Diving in to the Deep

The Deep submariner, Hull.

To finish off our trip to Hull we dived in to the Deep. the only submariner in The UK. The car park had blue badge parking, although the spaces weren't that big, but for blue badge holders, it was free. Inside, there's a specific desk for disabled customers. You then go into a lift into the aquarium. The first few exhibits are stationary and appeared broken at the time of our trip. These were push button interactive learning experiences. It could've done with a voice over as it was mainly visual. Visually impaired people would need a sighted guide to escort them through the dark area into the brighter part. From here, it was amazing. I can't remember the exact layout, so shall pick out the most memorable. A clear, large, open tank that you almost feel like your in it! One seahorse seems to love the attention and was swimming up the glass. This curved into a ramp and into the next section that had rectangular windows offering a peek as schools of fish gracefully swam by. I was thrilled as I could actually see them against the bright light blue water. It was truly mesmerising to watch. Further along from the vertical rectangular window was a massive one. The kind staff member opened a rope that cordoned it off, so I could get a better view. I found the area with seahorses, starfish and, in particular, the jellyfish, just so calming. The ambience was just right- dim lighting, panpipe music playing in the background. One small fish looked it was relaxing as it was laid back on a stone just gazing lazily as people stopped to gawp at it.

I loved watching the jellyfish bob round in a circle and found it so relaxing watching them move about. I thought this room would help those feeling anxious. . Pre-covid, staff would let people touch some of the fish such such as star fish and crabs but as that could pose a risk of germ contamination, they no longer do this sensory experience. Another thing that covid has halted for now, are the educational talks. . Along a chilly section are little emperor penguins! it was exciting to see them leaping, sliding and diving into the water to chase each other. Another favourite part of the deep is its lift that goes up through the middle of the water! fish swim right up to you as the lift stops for a few seconds to allow you to feel like your really under the sea. After going around the aquarium, we took the lift to the cafe and toilets floor. I can't remember if the lift had voiceover\braille buttons. The cafe had a good variety of meals like lasagne, curry and macaroni cheese, so good for easy chewing and swallowing. it was all homemade, with generous portion sizes. I asked for a bowl and spoon, and staff were happy to accommodate. Usually, I find cafe tables have a pole in the middle of the underside of tables, and my wheelchair footplates get tangled, or its the wrong size , but at the deep, not only was the table wide enough and the right height for my chair, but they also had a height-adjustable table specially for wheelchair users. The cafe looks onto the river Humber and has lots of natural light. They had 2 disabled toilets, which is good in itself as usually venues only have 1 toilet. In the toilet I went to, the staff member cleaned it before unlocking it. There wasn't much wiggle room and no turning space, just literally: open door, drive straight in, shuffle chair a bit to shut the door and manoeuvre into position. An observation I made about the disabled toilets I used in hull, was that they tended to have dark blue/black bars that contrasted well with the white toilets, sink etc. Just as I was thinking the toilet size had let the deep down, my mum spotted this sign highlighting where to find the changing places facility at the deep (ground floor).

The disabled access at the deep was fantastic, with ramps and lifts, adaptations throughout, interactive learning stations and friendly staff. The only thing I can think of to improve it from disable the point of view, would be having headphones to read aloud the experience, to give visually impaired people more a knowledgeable and fulfilled experiences. Otherwise, excellent access. This is probably the best aquarium I've been to :) here is what the Deep had to say about our review :-)