Deep Sea World
Deep Sea World
3
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
About
Deep Sea World is located underneath the iconic Forth Rail Bridge, in the quaint village of North Queensferry. Deep Sea World is one of the premier attractions in Scotland, offering fun for the whole family, no matter what their age. Come along and see our spectacular underwater tunnel and come face to face with one of Europe's largest collection of Sand Tiger sharks and even dive with them...If you're feeling brave enough!
Duration: 2-3 hours
Meets animal welfare guidelines
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  • Miriam C
    7 contributions
    Very disappointing 😞
    Bought discounted tickets via my work (£9 each) for my partner and I and 2 teenage nieces. I'm very grateful I had bought tickets in advance as it would have been £68 on the door as over 13s are classed as adults. My first impression was that it was looking very rundown, I remember visiting many years ago and it being "state of the art" but it sadly certainly is not that now. It took less than an hour to view everything and that was trying hard to take as much time as possible as we had a lunch reservation elsewhere and had allowed a good couple hours for this visit. We went to the cafe which was dire and very dirty. It had a canteen vibe to it but was charging restaurant prices. We had 3 weak bland coffees that came to nearly £10 and although we didn't eat noted that the menu was extortionate (£14-16 for main meals). The food clearly wasn't very good either as there several was piles of half eaten food piling up on various tables around us. Add this cost to the high standard entrance fee and its a very expensive couple of hours out for a family. The toilets were not clean. The doors didn't lock and the hand dryers very temperamental. Thankfully due my nieces having an interest in fish and aquatic life they did enjoy what they did see but both commented that they expected there to be much more to do and see. It's a shame because this could be so much more with a bit of TLC and thought into what is actually value for money.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 3 January 2023
  • cloe geddes
    2 contributions
    Mixed experience
    Great experience for curious little ones but we had seen everything within 30 minutes and then went to get food. When I asked about a hot food menu I was told they had stopped serving so I grabbed the wee one a kids lunch box and went to pay and blatantly saw the family in front order 2 burgers & chips. When I questioned why I was told no hot food but others were being served I was told it was dependant on what you were ordering, however still wasn’t offered a menu to even see any options so have now started our hour long drive back home hungry while the family in front of us had a nice big hot lunch which we weren’t allowed. Very highly priced so likely wouldn’t be back unless we are gifted another voucher from family which we were for this trip.
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 14 January 2023
  • touriststwo
    53 contributions
    Very overpriced for the average family
    Very, very overpriced!! Two concessions and two children 7 and 4, £54. Took snacks for the children but bought 2 coffees, a milk and a juice...over £11. Add to that something from the gift shop...another £20. Not many families can afford this day out. It advises 2 to 3 hours for the visit, pretty much the boys were ready to leave within 2 hours but we had spent a lot of that time in the cafe and gift shop. My grandson was excited to see the frogs but most of the cases looked empty as did the snake case. We tried to go to some of the feeding sessions but pointless due to people pushing in. Won't be back
    Visited January 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 22 January 2023
  • Gavin M
    Cumbernauld, United Kingdom3 contributions
    Awful staff
    Horrible staff. As we walked in, they weren’t pleased to see another family on top of their busy day. One mouthed ‘more for f*** sake’. Very welcoming. We ordered chips and cheese from the cafe to complement our packed lunch. Five minutes later we decided to order one more to share. At this point we were told we could have chips but the cheese had been put in the fridge - couldn’t be bothered to get something from the fridge. To top it off it’s not good value for money.
    Written 5 February 2023
  • KilrymontFife
    St. Andrews, United Kingdom30 contributions
    Disappointing, very.
    By getting realistic with their ticket prices. Even for an OAP they want £15 of his pension money, so guess how many pensioners can afford that sort of frivolous outlay... Their online information provided is pretty suspect. They seem to think that Scotland's Basking Sharks grow to a maximum of 10ft... When any child who takes in information from sources like Attenborough's BBC programmes could point out that this is utter nonsense - basking sharks commonly reach well over three times that size and are known to be the world's third biggest fish. The impression is that they know more about glossy photographs than the species living in Scotland's home waters! NOBODY calls Tope "Tope Sharks" and nobody calls dogfish "dogfish sharks" - talk about those like that to any fisherman, you'll be seen as a know-nothing twit. Commercial establishments like this one are clearly centred on little but squeezing visitors for the maximum amount of Sterling possible, with little attention on science or accuracy of detail or terms used. By no means am I against such places, but I certainly am against ridiculous ticket prices and a lack of accuracy in information supplied to the public.
    Visited December 2022
    Written 5 February 2023
  • Keith791
    90 contributions
    Value for Money Questionable
    Appreciate upkeep of a facility such as this will be sizeable however value for money is very limited. It is a good few years since now my last visit but it is looking very very tired. Needs some TLC in my opinion to add to the appeal and experience. Would be interesting to compare with similar facilities in Loch Lomond. Overall sadly not sure I can recommend this attraction.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 12 February 2023
  • Laura S
    1 contribution
    Poor experience, finished in 30 minutes, best to avoid
    This attraction is very overpriced and Not value for money. Entrance is shabby and is in need of upgrading. The water beside the entrance was full of rubbish and sends the wrong message to children about pollution in the ocean.... You have missed this opportunity ☹️ Areas dark and difficult for signs to be read so not sure what is in each tank at times. Pool containing seals is in poor condition with what looks like paint coming off in the water? Seals looked sad. Minimal variety of species available.
    Visited February 2023
    Travelled with family
    Written 17 February 2023
  • Amanda K
    Thatcham, United Kingdom99 contributions
    Avoid
    Wanted some to do for a couple of hours between hospital visits, but the couple of hours turned into half hour! I have visited many aquariums in my time but this is the worst. No arrows to point the direction you should be going in…walk down to the underwater tunnel to walk back up and find out where you are. The Seals were so sad. They literally swam round in a circle and cam up for air in the same place. They didn’t use any of their stimulation toys. Over priced and would not visit again.
    Visited March 2023
    Travelled as a couple
    Written 5 March 2023
  • Meander15197747624
    1 contribution
    Overpriced for a boring, experience. Absolute Rip off
    Ridiculously overpriced for what you actually get. A boring, un-engaging experience and the seals look neglected and depressed. Went to the cafe where a burger starts at £10.85, a kids pizza is £14.00 and a scabby looking muffin costs £3.00. We actually walked out without buying anything and took the kids for a bar lunch in South queensferry which amazingly worked out cheaper! Our friends, however did pay £5 for undercooked, tasteless chips and cheese which they left half of. Won't be back again
    Visited March 2023
    Written 26 March 2023
  • ScotlandSue06
    24 contributions
    Don’t wast your time & money
    We took our 3 year old grandson here for the very first time and to say we were disappointed is an understatement. First of all is very very expensive to get in. We paid £17 each for my husband and myself and £15 for our grandson. We actually had done everything including the seals getting fed in under 40 minutes! The whole place needs a lot of work. The restaurant is way overpriced that we cancelled our order and left. Complete rip off
    Visited March 2023
    Written 1 April 2023
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3.0
1,981 reviews
Excellent
377
Very good
359
Average
455
Poor
404
Terrible
386

