It’s been a week tinged with both sadness and joy. If you’re looking for a moment of quiet reflection, visit the Two Oceans Aquarium this weekend.

“The Ocean Basket Kelp Forest Exhibit at the Two Oceans Aquarium has this calming effect on visitors,” says Helen Lockhart, Communications and Sustainability Manager. “On many occasions I have experienced an almost tangible sense of awe emanating from onlookers. The tranquility of the display, coupled with its beauty and the swaying motion of the kelp fronds, transports people to a world far removed from the chaos of this one.

“As human beings, we need to have contact with nature in its wildest, most pristine state. We long for the solitude that such isolation provides. We need restorative places in which we can have restorative experiences – places that permit us to transcend the stresses and strains of daily living and to find a sense of inner calm.”

Photo courtesy of Sven Lennert

If you plan to visit the nearby statue of Mandela and his fellow South African Nobel Peace Prize winners, and the Robben Island Museum at the Nelson Mandela Gateway, be sure to include the Two Oceans Aquarium on your to-do list. We will be open on Sunday. And as of Monday, our extended hours kick in, giving you more time to experience the wonder of two oceans under one roof.

Flowers and tributes gather under the statue of the late Nelson Mandela, near to the Aquarium

The ferry to Robben Island. Photo courtesy of DanieVDM

A view of the Shoreline Café and the Seal Platform outside the Two Oceans Aquarium

Stay in touch: for daily Aquarium updates, follow us on Twitter (@2OceansAquarium) and become a fan on Facebook.