About the Aquarium How to find us / Code of Conduct

About the Aquarium
How to find us / Code of Conduct /
Risk Assessment / Make the most of your visit / Health & Safety / Aquarium map.
SEA LIFE London is one of the largest collections of marine life in Europe. Opened in 1997 as an
independent aquarium, London was bought by Merlin Entertainments and became a part of SEA LIFE
in 2008. Since then it has grown in size and diversity and welcomed many new animals from every
corner of the globe.
SEA LIFE London takes guests on an immersive journey throughout the cool waters of UK seas to the
tropical waters of the Pacific Ocean and the fresh water streams of the Amazon rainforest. With fish,
reptiles, birds and invertebrates of all kinds, SEA LIFE London represents an impressive slice of the
Earths vast biodiversity and natural wonders.
The underwater world is a hub of diversity and evolutionary marvels. The wildlife found in and
around our oceans, lakes, rivers and ponds is among the most beautiful and awe inspiring on the
planet. Covering over 75% of the planet; the ocean accounts for 90% of the habitable space in the
world and has supported life on Earth for over 3.7 billion years when the very first water algae
formed, absorbed the highly toxic levels of carbon dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere and converted
it to oxygen – paving the way for life as we know it. Since then, life has evolved in huge leaps
creating an extraordinary level of biodiversity and a healthy ocean which sustains our planets
climate and distributes nutrients to every part of the world. Surviving the immense challenges of an
ocean life requires a remarkable range of adaptations and lifestyles, which has led to some
astonishing relationships and interactions between animals and their habitats, as well as some
extraordinary life processes unlike any of those seen in land dwelling species. These natural marvels
can serve to teach us the true extents of nature’s versatility.
SEA LIFE London Aquarium is located on the South bank of the river Thames, within the
County Hall building. We are situated right next to the EDF Energy London Eye, just over
Westminster Bridge from Big Ben and The Houses of Parliament.
There are designated coach drop-off points at the corner of Belvedere Road
and Chicheley Street, next to Jubilee Gardens.
You will need a 20 minute pick up/drop off permit that can be obtained by
phoning 0870 990 8886 (calls cost 10p per minute plus network extras).
The nearest train station is Waterloo. From Waterloo follow the exit signs
for the South Bank and walk towards the London Eye. London Aquarium is
in County Hall, next to the EDF Energy Eye.
Charing Cross train station is also near to SEA LIFE
London Aquarium. From Charing Cross take the exit next
to platform 1 for Hungerford Bridge; go over the bridge
and follow signs for Jubilee Gardens. Follow the river front
past the EDF Energy London Eye and the Aquarium is on
your left.
The nearest tube stations are Westminster and Waterloo. Westminster tube is on the Circle,
Jubilee and District lines. From Westminster, exit onto Westminster Bridge (Exit 1) and then
cross over the Bridge. SEA LIFE London Aquarium is visible from the bridge. Waterloo tube is
on the Northern, Bakerloo, Waterloo & City lines. From Waterloo follow the exit signs for
the South Bank (Exit 6) and walk towards the EDF Energy London Eye. SEA LIFE London
Aquarium is in County Hall, next to the Eye.
There are a large number of bus services
which stop in the vicinity of Waterloo or
Westminster Bridge Road (both
accessible to the Aquarium.) For
Westminster Bridge Road, take the 12,
53, 59, 76, 148, 159, 211 or 341. For
Belvedere Road (just behind the
Aquarium, parallel to the South Bank),
take the 77 or RV1. For York Road (next
to Waterloo and behind the Aquarium)
take the 211, 77 or 381. Many other
buses stop in Waterloo Road, which is a few minutes’ walk from the Aquarium. These
include 1, 4, 26, X68, 76, 168, 171, 172, 176, 188, 243, 507 and 638.
All the London sightseeing buses also pick up and drop off at these points.
School leaders are expected to bring the correct ratio of leaders: students needed to
sufficiently manage their group. We offer a ratio of 1 free teacher for every 5 students
in preschool, KS1 and 1 free leader for every 10 students in KS2 KS3 and KS4.
Students are asked to stay with a leader at all times. If students are seen
unsupervised within the attraction, a member of staff will seek school staff to
accompany them.
Students should be considerate and respectful of Aquarium guests, Aquarium staff
and students from other schools at all times. Should students become disrespectful,
threatening or behave in an inappropriate manner, they may be asked to leave the
aquarium.