BonnieH
Peterhead, UK1 contribution
Dec 2023 • Family
Drove 90 miles to visit the aquarium. I’m sad to say we came away just feeling disappointed and like it wasn’t worth the journey or money.
The tunnel itself is the best feature but I remember it being fuller/better when we’d visited years ago.
The fish & reptiles they have are lovely and look well but there was just far less than we expected.
It almost felt like we’d missed an area because we’d walked around so quickly.
The seal enclosure isn’t great visually.
The cafe is overpriced and looks basic.
The receptionists we seen were great but the other cafe/shop staff seemed uninterested.

Overall, the whole place looks run down and needs some serious investment. It could be fantastic.
There are other aquariums in the country that are far better value for money.
St Andrews aquarium was better and even though it is specifically fish/crustaceans from the North Sea, Macduff Aquarium is brilliant and less than £10 for an adult!
Written 1 December 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Adele M
1 contribution
Nov 2023 • Family
In the 5yrs since I last visited with other grandchild, there has been no improvements. The whole place looks shabby, except for the gift shop!! which is all shiny and inviting, inviting you to spend more money, which as a Granny it’s a pleasure to do so.
After spending around £70 on lunches, we couldn’t buy a yoghurt for granddaughter, as they can’t be sold separately, as they come as part of a meal deal, which was cheaper than the kiddies meal we bought for her.
It was quite a disappointing visit. Especially as I remember bringing my children, where there was a wee touch pool, where they could touch starfish etc: there is little to no interaction for the kids.
We live 5mins from Sea Life Loch Lomond, which is by far a better day out, although admittedly a smaller establishment.
Written 26 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

jenniferhendry
Johnstone, UK2 contributions
Nov 2023 • Family
My partner and I visited on 13th November with our son. It was his first birthday. We’d had a family gathering the previous day and - it being a Monday - we decided to take him somewhere for the day. I used to go to Deep Sea World with family members when I was little so was looking forward to it.

Like others have said - we were so disappointed. The tunnel is still the best part but the inside of the tank was really dirty. We walked around twice as there was very little else to do. There were hardly any attractions to see. The seals are in a very tiny area which was just sad to see.

The toilets and baby change facility were dirty and smelly. Hand driers in the ladies weren’t working. We Milton wiped everything multiple times because we had a young child with us and weren’t confident anything was clean.

