During their stay in Finland and sightseeing, travelers recommend visiting the Sea life Aquarium in Helsinki. Its name in translation means "Marine life." Read about the aquarium in Helsinki, its inhabitants and unusual facts in this article.
general description
The Helsinki Oceanarium Sea life is located on the territory of one of the most popular metropolitan amusement parks, Lynnanmäki. An interesting fact is that this is the first oceanarium not only in Finland, but throughout Scandinavia. It was opened in mid-2002.
The building has two floors, on which a large number of exhibition aquariums of various capacities are located. When visiting the Helsinki Aquarium, you can get to know the inhabitants of the deep sea.
Representatives of almost all seas and oceans are collected here, ranging from starfish and crustaceans to large predators such as the great white shark. On the territory of the aquarium is located more than 50 different in form and volume of specially created aquariums and tanks in which marine inhabitants feel quite comfortable.
Several halls
The largest pool in the Helsinki Aquarium is the one through which a long transparent tunnel passes. The volume of the pool itself is as much as 230 m 3 . Passing through this tunnel, one can observe how the inhabitants of a huge aquarium seem to soar above the viewer's head.
All halls are decorated in the form of interactive exhibitions, each of which has its own original theme. One of them tells visitors about the prehistoric representatives of the deep sea. With the help of augmented reality technologies, you can feel yourself in the role of a paleontologist and scientist involved in the excavation of ancient fish and aquatic dinosaurs. With the help of special effects you can feel the movement of water and wind.
Contact Hall
In one of the halls of the aquarium in Helsinki, there is a contact zone, similar to the contact zoo. Here, for example, you can touch the sea urchin, jellyfish or sea bass, as well as see how light bulbs come on after the electric eel releases discharges.
In the aquariums of the aquarium you can watch exotic species of fish that live in tropical seas, see seahorses, turtles, jellyfish, octopuses and sharks. One of the unique inhabitants is a huge starfish brought from Colombia and having as many as 19 tentacles (legs). Currently, this exotic creature has reached a size of 65 cm in diameter, and when the star grows, it is assumed that it will be twice as large.
Fancy Services
In various halls of the aquarium in Helsinki every hour there is an opportunity to feed marine inhabitants for a fee. The first feeding session starts at 11:00 local time. There is a special schedule from which you can find out which representatives of the depths and how much you can feed.
The feeding of stingrays is very popular. This is due to the fact that during the procedure, these dangerous sea creatures with their movements are very similar to rejoicing dogs. Many visitors can also be seen feeding one of the most dangerous predators - sharks. It is fascinating for people how gracefully these perfect predators attack their prey, which they lower into the aquarium.
Shark Pool
Sharks are the pride of the Helsinki Aquarium. The fact is that scientists working on the basis of this institution are engaged not only in the study, but also in the reproduction of these amazing predators.
One of the pools is not just allocated for the sharks, it is dedicated to a whole virtual exposition. It is called "Immersion in the world of dinosaurs." This unusual name is due to the fact that the virtual tour tells about the ancestors of sharks - carharadons, who lived on the planet several million years ago. An interesting fact is that the current representatives of this species, despite evolutionary processes, have not changed very much.
Scientists have come to the surprising conclusion that shark intelligence is very similar to dolphin. And the most unusual conclusion was that these terrible predators can attach to humans in the same way as dolphins. Moreover, the researchers argue that the sharks are very good at training, in support of their words, they show success in this endeavor by the example of a zebra shark nicknamed Mussukka.
Interesting Facts
In 2017, the Helsinki Aquarium celebrated its 15th anniversary. Especially for this event, a large-scale exhibition was created and several aquariums with various types of jellyfish were equipped. The organizers showed visitors unusual and amazing specimens of these creations. These exotic marine inhabitants are striking in their beauty, despite the fact that some of them can mortally injure a person, such as cubomedusa.
One of the audience’s favorites is a huge octopus, which, surprisingly, sounds like to pose when it is being shot. At first, this was perceived as a coincidence, but over time it became clear that this marine inhabitant behaves consciously and poses during the shooting.
Helsinki Oceanarium: how to get there
Being in the capital, to the aquarium, located at ul. Tivolitie, 10 (Tivolitie), from the train station you can get on the tram 3T or 3B. Tickets for all types of transport can be purchased at special ticket machines, which are located next to transport stops. You will need to get to the stop “Alppia” and go to the amusement park “Lynnanmäki”, where the aquarium is located.
To get to the Helsinki Aquarium from the ferry, which arrives at the capital's port, you can use the tram, following route number 9. The stop is located next to the terminal where the ferry approaches. You will need to get off at the Kotkankatu stop next to the aquarium. This amazing place is located almost in the city center, and you can walk to it, on the way, exploring the many attractions of the capital. From the train station or port, the walk to the aquarium will be from 15 to 20 minutes.
Helsinki Oceanarium: reviews
According to reviews of visitors to the aquarium, this is a great place that surprises with the unusual nature of its exotic inhabitants. The size of the maritime center is also impressive. Thousands of marine creatures from around the world are gathered on its large territory. All this pleasure will cost inexpensively, it can be obtained at a very low price for Finland. The cost of a ticket for an adult is 13.5 euros, and for schoolchildren - 6 euros, discounts are provided for pensioners and students.
Tourists who visited the Helsinki Aquarium note that this place is a must to visit, especially if you travel with children. In addition to the fact that there is a huge entertainment center where children will have fun, there is an opportunity to get acquainted with the amazing inhabitants of the deep sea.
The important point is that, in addition to just observing numerous fish, sharks, stingrays and jellyfish, there is the opportunity to watch a fascinating virtual tour that will tell about these beautiful creations of nature.
Visitors to the aquarium note the uniqueness of this place. Nowhere else in Finland can you meet so many representatives of the underwater world. Also here you can learn not only about those who are directly in one of the aquariums, but also trace the entire evolutionary chain of one kind or another. Young visitors especially like this, as excursions are conducted using various virtual technologies.
Undoubtedly, the Helsinki Aquarium is the place to visit. Here you will have the opportunity to not only enjoy the beauty of various sea creatures, but also learn a lot about their ancestors, as well as entire prehistoric periods.