An abandoned aquarium has become an exploring ground for urban explorers, with the site itself overgrown – but the tanks remain in situ with water still inside.
Daniel Sims, 35, an urban explorer, embarked on an adventure inside Barcaldine SeaLife centre on the shores of Loch Creran in Oban. It is here where the first SeaLife centre officially opened in 1979.
Fast-forward to October 2018 and the site became a shell of its former glory, with dwindling visitor numbers blamed as the core reason it was forced to close for good.
The interior is now a stark contrast to what it was. Enormous tanks still remain, and even cleaning chemicals and animal feed sits collecting dust.
Daniel, known as BeardedReality on his YouTube channel said: “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.
“The weather up there was absolutely crazy – it was completely flooded. 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.”
Describing his experience, the explorer said other hazardous materials were also strewn across the premises, and that he discovered the otter sanctuary, a part of the aquarium which was extremely well known.
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.
“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.”
“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!”
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.”
