Inside UK's first SeaLife Centre left eerily abandoned with water still in tanks

23 February 2024 , 20:58

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Inside UK's first SeaLife Centre left eerily abandoned with water still in tanks

An urban explorer has filmed the abandoned remains of the UK's first-ever SeaLife Centre which is now overgrown, but still has tanks with water inside.

Daniel Sims, 35, travelled to Scotland and heard about Barcaldine SeaLife centre on the shores of Loch Creran in Oban. The sanctuary was the first SeaLife centre in the country opening its doors in 1979 - but closed in October 2018 after visitor numbers plummeted.

Now, the site lies abandoned - with tanks and enclosures still in place, and cleaning chemicals and animal food left to gather dust. "I research abandoned places, and I came across an article about the SeaLife Centre shutting down a few years back - and I wanted to see if it was still there," said Daniel, known on YouTube as BeardedReality.

"The weather up there was absolutely crazy - it was completely flooding. We couldn't really find the exact spot because 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 UK's first ever SeaLife centre is now abandoned (BeardedReality / SWNS)

"There were cleaning chemicals and hazardous materials that shouldn't have been left. There was food for the animals left, which was really weird." The centre was known for its otter sanctuary, which opened in 2002, and made headlines in 2011 after having a 'royal wedding' ceremony for otters Isla and Lewis.

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The Barcaldine SeaLife centre was on the shores of Loch Creran in Oban (BeardedReality / SWNS)

Oban's SeaLife centre also boasted a seal rescue and rehabilitation facility, offering guests the opportunity to learn more about the native creatures. "We spotted the otter area - there was a sign we could measure ourselves against to see what size otter we would be," said Daniel.

The centre closed in 2018 (BeardedReality / SWNS)

"We mainly spent time in the seal section - we were there for about an hour and 40 minutes. We saw quite a few signs of vandalism - one side of one of the tanks had been smashed. That must have taken some effort, because the glass in aquariums is really thick.

Animal food was left behind at the centre (BeardedReality / SWNS)

"I've no idea how they managed that. On the other side, all the tanks were untouched which we thought was strange. There was a big circular tank which still had water in it - the water must have been there for six years now without draining away. The whole thing is really interesting - and the fact that it's in such good condition is surprising!"

The seal rescue and rehabilitation facility (BeardedReality / SWNS)

A statement on the Scottish Sea Life Sanctuary website said: "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."

Tim Hanlon