The Deeper you go, the more you get out (The Deep)

Member Name: darren55

Product:	The Deep
Date:	06/09/09 (36 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The pools, the sand eels and the sharks

Disadvantages: None

The Deep is a aquatic atraction in the city of Hull, it is on the side of the River Humber and is billed as the biggest Submarium in the world. It is situated at Sammy point at the confluence of the River Hull and the River Humber.

The deep is billed as the worlds only Submarium, now I'm not quite sure what a submarium is when compared with a aquarium, it was built as a part of the Millenium lottery fund and the building is a rather striking angular building. It always looks to me like a prow of a ship pushing out of a stormy sea, it is grey at the brow and blue as it slops downwards, the design is striking but also bizarrely reminiscent of the PC World design for their computer stores (though its bigger and different colours :)).

When you get there parking costs three pounds but you get two back to spend in the shop, or it says two squid on the ticket. The Deep opens at 10 and shuts at 5, it costs £8.95 per person and if your (un)lucky to live near Hull (I'm from Grimsby so might be a biased in that last sentence on your luck) you can fill in a form and get free entrance for a year.

After paying you then enter the deep, though a young girl has to swipe your card so you can enter the attraction (a bit unnecessary) and you enter the attraction proper.

The first thing we see are a long sloping passageway which takes us down to the bottom of the submarium, along the way we are told about the evolution of the oceans from the birth of th earth to modern day. The passageway is dark with blue lights along, and along the way there is a succession of interactive games for those older kids.

When you get down to the bottom, you turn a corner and encounter the first pool, it was at this point that out one year old thought he's struck gold. The first pool is a shallow one, the top of the pool is only about 5 feet high and the glass is perfectly clear allowing young children to watch the brightly coloured fish glide past. My one year stood with his nose pressed against the window for about twenty minutes, constantly trying to pat the fish as they went past. If your a bit older then there are little monitors in which you can find out which fish is which and where they are from.

After this the first pool, you walk further down and visit the bigger deeper pool where you can watch the sharks and rays glide past, this is for the bigger kids and adults because my one year one wasn't all that interested, I guess he has no concept over size.

There were three sharks, at least four rays I saw, and a few other huge fish as well as a hiding congar eel. The sharks are well worth watching, they kind of glide past and look at you with there black expressionless eyes. The deeper pool is obviously popular and there are lots of windows to allow you to watch them glide past and towards the end of the tour a totally submerged tunnel in which you can watch the sharks go past.

Other attractions, is an ice zone with lots of fish in smaller tanks, there is a dark zone to watch the bioluminescent fish and lots and lots of jellyfish. I think the jellyfish are the coolest tanks in the whole aquarium, they are luminescent blue and kept in a big circular ball where you can watch them puff past you.

Well I thought that the first time I went but the second they were totally beaten by the sand eels, these are like tiny little snakes half buried in the sand with their heads bobbing up and down, really fun to watch and they are green and red banded.

There is a future zone with a more political aspect looking at mans abuse of the seas, its a bit dull and doesn't really engage the viewer. WE know the issues so wrapping it around a kind of futuristic TV program is a little unnecessary.

The tour finishes with either a stair back up to the top or a life through the big pool it has a 5 second pause half way to let you look, don't get worried and think the lift has broken down.

You can then go to the cafe and the gift shop and spend your 2 squid on sweets or some bath toys. You know they are ubiquitous with every attraction. However, the cafe food was really nice and the sandwiches excellent and we had a lovely time eating looking over the Humber estuary.

Overall we had a great time and we are looking forward to taking our son as he grows up and interacts more with the fish.

Summary: A lovely time was had by all