A detailed look at the zones at SEA LIFE London Aquarium

A fully enclosed glass tunnel inside the Open Oceans tank, holding 750,000 litres of seawater and placing you 5 metres below the surface.

• Why it matters: You are surrounded by marine life, with sharks and turtles gliding overhead in a 360-degree view.
  
• Highlights: Zebra sharks, green sea turtles, cownose rays, eagle rays, pufferfish and butterflyfish

A large central habitat designed to replicate the vast ocean, featuring expansive tanks and underwater scenes, including a suspended whale skeleton display.

• Why it matters: It showcases the diversity of ocean life, with both large and small species sharing the same environment.
  
• Highlights: Southern stingrays, cownose rays, snappers, and a wide variety of tropical fish

A vibrant reef zone featuring the UK’s largest living coral reef, designed as a colourful underwater ecosystem with a large display tank.

• Why it matters: It highlights one of the ocean’s most biodiverse ecosystems, filled with constant movement.
  
• Highlights: Clownfish, regal tangs, blue tangs, cardinalfish, sea goldie, and other reef species

A warm, humid zone that shifts the focus from oceans to tropical freshwater habitats beneath dense rainforest canopies.

• Why it matters: It introduces a completely different ecosystem, showing how life thrives in rivers and forests.
  
• Highlights: Piranhas, crocodiles, and freshwater fish species

A frozen Antarctic-inspired environment built around a colony of Gentoo penguins, recreating life in extreme cold conditions.

• Why it matters: It offers a rare chance to observe penguins up close in a habitat designed to reflect their natural environment.
  
• Highlights: Gentoo penguins

A visually striking zone dedicated to jellyfish, set within glowing, colour-shifting displays that highlight their fluid movement.

• Why it matters: It highlights the movement and structure of jellyfish in a visually striking, almost hypnotic display.
  
• Highlights: Multiple species of jellyfish in illuminated tanks

A zone showcasing the diverse creatures of the Atlantic’s coastline. It features shoals of fish adapted to changing coastal conditions.

• Why it matters: Highlights marine life adapted to dynamic coastal environments.
  
• Highlights: Sand eels, Atlantic wolffish, and other Atlantic species

A shallow lagoon habitat where rays glide gracefully beneath a pier-like setting. The open design allows clear views from multiple angles.

• Why it matters: Lets visitors observe rays from above and below, with the chance to spot “mermaid’s purses” (ray eggs).
  
• Highlights: Eagle rays and other ray species

A dramatic underwater shipwreck scene filled with sharks and scattered relics. The environment recreates a sunken world where marine life moves through ruins.

• Why it matters: Combines storytelling with wildlife viewing, making shark encounters immersive and memorable.
  
• Highlights: Sand tiger sharks, bowmouth guitarfish (“Betty”)

A carefully designed habitat dedicated to seahorses and their relatives. The displays highlight delicate species in detailed environments.

• Why it matters: Highlights rare and delicate species, including male seahorses that give birth.
  
• Highlights: Seahorses, leafy seadragons, pipefish

An interactive zone focused on the small ecosystems found in coastal rockpools. It allows close-up exploration of marine life typically found along the shoreline.

• Why it matters: Offers hands-on learning about micro-habitats just above the tide line.
  
• Highlights: Starfish, sea anemones, stingray eggs, and other rockpool dwellers

A zone focused on sharks and their role within the marine ecosystem. It also highlights the interactions between sharks and smaller fish.

• Why it matters: Shows that even fierce predators are part of a complex ecosystem, with fascinating fish interactions.
  
• Highlights: Sharks and cleaner fish interactions