Staff had no enthusiasm and we actually hardly seen any. We only saw the lady at the reception desk, staff in the cafe and one lady feeding fish in a tank.

The cafe was overpriced. The food was fine but we paid £37 for two meals (burgers) and a kid’s meal with drinks. On top of the £35 we paid for entry, we were so disappointed with our day. Thankfully our little boy enjoyed his 30 mins walking around the attractions as he doesn’t yet know better! Sea Life Aquarium in Loch Lomond was much more enjoyable than this.

Appreciate that places have been hit hard by covid but I wouldn’t spend £72 (plus fuel) on Deep Sea World again. Sad to see.
Written 14 November 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Scottish tourer
Glasgow, UK5 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
Pleasant enough but can easily seen everything within 20 minutes. Overly priced for what it is. Would be okay for families with young kids but for couples etc I wouldn’t Recommend.
Written 21 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Vikki W
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Family
I am over visiting family in Edinburgh from Australia with my 3 year old daughter
We thought that it would be nice to visit the aquarium with my daughter and her grandparents
For 3 adults and 1 child the price of the tickets was off putting, however we thought it would be a good day out so booked online

We visited yesterday and were absolutely shocked at the standards
The toilets were absolutely disgusting, the standard I would expect from a backstreet nightclub, not Scotland's national aquarium. The smell from them is so bad you can actually smell it all down the corridor, and as for the doors being removed due to covid, I've never seen such a ridiculous idea

The aquarium itself is run down, old and in dire need of upgrade
We were in and out of the building in less than half an hour and that included doing the walk through tunnel twice
The seal enclosure is deeply upsetting, the size of enclosure for 3 seals is massively inadequate

Im sure that the company took a hit financial during covid, like most visitor attractions did, however that is no excuse for the lack of cleaning and poor customer service

We tried to complain at the time, however the staff were much more interested in talking to each other than they were to customers so we gave up
I sent a complaint email almost 2 weeks ago and, no surprise, I’ve had no reply
Written 15 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

red2o2o
Aberdeen, UK17 contributions
Oct 2023 • Family
Don’t bother! Honestly I took my 18 month old and for the cost we were lucky if we stayed an hour. The place hasn’t been updated in about 30 years. It felt disgusting and some of the tanks were dripping water on you. Honestly thought it would be a nice day trip nope. It’s massively overpriced and completely in need of refurbishing. Wouldn’t recommend it at all and honestly won’t ever be back.
Written 8 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

CheekyMcDonald
Glasgow, UK37 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
As others have said, tired, tatty and unclean. The toilets were disgusting and the cafe was unwelcoming, needed a good clean and it was understaffed. Paid about £66 entry which was shocking, given the state of the place. Felt that there were too many fish in some of the tanks.
A depressing place to visit.
Written 5 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Kimberley J
2 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
I had a fantastic experience at Deep Sea World! This half-day adventure is an ideal outing for families and marine life enthusiasts alike. The care and well-being of the animals were evident throughout my visit, and the informative feeding talks by the staff added depth to the experience.

The highlight for me was the Shark tunnel; it offered breathtaking views of the sand tiger sharks and rays and the other fascinating fish in the tank.

While my visit was thoroughly enjoyable, I couldn't help but feel that the facility could benefit from additional support. In my opinion, some previous negative reviews I've come across were not justified given the positive experience I had. Deep Sea World is a must-visit for anyone looking to explore the wonders of the ocean and its incredible inhabitants.
Written 26 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Jonathan J
4 contributions
Sep 2023 • Couples
Arrived 10mins early but let us though around 5mins to. Reading the reviews after buying the tickets concerned us, but honestly I couldn't see where the complaints were. Animals and fish were all looked after, good feeding talks. Talked about the caretaking of the seals and about the old girl who had a cataracts surgery (she looked happy and was playful, please see photo of her bottling). We love our sharks and seeing the sand sharks was incredible. Take a couple hours of your morning to visit.
Written 26 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Emma
St. Andrews, UK23 contributions
Sep 2023 • Family
Visited as a youngster with my Grandparents so excited to bring my kids (2 & 6) back as remembered really enjoying it.
Very disappointed today. Between entry, lunch & fuel felt like a waste of money almost £100 later!
Agree with previous reviewers - tired, run down, poor displays, and besides sharks in the tunnel it was extremely boring! Also felt terrible for the seals in the tiny enclosure with filthy looking water (even my 2 year old said "don't like it").
We spent 2 hours, including lunch but that was really spinning it out given the price & the hour long drive to get there.
Spend a fraction of the cost enjoying one of the many other attractions in Fife.
Will certainly not be returning!
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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DEEP SEA WORLD: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about Deep Sea World

Deep Sea World is open:
  • Mon - Fri 10:00 - 15:00
  • Sat - Sun 10:00 - 16:00