Welcome to Bournemouth: the Happiest Place to Live!
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Let me tell you a story, about a young Manchester-born lad who found love while posting on a student forum to prepare for a University course. Indeed, I met my now-fiancé on The Student Room before attending an English degree at Coventry University, and soon met her in her hometown of Bournemouth. What a place! No wonder it was voted the happiest place to live in the United Kingdom in a recent national survey. A plethora of shops wind intricately through the center of town, giving way to meandering gardens that join the shopping arcades to the golden beaches of the south coast. At the end of this tree-lined walkway lies the Bournemouth Pier, next to which you will find Bournemouth Oceanarium.

I first discovered this Oceanarium in the Summer of 2010 shortly after meeting my fiancé; both being vegetarians and animal lovers, we took a liking to the curious animals that inhabit this deceptively spacious aqua-zoo. Imagine our surprise when, in the Summer of 2011, we were the lucky winners of a Heart.fm competition for two year-long annual passes to the oceanarium - we were ecstatic!

And finally, to our delight, as our birthdays are three days apart, her family treated us to a behind-the-scenes day at the Oceanarium to feed the animals and see what the job entails. What an experience!

The Oceanarium
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The building itself is actually much bigger than it appears to be, stretching far beyond the relatively small entrance that sits to the side of the Pier approach. Several enticing cocktail bars may lure you away from the pull of the Oceanarium, but resist their allure - the experience is wonderful if you give it a chance!

Upon entering the building you will be faced with several options: do you begin your visit with a delicious meal from the Offshore Café to the left? Or how about a lovely stuffed animal from the gift shop to the right? Perhaps that's best saved until you've determined which of the little critters is your favourite! In that case it's straight ahead to the reception, before beginning your visit with an ascending spiral staircase passed the most deadly animal in the aquarium (a lovely little leopard stingray), terrapins and a sunbathing chameleon and into the heart of the ocean.

What Lies Beneath --- SPOILERS! ---
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PLEASE DO NOT READ THE 'WHAT LIES BENEATH' PARAGRAPH IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO KNOW WHAT ANIMALS ARE IN THE OCEANARIUM BEFORE YOUR VISIT :)

--- LAST SPOILER WARNING! ---

There are a huge amount of intriguing beasties within Bournemouth Oceanarium, and as you progress through the displays, you are introduced to them in a relatively ordered manner. The first stop on our tour is the Pirahna tank, adjacent to some of the biggest catfish I've ever seen (including one who likes to swim upside down - it's hilarious!). It's quite a contrast to see the sharp-toothed carnivores opposite such docile looking catfish who love a bit of carrot and lettuce at feeding time.

Next up: the otters! A recent addition to the Oceanarium, the two young otters are quite a sight and currently a topic of hot debate amongst staff and visitors. They've had a beautiful pen built, consisting of dry land and a large swimming area with a waterfall, plus a great deal of rockery to climb. They've even had a balcony built for them recently so that they may enjoy Bournemouth's unrivalled sunshine and an ocean view. Lucky beasts!

As you progress further into the building, you may witness some long-necked turtles and more reptiles, before branching out into a beautiful open tank. This tank is home to two large turtles, with even larger personalities, Friday and Crusoe. These friendly characters share their home with an abundance of sharks and stingrays, plus a very cheeky eel who likes to steal food from the others at feeding time.

Rounding off the tour are two final sections: the Abyss is the first of these, housing baby sharks, lobsters and other prehistoric entities. Unfortunately the resident octopus recently passed away. The final section is home to some more feisty sharks and baby stringways in a large open tank, with plenty of interactive information and games available to keep the public informed of global warming.

I also have it on good authority that the Oceanarium will be seeing some new residents soon, in the form of a penguin enclosure!

Aquarist for the Day!
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As mentioned previously, my fiancé and I recently enjoyed a behind-the-scenes experience day at the Oceanarium. This involved feeding the animals and learning more about the species. It was an incredible experience that I would love to do again, though I won't disclose too much more information on this as I would hate to ruin the surprises that await anyone who decides to book it for themselves. Anybody who does will also receive:

* £10 worth of credit to spend in The Cove Shop (gift shop)
* 50% discount in the lovely Offshore Café
* 1 free guest pass
* A t-shirt to keep, emblazoned with "Aquarist for the Day"
* A certificate

This experience costs £85 for an adult, or £115 for a child with an accompanying adult or guardian present for the day.

Pricing.
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The prices at Bournemouth Oceanarium are quite good, especially if you are a resident of Bournemouth or frequent visitor and wish to take advantage of an annual pass. Pricing is as follows:

Adult: £9.95 on the door // £8.45 online
Child: £6.50 on the door // £5.50 online

There are lots of other discounts for seniors, carers, families and so on, which can be found in more detail on the Oceanarium's website: http://www.oceanarium.co.uk/admission.cfm

An annual pass is also available for unlimited entry until the 31st December of the year in which it was purchased. If planning frequent visits, this pass can offer a huge saving to repeated visitors.