SEA LIFE London keeps animals which are extremely sensitive and can also inflict
severe injuries. Therefore; for the health and safety of both guests and animals,
SEA LIFE has a strict no touching policy
except in pools
monitored by a member of staff.
Teachers are asked to be aware that
our education staff reserves the
right to terminate a school tour or
session at any time. During private
educational sessions, students are
asked to be well behaved and
respectful of their staff member, and
teachers are asked to support the
staff member should the group
misbehave. Should our staff feel
uncomfortable with the groups’
behaviour, or feel that the group will
not benefit from the session; they are not
under any obligation to complete the tour.
It is the responsibility of the group to arrive on time for their booking. SEA
LIFE London strives to meet the needs and requirement of all school and groups and
will endeavor to solve any problems to the best of their ability to ensure the group is
satisfied. However in circumstances beyond our control, SEA LIFE is under no
obligation to provide preferential treatment for the effected group. Should a group
arrive too late for their booked tour or session, SEA LIFE staff will explore every
avenue of opportunity to fit the group in at a different time; however please be aware
our education team works on a strict daily rota and may be unable to do so.
We regret there are only limited facilities to store lunches or bags and coats within
the aquarium, and that SEA LIFE holds a no eating or drinking policy. Our school
lunch room can be booked in advance, but no food or drink should be consumed
outside of this designated area.
Providing a consistently high level of education and customer service is SEA LIFE’s
top priority. If at any point you are unsatisfied with your visit, please be sure to let us
know we will make every effort to ensure the problem is rectified and your experience
is improved.
When pupils are enjoying a lesson it shows. It shows in their attention levels, in the effort
they put in and the results they achieve. The education programme at SEA LIFE London
Aquarium offers maximum educational value through unique and stimulating learning
experiences.
Merlin Entertainments Group is the leading name in location based, quality family
entertainment. Now the world's number two visitor attraction operator, it aims to deliver
unique, memorable and rewarding experiences to its 30 million visitors worldwide, through
its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its managers and
employees. Merlin has over 50 attractions, in 12 countries, across
three continents - Europe, North America and Asia - and employs
over 13,000 staff.
- Public Liability: SEA LIFE London Aquarium is covered by Public
Liability Insurance to the amount of £5 million. The Policy is with
ACE Europe (Policy No UKCANC33447).
- Local Enforcement Agency: Lambeth Council.
- Food Safety and Hygiene: N/A
- Attraction Staff / Staff identification: Attraction staff wear
uniforms and name badges for easy identification. Full
criminal record checks are carried out on all staff, including all
first aiders.
- Security: The attraction has a dedicated security team who
are able to deal with minor security issues on site. The
operations team are also trained to deal with emergency
incidents that may arise.
- Vehicle traffic: N/A.
- Weather protection / Sun safety: N/A
- Water: SEA LIFE London Aquarium is situated on the river Thames. Whilst there is no
access to the river from the attraction, pupils/students must be supervised at all times
before entering the building to ensure safety.
- Slips/ Trips/ Falls: The following hazards should be noted: steps and stairs, ledges
surrounding displays, wet flooring, etc.
- High level areas: Whilst there are no high level areas, per se, those who suffer from vertigo
may find Shark Walk uncomfortable.
- Strobe lighting: N/A
- Reduced lighting: Due to the theming of the attraction,
there are certain areas that have limited lighting. Care should
be taken to ensure no slips/trips or falls.
- Enclosed spaces: There are a few spaces that are smaller
other areas in the attraction, i.e. Shark Walk and the Ocean
Tunnel. These areas are open-ended on both sides and guests can
walk through them at their own pace.
- Attraction specific risk: There are open-top tanks in the
attraction, so we would ask that all guests refrain from touching
the animals lest they slip, trip or fall.
- Door entrapment: We have finger guards on most doors inside
the attraction, but would ask that extra supervision is given when
using them.
- Duration: the time spent inside the attraction varies from group to
group. Please expect to stay 1.5 hours minimum (without a
tour/session)
- Soft play areas / Play equipment: N/A
- Arrival arrangements: If you are bringing a group
by minibus or coach and need to drop off and pick
up your group, please note that space is very
limited and you are required to book a coachparking bay. This service is complimentary, but
must be booked in advance by calling our
Schools and Groups booking line on +44
(0)871 663 1679. Please note that you
are only permitted to use a parking bay
for 20 minutes whilst you drop off and then pick up
your group and you are not permitted to stay whilst the group visits SEA LIFE London
Aquarium.
