BEING so far away from the sea, the only sea life you may have seen might be that on David Attenborough’s Blue Planet, Finding Nemo, or wrapped in batter from the Fish and Chip Shop.

But if you’re actually into seeing things live in front of your face, the National Sea Life Centre in Birmingham is a good morning or afternoon out for both adults and kids alike.

When I was little, I was fascinated with the sea. It was vast and mysterious. And I actually wanted to be a marine biologist. This stayed with me and it still fascinates me today. Obviously, it didn’t quite work out that way, but it does mean that I have enjoyed a lot of trips to various Sea Life Centres across the UK, including our local one.

For the second instalment of the 6 Things to do in the School Holidays feature, I took my partner, Matt, who has not been before, and I was able to see what the attraction had to offer for a veteran like myself and a newbie like him.

It was a warm Sunday afternoon, and although we walked straight in without having to queue, the halls were quite full with families. The first section we came to was the newly-added Gentoo penguin enclosure. The last time I came, their pool was being built and no one was being a glimpse of the little black and white birds.

But this time, there they were in all their glory. They were sliding along the ‘land’, driving into the water, swimming in formation, and jumping back out again. We were both transfixed against the glass watching.

Once we managed to peel ourselves away and actually started looking at the rest of the animals, I realised how much you can learn each time you visit.

I had no idea how high penguins can jump out of the water, that sea anemone don’t just roll up on touch but actually sucker on to you, and that rays are cheeky beggars!

While we were at the ray tank, we listened to a talk on their behaviour and eating habits and, although I already knew that touching them was bad for their health because it removed the ‘slime’ that protected them against bacteria, many people were asking if they were handled because several rays were swimming along the sides with their heads poking out in our directions. One was attempting to leap straight up to someone. This is not natural behaviour, and is only adopted in captivity because rays are fed from the top so no matter who gathers around their tank, they think they’re going to get fed, hence the excitement.

My dog has the exact same behaviour when I walk around with a plate. It could be empty but it’s still a plate and she can’t see what’s on it so she must jump as high and as excitedly as she can until she can lick it for herself to make sure they isn’t a crumb she’s missing out on.

The underwater tunnel always provides great amazement. The mixture of life forms living together quietly balanced is beautiful. And while walking through that tunnel, we were passed by the giant sea turtle, a rather friendly ray, and several types of sharks and fish.

Upon leaving through the gift shop, we were given the option to receive a stamp so we could re-enter later in the day, making the visit worthwhile for the money if you wanted to pop back for another look or a particular talk. We were also asked to complete a short survey about our trip, and we were both happy to tick to “We found out something amazing today” and the “Staff were friendly and knowledgeable” options.

For more information about the National Sea Life Centre at Birmingham, or to book tickets for a visit, go to visitsealife.com/birmingham.