Mossel Bay is a popular holiday destination for South Africans and an excellent alternative to Cape Town. It is a destination with a lovely climate, meaning you can have a good time there throughout the year. Mossel Bay has several attractions for visitors. If you love the ocean and marine animals, such as the magnificent creatures called sharks, you may be interested in visiting the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay. Let’s see where the Shark Lab is, what a visit to the Shark Lab is like, and whether you should consider spending some time there.
Learn more about South Africa’s provinces and major cities. The country also has many beautiful mountains and world heritage sites to explore.
What is the Shark Lab?
The Shark Lab is a small aquarium and a research facility that teaches visitors about sharks and the ocean research they perform.
Oceans Aware operates the Shark Lab Aquarium & Research Facility. It is a conservation institute employing marine scientists focusing on marine research to discover, explore, understand, and conserve Africa’s marine life. Oceans Aware aims to educate children, the new generation, about the wonders of the marine world, as they are the future ambassadors of our oceans. The organisation has done marine biology research for over 40 years.
Where is the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay?
The Shark Lab—mini aquarium is located on Point Road (Point Rd) in Mossel Bay. It is open daily from 9:00 to 17:00.
What is a visit to the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay like?
The Shark Lab offers visitors a deeper look into sharks’ lives. It is an ideal spot for those wanting to swim with sharks, as you can book an experience, at an additional cost, to swim with the two female smoothhound sharks, Bonnie and Bean, at the Lab for more hands-on experiences and interactions with the sharks. This interactive experience takes about 10 minutes from start to finish. Ultimately, you get a certificate that you hiked a shark and liked it.
The Shark Lab has a friendly octopus and a few other underwater species, such as exotic tropical coral fish from around the world, including fox-face fish and clown fish.
The entrance fee to the Shark Lab is hugely reasonable and only cost us R40 per person.
How long do you spend at the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay?
Since the Shark Lab is a mini aquarium, don’t expect your visit to take a significant amount of time. Although we love sharks and the ocean, our total visit to the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay was less than 15 minutes.
Is it worth visiting the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay?
People often have a very negative perspective of sharks. However, sharks have lived on Earth for over 400 million years. Due to human interference, the shark populations have dwindled over time, resulting in conservation efforts globally to protect these incredible animals. Education programs focus on increasing public awareness about these magnificent creatures. The Shark Lab strives to educate visitors about sharks.
If you are passionate about sharks and conservation efforts, I would suggest visiting the Shark Lab in Mossel Bay. Despite being short, the visit is not expensive. Visitors can take a tour led by passionate and knowledgeable staff members.
It is important to remember that this is a mini aquarium, so don’t expect to see great white sharks or even a blacktip shark. The Lab only has a few small sharks.
The staff is a passionate team of shark experts; visitors can learn much about sharks from them.
If you are looking for a longer activity or much more detail about marine life and sharks, this may not be the place to visit.
Other animal-based activities in South Africa are:
- Visiting the Johannesburg Zoo
- Getting up close with Elephants near Hartebeespoort Dam
- Visit the penguins at the Stony Point Penguin Colony
- Learn more about wild animals at the Cango Wildlife Ranch in Oudtshoorn.
Other attractions near the Shark Lab
The Shark Lab is located in Mossel Bay, near the Garden Route of South Africa. The Garden Route offers a range of sights and attractions for visitors. Here is a 10-day itinerary for a family trip through the Garden Route. Alternatively, visit the southern tip of South Africa, where there are exciting things to do. Oudtshoorn, near Mossel Bay, is another destination to visit, especially the Cango Caves.
Other activities in Mossel Bay include the Cape St Blaize Lighthouse and the fantastic Bartolomeu Dias Museum Complex.
South Africa has many lighthouses; read more about them here!
Where should you stay when visiting the Shark Lab?
We have stayed at the Oceans Hotel in the past and can recommend it as a budget option for visiting Mossel Bay. We recommend staying at the Wild Spirit Lodge near Plettenberg Bay if you want to connect with nature.
There are several excellent accommodation options in and near Mossel Bay, including 3-star hotels and 4-star hotels. There are no 5-star hotels in Mossel Bay.