The Great Aquarium – Saint-Malo is an

aquarium An aquarium (plural: ''aquariums'' or ''aquaria'') is a vivarium of any size having at least one transparent side in which aquatic plants or animals are kept and displayed. Fishkeepers use aquaria to keep fish, invertebrates, amphibians, aq ...

Saint-Malo Saint-Malo (, , ; Gallo: ; ) is a historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany, on the English Channel coast. The walled city had a long history of piracy, earning much wealth from local extortion and overseas adventures. In 1944, the Alli ...

, France. It opened in 1996 and now belongs to the group

Compagnie des Alpes Compagnie des Alpes () is a French company created in 1989 to operate many ski resorts in Europe. Compagnie des Alpes is a part of Caisse des dépôts et consignations. History Compagnie des Alpes was first established in 1989 as a ski resort ...

, which also owns many other parks in France and Europe. The aquarium houses 11,000 marine animals representing 600 species. It covers and holds of water (The largest aquarium, Nautibus attraction excluded, contains ). 360,000 people visit this site each year making it the second most visited tourist site in Brittany.

History

* 1996 – Opening of the aquarium, the project was initiated by Maurice Chicheportiche. * 1997 - Launch of the 3D movie. * 1998 - Creation of the touch pool * 1999 - Acquisition of the Great Aquarium by the

group. Frédéric Charlot is the new director. * 2000 - The visit is fully redesigned * 2001 - Creation of the "Nautibus" * 2002 - Nautibus receives the Themed Entertainment Association Award for its design and the Tourism Trophy of the Ille-et-Vilaine department * 2003 - Several partners, including the Great Aquarium create the eco-association "Caution! Sea in danger" * 2004 - Creation of "In Blue" a Sensory attraction * 2006 - The Great Aquarium celebrates his 10th birthday * 2007 - New logo and colours

The visit and the attractions

During the visit, you can discover the underwater world in different rooms: * Cold and temperate seas * Tropical collection *

Mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

* The wreck of the ship where sharks dominates. Three attractions complete the visit: * The touch pool that allows you to touch some marine species of the Brittany coast such as rays, bats, sea stars and spiders * A

shark Sharks are a group of elasmobranch fish characterized by a cartilaginous skeleton, five to seven gill slits on the sides of the head, and pectoral fins that are not fused to the head. Modern sharks are classified within the clade Selachimo ...

s ring. 7 sharks (4 different species) and 4 sea turtles swim in a basin which contains of water and completely encircles the room. You can also spend one night in the heart of this ring, surrounded by sharks. * The Nautibus, a journey in a small

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

, presents 5,000 fishes swimming in a pool of of water.

Caution! Sea in danger

The association was created in 2003 at the initiative of the aquarium with some partners such as the city of

. Caution! Sea in Danger aims to sensitize and educate people about dangers that threaten the sea and the shorelines. Its scope extends throughout the Emerald Coast, and they initiate various operations such as cleaning of natural sites, lessons for children during classrooms or participation at the "Ocean world day" established in 1992 by the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

Notes

External links

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Caution Sea in danger
{{Zoos of France Aquaria in France Compagnie des Alpes Buildings and structures in Ille-et-Vilaine Tourist attractions in Ille-et-Vilaine Saint-Malo