- Parking: There are car parks located on the South Bank within a five minute walk of the
SEA LIFE London Aquarium. These include Golden Jubilee Bridges, under Hayward Gallery
and under the Royal National Theatre. These car parks all have disabled parking bays.
- First aid: SEA LIFE London Aquarium has a medical / first aid facility which is operated by a
dedicated team of qualified first aiders.
- Emergency planning: SEA LIFE London Aquarium is developing a contingency plan in the
event of an emergency. The emergency plan will be developed in conjunction with the local
emergency services who will have regular meetings regarding emergency procedures. This
will launch in 2011 (please call +44 (0)871 663 1679 for any further updates).
- Fire safety: In the event of an emergency please follow all evacuation procedures.
- Wheelchair access: SEA LIFE London Aquarium is fully accessible for wheelchair users. Due
to safety restrictions, only 10 wheelchairs are allowed in the attraction at the same time.
Wheelchair guests requiring the use of a
wheelchair will have one on a
‘first come, first served’ basis.
- Lost children: Please
report to member of staff or security guard.
- Unruly children: We
ask all teachers and group leaders to
accompany children
at all times in the attraction. If children are seen to
be walking around
the attraction alone, the Duty Manager will seek the
teacher or group
leader to accompany them. Staff will instruct children to
behave where
necessary.
- Age / height
restrictions: There are no age or height restrictions for this
attraction.
- Lockers / storage facilities: There are no lockers or storage
facilities.
- Eating facilities: There are eating facilities outside the exit of
SEA LIFE
London Aquarium and inside County Hall. There are also several
more food
outlets in close proximity. There are several areas suitable for
picnics.
- Welfare facilities: There are toilets on every floor, including
disabled and
baby changing facilities.
- Additional
costs: There are retail facilities and picture opportunities where
additional
funds may be appropriate inside the attraction.
- Attraction
signposting: We are signposted from London Waterloo train
station for
pedestrians.
The aquariums regular opening hours are between 10:00am and 7:00pm with last entry at 6:00pm.
Upon arrival at the aquarium, schools are entitled to enter via our priority queue line. Your tickets
are valid all day if you would like to leave at any point, you will have the option to re-enter.
The aquarium has a lunch room available for schools
which must be booked in advance. The lunch room holds
20 people at a time, is conveniently located next to the
entrance of the aquarium and is available to book in 45
minute slots throughout the day. It is free to book this but if you
do not book a slot with your booking we will be unable to guarantee any
lunch room space. There are various open spaces such as Jubilee Gardens nearby which act as good
alternative spaces during nice weather. There are also many cafes close by.
There are limited large lockers available within our schools lunch room. These are large enough to
hold lunches and small bags and are available to use for a £20 deposit. These are allocated on a first
come first serve basis.
There are toilets on every floor of the aquarium however we
recommend where possible you go to the toilet before you
arrive. Although there are some toilets at the entrance
of the aquarium, the first group sized toilet blocks
are around 30 – 40 minutes in to your journey.
Public toilets can be found further down Southbank in
the London Eye.
Tours are all
self guided around the aquarium unless a specific educational tour or session
is booked in advance through the contact centre. Find more information on these by calling the call
centre or reading the education at the aquarium PDF downloadable from the website. If you have a
pre booked tour or session, your guide will meet you at the touch pool in the aquarium, located just
after the ray lagoon. (Point 6 on the map) As our team work on a strict daily rota, you must arrive in
good time for your tour. If you are running late, we will do all we can to accommodate your booking,
however given the nature of the attraction, we may be unable to do so. See T+C’s for more
information.
Please ensure you bring a printed copy of your booking confirmation with you.
There is a gift shop located at the exit of the aquarium.
The aquarium runs talks and feeds throughout the day which are included in your standard tickets.
The talks differ on a daily basis so make sure you know what is available!*
*All talks and feeds are subject to change
Visiting school groups are asked that their group is visible and easy to differentiate from the public
i.e. high visibility vests. Preferably children should also have the details of the school and a contact
number on them as well in case of separation from the group.
SEA LIFE London has trained on site first aiders, however schools and groups are asked to bring a
qualified first aider and a first aid kit stocked with necessary provisions with them on visits. First aid
incidents should be dealt with in the first instance by a group leader/first aider from your
organisation.
Visitors must not touch any of the animals, or put their hands in the tanks unless specifically invited
to do so by a member of SEA LIFE staff. Many animals have bites/stings and some transferable
diseases are known to be found in water.
Based in central London, the aquarium can become extremely busy and it is vital that groups have
enough staff to supervise their groups.