The Oceanographic of Valencia offers the chance of learning how to preserve the natural environment

After reading the article by my friend Sele about the Oceanographic of Valencia, I decided that if I was ever nearby, I would visit it. The first time I traveled to Valencia with Abby and we went to the City of Arts and Sciences it was closed. I decided this was not going to happen twice, so when my brother and I were near Valencia, we took advantage of the opportunity to visit.

The Oceanographic of Valencia is the biggest aquarium in Europe and has more than 45,000 different animals from the most diverse aquatic environments. I have heard criticisms about spaces that confine wildlife, but in my opinion they serve social, educational and conservation purposes. These aquariums help avoid extinction of many species and they teach children and adults how to respect their environment.

Our first visit was to the dolphin exhibit. Although I knew that dolphins are smart, I really was surprised with their ability to learn. The trainers know how to train the dolphins and how to manage the public so that they are able to participate in the show. Some of the jumps and exercises were really amazing and made me want to swim with them. When they fix their gaze on you, you want to take one home! The kids learned a lot about these animals and how to help the dolphins to be able to live in the natural environment.

After the spectacle with the dolphins, the first aquarium that we visited was the Mediterranean Sea, which baths the coasts of my city of birth: Malaga. Throughout the nine aquariums in the Oceanographic of Valencia we saw animals like the octopus or the sepia, and others that I had never heard of. In fact, during the entire visit I would say that I only knew about the 1% of all the aquatic animals they have. There are eight totally different environments where we saw animals from the Pacific, the Arctic, the wetlands and each one of the existing ecosystems.

I am not going to talk about each animal that we saw, as it is on the website of the Oceanographic of Valencia. Apart from the dolphins (they are unbeatable), I was impressed by the sharks. Glass is the only thing that separates you from the shark – too close for me! I can only imagine the excitement of being able to see them in their natural habitat.

The animals which I also found remarkable (although I understand that all of them are of equal interest biologically), were the walruses, the seals, the dolphins, the belugas and the sharks. One of the most impressive things is their ability to jump so high. Some of the small animals had a special charm too, because of their original colors and shapes. Also the jellyfishes, which reminded me of when I was a child and people collected them off of the beach with a bucket.

It was truly a special day. We enjoyed the Oceanographic and learned much about several animals. Because of the educational and conservation work being done and because of the variety of different animals, we ruskommend the Oceanographic of Valencia with 4 boquerones. If you have the opportunity of visiting, you should do so. You will be able to learn a lot and enjoy yourself at the same time. Just be sure to set aside enough time to visit the biggest aquarium in Europe – there is a lot to see!