uShaka Marine World - Durban, South Africa

False alarm as this sign was where you would have thought the entrance would be but no it was a good 20 minute walk away still.

During the Christmas break we travelled down to Durban and decided to take my grandson to Ushaka Marine World. Ushaka is situated down on the Point near the Harbor and an area I know well as I worked in Point Road for a number of years. Things have changed since those days and the area has gone through a period of rejuvenation.

Back of the queue as it snakes around the corner for another 200m. Funny enough just to the left of us is an unknown entrance not highlighted and also has a ticket office. Obviously no one knows about that bit as it is hidden away.

When you arrive at Ushaka the first problem is finding a parking spot as the two car parks on offer are woefully inadequate. You would think once you have made it to the main entrance there would be ticket office and then you just walk in. This becomes clearly obvious that this ain't happening as you enter what one could only describe as a touristy mall with shops and fast food outlets. There are 3 sections to this which when walking takes another 15 minutes which is rather irritating as who buys clothes on the way to an aquarium?

Second queue was much shorter and 1/10th of the size.

Once we were through the wallet raping maze of retail outlets we hit the back of the queue. This is all in the open with no protection from the baking sun and I tend to guesstimate time by how fast the people are moving in the queue. This was not looking good as my calculations had come up with more than a 2 hour wait.

A bit of a recce showed me there was another queue on the other side that was more like a 30 minute wait so we moved quickly before others saw the same thing. I hate queues and would have come back another day as 2 hours standing in the baking sun is not fun and games.

Traditional rickshaws providing rides along the Durban beach front.

Just before the ticket office they have the regular covid testing which makes no sense as we were all sweating like crazy from the midday sun. Those of you who know Durban it is the humidity that gets to you as it is sub tropical this time of the year. February is the worst being known as suicide month as many just cannot take the humidity.

No shade except for a lone palm tree offering the bare minimum.

We paid for the basic which is just the aquarium without the dolphin shows, water park and reptile exhibition. I am not paying for a water park when we have a decent sized pool at home plus my grandson has seriously fair skin so it would not be a great idea.

The old ship is the aquarium and you walk through a gaping hole in the wreck being the entrance.

The aquarium is set inside a wreck of a vessel which was a neat idea as you enter through a gaping hole in the hull of the boat. You drop down 3 levels whilst bypassing a skeleton of a blue whale which takes center stage.

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Being a keen diver many years ago I enjoyed the not so obvious things you don't see underwater like these Garden Eels.

The layout is pretty simple starting with the smaller fish working their way to the bigger mammals and fish as you progress around the wreck. This visit was all about my grandson as he loves singing "Baby Shark." Unfortunately by this point he was already feeling the strain of the walking and waiting in the queue and now was already asking where the sharks were.

Sea Horses have always fascinated me.

Best photo of the afternoon as everything I found was reflecting off the glass tanks.

The aquarium tour lasts around 90 minutes and is well worth the money paid as it is an experience. Tickets are R99 each for adults which equates to around $6 each with children under 4 free of charge.

It was lunchtime and all I could think of was fish and chips.

I am not a fan of zoos or circuses as I believe animals need to remain in the wild. After visiting Sea World in Florida a few years back I think it is a sad state of affairs when you have Orca's and dolphins trapped doing tricks for humans.

My grandson was finally happy as the sharks were his highlight.

On the way out we found another exit which is also an entrance with a ticket office with no queueing happening. If we had only known but then again I don't see us going back anytime soon.

Grouper is a wonderful fish to eat and is fleshy like a Rock Cod.

My thoughts on what they could have built compared to what is on offer is that they sold themselves short. The opportunity they had having a blanc canvas with so much land and they prioritized a 15 minute walk through a shopping mall over the fish needs tells volumes of what they were thinking. This aquarium could have been the best in the world and yet it doesn't rank in my top 5 having visited quite a few over the years. Sea World and Jacques Cousteau's Nausicaa in Boulogne, France still top the charts in my books.