Open your eyes and gaze at the wonders of the seas of the Earth. Aniwa takes you to La Rochelle, on the French Atlantic coast.
In the mid 60's, Roger Coutant, a manufacturer specialised in aquariums, made up in his mind a project of thousands of square metres, which would bring together the undersea and the earth, and which would gather scientists, trainees, tourists and fans. At the time, nobody believed in his project. When in 1988 Roselyne and Pascal - his children - showed the world an Aquarium displaying the natural environment, this was an immediate, tremendous success: since that day, no less than 7 million people visited the site.
Today, the new Aquarium is 6 times bigger. It is made of a series of 3 pools - with more than 3 millions litres of seawater - where more than 10.000 animals from the Atlantic, the Mediterranean Sea and the Tropics live together. The aquarium uses state of the art techniques, and it includes a centre of scientific culture, which is also a pedagogic place, thanks to the association managed by Isabelle Autissier, the famous sailor - ECOLE, for Espace de Culture Océane du Littoral et de l'Environnement.Visiting this aquarium is almost tantamount to a trip under the sea.
You will be amazed since the very beginning of your visit at the aquarium by the variety and richness of the place. You will plunge in the delicate depths of the Mediterranean Sea, and in the deep and bright colours of the tropical life. If you feel attracted by sharks, the aquarium gives you the opportunity to see them from under, thanks to a corridor. Or if feel more attracted by the fragile beauty of the jellyfishes, you'll be able to admire their splendour in a magnificent light. Note that these lovely ladies whose scholar name is Aurelia aurita are no less than 400 millions years old...
The aquarium also displays an exhibition dedicated to oysters. Thanks to a series of conferences and pedagogical groups, you'll be able to know everything about those 600 million years old animals. There are seven different kinds of sea turtles, of which 4 are familiar of the French coasts. These animals were killed for a very long time because of their flesh and scales. Injured, sick, or simply exhausted, they often reach the beaches of the Atlantic coasts during winter. When they are still alive, they are brought to the aquarium, which release them when they are strong enough. 27 turtles were released last June, after having been cured al winter long at the Centre des Etudes des Tortues Marines de l'Aquarium de la Rochelle.
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