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Like a fish out of water

April 12, 2020 | Michael Turtle | 11 Comments

ANIMAL PARK

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

All around is blue. There’s water above, there’s water either side, and there’s water ahead. Like a fish out of water, I’m surrounded by ocean.

Sharks glide past on one side and then a large turtle appears, swimming overhead. Schools of fish dart around and a stingray patrols the sandy ground.

This is what it must feel like to be in the sea… yet here I am in the middle of Rotterdam in The Netherlands.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands
Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

But if you think being in the tunnel of Rotterdam Zoo’s Oceanium is interesting enough, let me take you outside it to a truly fish out of water experience: behind the scenes of the aquarium.

Visitors are not normally allowed back here and this is a special access opportunity just so I can show you what goes on to keep the Oceanium running.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

“We have a public lab where visitors can also have a look and get an impression of what we’re doing behind the scenes,” the zoo’s Constance Alderlieste tells me. “But what you’re seeing – that is real.”

Constance leads me through a nondescript door, up a flight of internal stairs and down a corridor of offices. In one room, models of sharks hang from the ceiling and a cloth stingray is strewn over a set of shelves.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

We turn right at the end of the corridor and walk down a metal gangway. Suddenly we arrive at a massive pool.

I go to peer over the edge and Constance warns me to make sure nothing I’m carrying might fall into it. I see why when I look down and watch a turtle go past, followed by a shark and some fish.

Beneath me is the huge aquarium with the tunnel going right through the middle of it.

“We have 7 million litres of water in the oceanium and in the shark area 3 million litres,” Constance explains as I stare around in awe.

From above it looks massive on a scale that was hard to judge from below.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands
Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands
Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

There are pipes everywhere connected to big tanks. There’s a whirring sound in contrast to the silence of the tunnel we had just come from. It’s all part of the elaborate filtration system that keeps the animals alive.

“It consists of several kinds of filters, sand filters, biological filters, UV filters,” Constance tells me, “and all the water is purified within one and a half hours and we have a system in different layers.”

“The most pure water first goes to the animals which are very vulnerable then it goes to the sharks and the other fishes and at last to the sea lion – they are less vulnerable to illnesses than some of the specialised fish we have.”

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands
Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

I’m led back along the gangway, down the corridor and through another door at the other end. Again there’s a large room with a pool in the middle, although this one is covered with much more scaffolding and equipment.

A woman, whose name turns out to be Dayenne, emerges from the water in a scuba outfit. She had been underwater cleaning the windows and feeding the coral. She holds up an empty box where the food had been.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

There’s also some lab equipment with plastic trays of samples. Like many zoos, there’s a lot of scientific work going on behind the scenes.

“They are breeding several kinds of fishes and corals also,” Constance explains.

Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands
Oceanium, Rotterdam Zoo, The Netherlands

Visiting Rotterdam Zoo

Rotterdam Zoo is one of the most popular attractions in the Netherlands with more than 1.4 million visitors each year. This Oceanium is just a drop in the ocean.

There’s also an arctic section with polar bears, an Asian area with elephants, and Africa area with crocodiles, a savannah with hyenas and zebras, and a new butterfly section where cocoons are sent each week from Costa Rica.

You could spend all day wandering around the different zones but unfortunately I don’t have that kind of time today. Luckily there are plenty more fish in the sea.

>> More info here about Rotterdam Zoo <<

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION IN ROTTERDAM

As you would expect in Rotterdam, there are some very cool and interesting accommodation options in the city.

BACKPACKER

For one of the best backpacker options in the whole country, check out King Kong Hostel.

BUDGET

Hotel Bazar has some really funky rooms and with the huge breakfast, it’s great value.

BOUTIQUE

For a bit of history, you can stay in the beautifully-designed Hotel New York.

LUXURY

And I think the best modern luxury in the city is the stunning Mainport Design Hotel on the water.

Time Travel Turtle was a guest of Rotterdam Marketing but the opinions, over-written descriptions and bad jokes are his own.

Netherlands Travel Guide

WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THE NETHERLANDS?

See my Netherlands Travel Guide

To help you plan your trip to the Netherlands:

  • What to expect in the historic centre of Amsterdam
  • The best art museums in Amsterdam
  • Explore the countryside of Van Gogh
  • The incredible factory that’s now a World Heritage Site
  • See the engineering genius of the Dutch firsthand
  • How the Dutch protected their capital by controlling water
  • For architecture fans, this house will blow your mind!
  • How a simple rabbit took over the world
  • Visit the best windmills in the Netherlands
  • How you can stay the night on a boat in Rotterdam’s port.

Let someone else do the work for you:

You may also want to consider taking a tour of the Netherlands, rather than organising everything on your own. It’s also a nice way to have company if you are travelling solo.

I am a ‘Wanderer’ with G Adventures and they have great tours of the Netherlands.

You could consider:

  • Berlin to London on a shoestring (6 days)
  • Budapest to London on a shoestring (12 days)
  • European Trail (26 days)

When I travel internationally, I always get insurance. It’s not worth the risk, in case there’s a medical emergency or another serious incident. I recommend you should use World Nomads for your trip.

Reader Interactions

    Comments Cancel reply

  1. T.W. Anderson @ Marginal Boundaries |

    May 31, 2013 at 8:12 am

    Reply

    Ok, this is one of the grooviest posts you’ve done in awhile 🙂 Oceanariums are always so amazing, and this one looks awesome! I haven’t been to a good one in a long time…nothing down here in Cancun, even though they have an aquarium and the underwater submarine here…that can compare.

    Great stuff!

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 4, 2013 at 3:48 am

      Reply

      It was really fun to go behind the scenes. You don’t really think about that normally but it was fascinating to see how it runs.

  2. Laura @Travelocafe |

    June 1, 2013 at 10:29 pm

    Reply

    Such an amazing place. I love your photos and the insight. It reminds me of the Oceanografico in Valencia, Spain.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 4, 2013 at 3:53 am

      Reply

      I guess most aquariums are similar in the sense that they have water and fish… but I love the ones that go out of their way to make the experience a little bit more special for the visitors.

  3. James |

    June 1, 2013 at 10:30 pm

    Reply

    I have a fascination with the sharks. They are so wild and dangerous. I love this place. Thanks for pointing it out to me.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 4, 2013 at 3:53 am

      Reply

      The sharks looked so peaceful here. Maybe they’re just a little misunderstood… 🙁

  4. Jennifer |

    June 3, 2013 at 8:41 am

    Reply

    I would have loved this! I once upon a time wanted to be a marine biologist and spent my first year of college working toward that goal. Life happened, but my interest in sea creatures lives on. It would have been incredible for me to get a behind the scenes look at the aquarium!

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 4, 2013 at 3:57 am

      Reply

      Being a marine biologist would be so cool! I’ve met a few and they always seem like such happy people. Much happier than travel bloggers… 🙂

  5. Hanna |

    June 16, 2013 at 5:07 am

    Reply

    Nice aquarium, it is so cool that you get a pick behind the scenes and share the photos of what is going on there.

    • Michael Turtle |

      June 23, 2013 at 1:13 am

      Reply

      I was pretty lucky to be able to see behind the scenes. it made me appreciate the place a lot more.

  6. Dan |

    July 8, 2013 at 9:18 am

    Reply

    Very cool! I love everything under the waters surface. A whole different world!

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This is the website of travel writer, Michael Turtle. After working in broadcast journalism for a decade in Australia, Michael left Sydney to travel the world indefinitely and write about the places, people and experiences he discovers. This isn't a diary - these are real stories from the world.

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