Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary

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Manly Sea Life Sanctuary is an aquarium and activity centre located at Manly on the city's north shore.

Formally known as Oceanworld Manly, it is smaller in comparison to Sydney Aquarium, however this Sydney attraction provides the chance to see oceanic aquatic wonders, with an emphasis on Sydney Harbour’s wildlife, in an intimate environment.

What sets the Sea Life Sanctuary apart, is that it's a marine life rescue and education centre, the feature of which is a colony of Manly's own Little Penguins.

And it offers scuba diving packages where you can swim with the animals, which include sharks, turtles, fish and sting rays.

Taking around 1 hour to experience (3 to 4 hours with scuba dive activities), Manly Sea Life Sanctuary is great for kids and adults alike. And a great thing about the space is that the crowds are relatively small.

Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary Information

This attraction in Manly is easy to locate on the West Esplanade at Manly Cove, and is just 200 metres from Manly Wharf.

The best ways to get to Manly from the city is by the Sydney Ferries Manly Ferry from Circular Quay. Taking 30 minutes, it's the city's premier ferry service, passing many iconic Harbour sites of east Sydney Harbour.

Opening Hours

Open from 10am – 5.30pm daily (except Christmas Day).

Last tickets sold at 4.45pm.

Admission Cost

Shown here are the prices for walk in admission:

General Admission

• $24 (adult)
• $12 (child 4 - 15 years)
• $18 (concession)

General Admission Family Tickets

• 1 adults and 2 children ($40)
• 2 adults and 2 children ($50)

Your best bet is to buy online where ticket prices are much cheaper:

$16.80 (adult) $8.40 (child) $16 (concession) $30 and $43 (family tickets respectively)

Kids 3 years and under can enter for free.

Note: You must have your online ticket printed before you visit this Sydney attraction.

Combo Passes

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary is partnered with Wild Life Sydney, Sydney Tower, Sydney Aquarium and Madame Tussauds. It is possible to buy combo passes for convenience and combined entry to these attractions from any of their websites.

Online prices are again cheaper by $5 - $10 when compared to walk in prices.

Family tickets are valid for 2 adults + 2 children OR 1 adult + 3 children.

You must visit the attraction which you buy your pass from first to receive your tickets. You have 30 days to see all the attractions.

Ticket Combo Online Prices

• 5 Attraction Combo - $72 (adult), $54 (child), $216 (family)
• 4 Attraction Combo - $63 (adult), $45 (child), $207 (family)
  
• 3 Attraction Combo - $58.50 (adult), $36 (child), $175 (family)
• 2 Attraction Combo - $49.50 (adult), $31.50 (child), $175 (family)

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Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary Features

Daily Talks, Feeds and Tours

A daily schedule of talks, feeds and tours operates at this Sydney attraction, in conjunction with Shark Dive Xtreme activities.

These activities include,

• Penguin Talk - 12.00pm
  
• Underwater Sydney Tour and Feed - 12.30pm
  
• Penguin Feed - 2.30pm
  
• Shark Harbour Tunnel Tour - 3.30pm
  

Ground Level - Underwater Sydney

The aquarium tanks display animals of Sydney Harbour.

Our favourites included the cuttlefish tank, which also contained a flathead, and an extremely well camouflaged flounder.

Other favourites were the sea horses and the toad fish.

A touch pool allows you to touch some common small fish and sharks eggs.

Upper Level - Penguin Cove

Background Info:

Manly Cove is a breeding ground for Little Penguins between July and February.

Being so close to urban areas results in many interruptions to their breeding. This includes dog attacks, and interference from other human activities such as boating and fishing.

This colony has been listed as endangered. National Parks and Wildlife Services set up Penguin Wardens to educate people about the penguins, and to monitor and protect the colony to ensure breeding continues to be successful in the wild.

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary Little Penguin Cove:

Manly Sea Life Sanctuary has converted their upper level tank into a Penguin habitat. Visitors can now see and learn about the penguins all year round. By having the colony isolated from outside interference should ensure their breeding cycle continues successfully.

You can pier into the Penguin Cove tank from the staircase access that leads to the cove. Here you can witness the underwater activities of the Little Penguins.

Or at the top you can view the Little Penguins from above as they go about their daily business.

Lower Level - Shark Harbour

Take the stairs to the bottom level to access the Shark Harbour tunnels, which I think are the highlight of the attraction.

The tanks are bright and clear and allow excellent views of the animals swimming about.

The animals in the tank include large fish (snapper, mulloway and cod), sharks (Grey Nurse, Spotted Wobbegong, Port Jackson), sting rays and a Loggerhead Turtle.

We did two laps of the tunnel as we were so impressed. Amity took about 20 pictures of the lapping turtle, as it was a tricky animal to get a good photo of.

When a scuba diving party entered the tank, we ended up watching them, with 10 other people, for about 15 minutes. And Amity took another 20 photos!

Shark Dive Xtreme

There is a Shark Dive Xtreme scuba dive option for people of all diving levels.

Sea Life Sanctuary provides all equipment, though you can bring your own wetsuits and masks. Lockers and hot showers are available for use.

All scuba dive options include a 30 minute dive in the shark tank, free entry to Manly Sea Life Sanctuary, optional in-water photography, a de-briefing and diving certificate.

Any family and friends who would like to watch the action receive 20% off entry to this Sydney attraction.

Here are the dive options:

• Introductory Shark Dive (from $200pp) - Introduction to scuba gear and safety brief are undertaken before the Shark Harbour dive
  
• Scuba Tune Up Shark Dive (from $176pp) - Open to qualified divers who have logged less than 15 dives or haven't dived in the last 6 months. Refresher of scuba gear, safety brief and animal awareness brief undertaken before the dive.
  
• Certified Dive (from $155pp) - Open to qualified divers who have logged more than 15 dives or have dived in last 6 months. Includes a animal awareness brief.
• Shark Feed Dive ($395pp) - Includes refresher of scuba gear, safety brief and animal awareness brief before a 40 minute dive in the shark tank whilst feeding takes place
  

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For further attraction info, and details regarding Shark Dive Xtreme dives, please visit the official Manly Sea Life Sanctuary website.

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