Two Oceans Aquarium to Get New Turtle Conservation Centre

The Two Oceans Aquarium, in partnership with the V&A Waterfront, has announced it will be opening the doors of its new Turtle Conservation Centre in the summer months of 2026.

At a time when a lot of aquariums are under extreme financial pressure to keep their doors open, the Two Oceans Aquarium in Cape Town has bucked the trend. Turtle conservation has of course long been a focus of attention for the aquarium but in less than two years from now there will be a standalone facility.

Says the Two Ocean Aquarium Foundation’s Executive Chairperson, Ann Lamont, “Our new Turtle Conservation Centre scheduled to open in late 2026, will allow us to expand our existing turtle conservation work by bringing under one roof turtle education, research, conservation, veterinary science and tourism.”

“More importantly members of the public will now have the opportunity to see first-hand the work we do with turtles as this currently takes place behind the scenes…”

The new facility is a first of this scale in Africa. It will include a turtle rehabilitation hospital, education facilities, space for exhibition displays, a restaurant, and a shop. It will showcase various species of turtles in the care of the Centre and highlight the marine ecosystems they call home and the care and attention needed to nurse turtles back to health.

Read the article about De Berg Nature Reserve is South Africa’s 30th Ramsar Site

Over the past two decades, the Two Oceans Aquarium has successfully rehabilitated and released more than 1000 turtles back into the ocean. They include the tagging and release of some now famous turtles, one of the Bob the green turtle who survived injesting plastic, and Novumbu, a loggerhead turtle who was the victim of a ghost fishing net. Bob spent eight years in care and Novombu was finally released in November 2023 after two years in intensive care.

Today, all seven species of sea turtles are classified as either endangered or as critically endangered.