Archive note: This text comes from the older archive of Nomika Epilekta and is preserved with editorial care for historical and informative reading.

The Crete Aquarium CretAquarium in Gournes began operating in December 2005 and was renewed in 2009 with new tanks, new species and new educational programs. It belongs to the family of large European aquariums and gives visitors the opportunity to make a unique dive into the wonderful marine world of the Mediterranean. From large predators, the sharks, to tiny seahorses and the spectacle of jellyfish, the diversity of marine life is presented against underwater landscapes of the Cretan Sea, such as the rocks of Matala in southern Crete and the seabed of Vai in southeastern Crete.


Tour Along the Aquarium Route
The Mediterranean setting unfolds in 60 aquariums of different sizes, ranging from 125 to 900,000 liters and with a total volume of 1,700,000 liters of seawater, creating 100 different observation points for approximately 2,500 Mediterranean and tropical organisms. A visitor who wishes to examine all the organisms and exhibits should set aside about 2 hours.


Along the aquarium route, modern audiovisual systems and pioneering interactive applications, such as info-points with touch screens, video projector displays, observations of microscopic species through microscopes and stereoscopes, and observations inside the aquariums with a deep-submersible periscope, complete the visitor experience, strengthen the information offered and support the creation of a complete understanding of the structure and function of the Mediterranean marine ecosystem.


Guided Tour
The Aquarium offers an individual and group audio-guide system in 7 languages. Small handheld devices that work simply like a telephone give each visitor the ability to enrich the visit with explanations, comments and accessible information, which they hear at their own pace by entering the tank number. By arrangement, a guided tour can also be conducted with a personal guide in Greek, English and French. In addition, after a timely request, a personal guide may be available in more languages.


Educational Programs
As a department of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, the Aquarium runs many educational programs on topics such as:
The Little Explorers (for kindergarten pupils)
Us and the Sea (for pupils in 1st and 2nd grade of primary school)
The Seabed of a Thousand Faces (for pupils in 3rd and 4th grade of primary school)
A Sea Full of Life (for pupils in 5th and 6th grade of primary school) - FREE
The Heart of the Sea World (for middle and high school pupils)


Adapted to the level of the pupils and to their curriculum, pupils of all grades can learn about the most important phenomena of marine physics and biology. The Aquarium also offers remote schools the possibility of attending an educational guided tour through the use of a web camera.
In addition, documentaries related to the marine ecosystem are shown daily.

Address
Thalassokosmos, Former American Base of Gournes, P.O. Box 2214, Heraklion 71003

For more information
Tel. 302810 337788