“DOWN where it’s wetter, it’s so much better…” so the song goes.

And at the Trafford Centre, you can experience all that is great about life beneath the sea in one whistle-stop tour.

Watch turtles feed, stroke star fish, marvel at sharks - Sealife gets you as up close and personal with the marine world as you are ever likely to come without getting your toes wet or fingers nibbled.

We took my inquisitive four-year-old nephew. “How do the turtles swim? Will the sharks bite? Where’s Nemo?” All his answers, and plenty of mine – such as are seahorses really the only creature where the male gives birth? – were answered on our trip.

We learned about jellyfish, sting rays and coral reefs at the well-presented aquarium, in between ogling at the glorious colours and mesmerising motions of its inhabitants.

Ernie, by far the fastest turtle in the north west, could tell you a tale or too. He is one of Sealife’s prized assets, a beautiful old chap who gracefully glides through the venue’s bustling waters.

If you are lucky enough to stumble in when it is feeding time, you can see Ernie chowing down on some turtle-friendly treats.

When he is not enjoying meal time, Ernie is marauding around with the other residents of the aquarium’s main tank.

Wander through Sealife’s underwater tunnel and feel like you are fully immersed in an ocean far away, snarling sharks to your left, tiny terrapins to your right and maybe even a tired turtle sleeping overhead.

Continue your venture through the seahorse sanctuary and on to the stingray bay, where you might just find one of the blue spotted variety gliding along the seabed or burying itself in the sand.

Finally, roll up your sleeves and prepare to get your hands wet, or whole arm if you’re a four-year-old boy, and experience what it is like to touch a starfish.

A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging experience all round.

Tickets for Sealife Manchester, Barton Square in the Trafford Centre, are available via visitsealife.com or call 0871 221 2483.