UK's first Sea Life centre discovered abandoned with tanks still full
A content creator once ventured through the UK's first Sea Life centre and filmed everything he saw.
Daniel Sims is a YouTuber known for exploring some of the more eerie sites across the country, as he aims to document the reality of numerous 'strange and wonderful abandoned places, ruins and monuments'.
The 36-year-old, known on social media as BeardedReality, headed to Scotland back in 2024 after hearing about Barcaldine Sea Life centre, which is located in Loch Creran in Oban.
This was the first-ever centre in the UK, having opened its doors to visitors in 1979 before shutting down in October 2018 after visitor numbers dropped.
Advert
So naturally, the urban explorer's interest piqued at the prospect of being able to head to the abandoned site and see what remained, and the results were shocking.
Tanks and enclosures were still in place when the influencer was on-site, while animal food was also left behind.
Daniel explained: “I research abandoned places, and I came across an article about the Sea Life Centre shutting down a few years back – and I wanted to see if it was still there.”
He noted that the horrific weather caused flooding in some areas, with the exact spot hard to find as 'it was so overgrown'.
“Originally, we found the gift shop, and then we started seeing the other buildings around the sides – and realised that everything had just been left,” the YouTuber revealed.
“There were cleaning chemicals and hazardous materials that shouldn’t have been left. There was food for the animals left, which was really weird.”
When it was open, the centre was known for its otter sanctuary, making headlines in 2011 for hosting a 'royal wedding' ceremony for otters Isla and Lewis in a wholesome celebration.
It also had a seal rescue and rehabilitation facility, with guests being given the chance to learn about the creatures.
Daniel recalled: “We spotted the otter area – there was a sign we could measure ourselves against to see what size otter we would be.
“We mainly spent time in the seal section – we were there for about an hour and 40 minutes.”
He noted that a fair bit of the Sea Life centre was vandalised, with one of the tanks being smashed despite the aquarium glass being 'really thick'.
Admitting he had 'no idea how they managed that', tanks on the other side remained untouched, while a big circular tank still had water in it, almost eight years on from when the centre closed.
Daniel stated: “The whole thing is really interesting – and the fact that it’s in such good condition is surprising!”
A statement on the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary website read: “Sadly visitor numbers to the attraction have been in decline and after comprehensively reviewing every possible option, there isn't a viable way to sustain the significant investment that is required in order to keep the sanctuary open.
“Therefore we have come to the sad conclusion to close the sanctuary on the 31st October 2018.
“This was an enormously tough decision which has been reached with a heavy heart and with the utmost consideration.”
Joshua Nair