Valencia: L'Oceanografic

After checking out of our hotel and walking around the stunning City of Arts and Sciences, we decided to spend the next few hours at Oceanografic before catching our train to Barcelona.

Dolphins performing in the dolphin show.

Seals stealing a kiss.

Flamingos ❤

Zebra Shark swimming in the aquarium.

L'Oceanografic aquarium.

An owl sits on the grass.

A Falcon sitting on a perch.

A bird spreads its wings in the aviary.

​L'Oceanogràfic of the Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias is an aquarium and a Sea World rolled into one. The park is the largest aquarium in Europe featuring 45,000 individuals of 500 different species including: dolphins, belugas, walruses, sea lions, seals, turtles, sharks, rays, sawfish, starfish, sea urchins, wetland birds plus many more set across several different aquatic environments such as the Mediterranean, Wetlands, Temperate and Tropical Seas, the Red Sea, the Arctic, the Antarctic, Islands, Oceans, as well as the Dolphinarium. It cost €27.90 ($38.75AUD) for entry which for Europe is quite expensive for an admission fee, however the price was pretty cheap by Australian standards so no complaints here.

Entry ticket and park guide.

We arrived just in time to head to the dolphin show. It is performed entirely in Spanish, however, it is quite easy to follow even if you don't know the language (the Dolphins know more Spanish than I do). The presenter of the show was quite funny and there was plenty of crowd participation in the way of Mexican waves and children being selected out of the large crowd to participate in the show for answering correct quiz questions. The dolphin show was great and not only highlighted the fact that they could perform, but also provided kids with information regarding conservation, which I have not seen during shows at other sea life parks I have visited in the past. ​
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The host of the dolphin show.

The dolphin trainers.

5 dolphins breaching during the show,

Dolphins carrying their trainer.

An uncooperative dolphin (my favourite dolphin of the day) swims away to the side of the pool and plays with his food by repeatedly tossing it in air and catching it.

Dolphin performing during the show.

Beluga Whale.

The aquatic tunnel and aquariums we're beautiful and feature a large variety of marine life, although I did notice that sadly, some of the exhibits for the larger marine life we're very, very tiny. I observed a walrus swimming around and around in a continuous somersault because he had no other choice. It was quite upsetting to watch and the image has stayed with me ever since I left the park. I am unsure if this was the walrus’s permanent tank, I really hope it wasn't, but if so I really hope actions are put into place to ensure these marine animals have adequate space in their enclosures. I have never seen an animal so large kept in such a small space, to relate he was around the size equivalent of 1 car in a squishy one-car garage, (barely any room to move). ​

The stunning aquarium.

Sharks swimming alongside fish.

I found Nemo (Clownfish).

A yellow tropical fish.

People observing the aquarium through the viewing window

A tropical fish.

Multiple sharks.

A fish swimming in the aquarium.

The futuristic design of the L'Oceanografic underwater restaurant.

A flamingo on the restaurant island.

The aviary.

Swans.

Attempting to disregard the walrus situation, Oceanografic definitely does have the most attractive and futuristic design of any aquarium I have been to. The park is a worthwhile place to go and see when visiting the beautiful city of Valencia especially if travelling with children, however, if you are a lover of marine life or advocate against animals in captivity, expect to leave with a heavy heart or the motivation to protest.

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