exactly why Discus got the royal title of ‘King’ but it is thought possibly due to their majestic deportment and colours.

It could also have something to do with the fact that they are considered by fishkeeping hobbyists to be one of the most difficult fish to keep. Here at the Blue Planet Aquarium we have found that our discus love clean water so we exchange 20% of their water every day for fresh, clean dechlorinated water. When old enough to breed, discus ‘pair off’, laying and then sharing the guarding of their eggs until they hatch. Once hatched, for the first couple of weeks of their lives, the young fry feed off the slime coat on their parents’ sides until large enough to eat other food. Unlike most other species of the Cichlid family, Discus enjoy the feeling of being in a large group.

At the Blue Planet aquarium, whilst their display may look crowded, this has been done purposely to make them feel safe. Underneath the display, out of sight, is a second large tank (called a sump) which contains another large volume of water and a large filtration system. The purpose of this is to ensure that they enjoy a clean, well oxygenated environment, much like their natural habitat. It is for the same reason that the display is kept at a constant 30oC (86oF); a few degrees warmer than many species of tropical fish. In the wild, with their small mouths and large bodies, discus feed frequently rather than all at once.

It is for this reason that our discus are fed three times a day with a meat based diet which also contains some vegetable matter. Discus’ natural diet is small Crustacea and vegetation and many years of research and experience has resulted in specialised commercially available equivalents.

Come visit these beautiful fresh water Discus Fish and see their amazing patterns for yourself!

Whether you’re a creative mastermind or a parent looking for some fun, crafts to keep the kids entertained this half term look no further! Enjoy a Tur-tely JAW-some day out at Blue Planet Aquarium, being mesmerised and amazed learning about our underwater world, the creatures that live there and enjoy an ar-RAY of sharky crafts!

Dive deep into our craft activities as you find out what is in store for you:

Shark & Crafts daily 13th – 17th & 20th – 24th February 2023, included in all entry tickets

Did you know.. Aquarium’s are the new romance hot-spot this year, perfect for that Valentines date! According to an article from the Daily Mail, the trends experts at Pinterest have predicted that the younger generation are looking for alternatives to the traditional happy hour meet-up, and are seeking in the new year unique experiences and activities. Dating has had a makeover for the new year with Gen Z getting creative.

See the steps below for your perfect Valentine’s evening!

Valentine’s Date For Two At Blue Planet Aquarium 13th & 14th February.

Like all bullhead sharks, they have broad, blunt heads, and crests above the eyes. But they have unique characteristics such as the harness-like markings. Their frontal teeth are sharp, while their back teeth are flat. They have spines at the frontal edge of both of their dorsal fins. They are also endemic to Australia!

Port Jackson sharks use buccal pumping, where they swap between opening and closing their mouths and gills. This means they can sit still whilst sleeping.

Port Jacksons are different to our other species of Sharks. Our Sand Tiger Sharks use ram ventilation and buccal pumping to breathe which means they swim constantly so that oxygen-rich water is continually rammed over their gills.

Though they are usually peaceful and calm, they are capable of a painful bite if they feel threatened. They have cool corkscrew eggs, the mother will bite the egg and screw the egg into some rock or crevices, this is so they don’t wash away.

But be quick…offer ends: Friday 23rd December 2022.