The NMA is presented in the form of the "water cycle", with varying exhibits and displays charting the different habitats around the world that play host to marine creatures, from the shallows of the continental shelves to the mid-ocean deeps; reefs; coral seas; Mediterranean; estuaries; and freshwater lakes, rivers, and streams. Many of the exhibits feature audio/visual aids, and the NMA has quickly become the primary source of information to many newspapers, magazine, radio, and TV projects, of which the BBC’s "Blue Planet" is the best known.

The interior is bathed in subdued lighting, which emphasises the exhibits and also provides a more favourable viewing experience for creatures and patrons alike. You begin your journey by climbing to the top of the building, from where the different exhibits are presented in a spiral fashion, with the final tanks back on ground level.

Most peoples’ favourite tends to be the Mediterranean tank, which features an impressive 18-foot-high reinforced perspex wall enabling a superb viewing of the fish and sharks that reside within. Other exhibits include the "walk-through," where the fish are on both sides and above you.

The NMA also has an impressive record of captive breeding of several species of seahorses, as well as sand sharks and many tropical varieties of fish. Amongst the nonliving exhibits is the carcass of a giant squid that was caught in nets off the Cornish coast a few years ago.

On site you will find a café, a gift shop, and an information point for any of those unanswered questions you may have.

The NMA is surely the way forward for all aquaria, and with all the major exhibits being changed annually, it is easy to return each year to marvel at its approach to marine conservation.

The NMA is open all year-round from 10am to 6pm. Entrance charges are £8.75 for adults and £6.25 for children, with a family ticket (two adults and two children) for £25.