Face to Face With a Shark (at a price) (Deepsea World (Fife))

Member Name: MagdaDH

Product:	Deepsea World (Fife)
Date:	23/05/09 (46 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: shark tunnel, seals, Amazonian display

Disadvantages: very expensive, not so good for the little ones, not much of a whole day out

There are already several reviews here on dooyoo that provide a good description of the attraction, so I will spare you this part.

But I am writing to make another point: I am rather amazed at the number of five star reviews of the Deepsea World. While I agree that it's an interesting place to visit, I think it's vastly overpriced, less so for what it has to offer, and more so for how much of a day out you can make of it.

Yes, it has some pretty good sharks in a tunnel, and the seals are good too (in fact, a saving grace), but overall you'd be hard pushed to spend more than two hours inside and it's likely to cost you 40 quid for a family of four (assuming you will resist the gift shop and the cafe).

I think what you make of the Deepsea World depends hugely on how old your children are, and whether you are looking for a pleasant day out, or a more intense "exhibition" type of attraction.

For older kids or teens who are looking for the exotic, weird and wonderful, it's a definitely a better choice than some of the tame country-park-with-a-few-goats-and-an-ostrich-round -a-playpark that seem to dot the part of Scotland I am living in.

However, for the younger children, the Deepsea world offers only limited interest (although my three year old was quite impressed by the sharks). They will be bored within the first few minutes of the divers' display, and there is no space for them to run or play. They can easily get lost inside, and the outside seals' area definitely demands that hands be held at all times.

For adults without children I think it offers the poorest value: at almost £12 a person it really is not worth it, unless you have a big thing about sharks.

Our visit (2 adults, 7 year old and an-almost 3 year old) was OK: not fantastic, but not vastly disappointing. However, we left home (an hour's drive away) in the morning and were back for a late lunch - and that included a stroll down to the river to admire the Forth Rail Bridge from close-up (in fact, a highlight of the trip for me).

After looking at the sharks in the tunnel and the (very good but small) display of the Amazonian fish, we had a distinct feeling of "is that it, then?????" and were only saved from the feeling of anticlimax by the seals' centre.

I WOULD still recommend going, but unless you combine it with something else, it's not more than a half-day out at the very most.

I am struggling again with the star rating here, as it really does depend on what you are after and what you are prepared to pay for a 20-minute shark show.

I will settle on 4 stars, although personally for me it was more of a 3 star visit, and I certainly won't be coming back for a while.

Summary: Fascinating but limited. Ideal for a school trip, not so good as a family day out.