Code of Conduct

The Deep is an educational and environmental charity and operates on a not-for-profit basis. It is private property (including buildings, car parks and landscaped areas) and is a tourist attraction offering a family environment. Visitors are therefore requested to follow these terms and conditions, with behaviour appropriate to the environment, in order to help The Deep Crew to provide a friendly and safe day out for all.

All visitors must comply with The Deep’s wish that an environment is maintained where there is no retaliation, discrimination and harassment on the basis of gender, age, race, skin colour, ethnicity, culture or national origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, physical or mental disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other characteristics protected by applicable law. Our Crew and visitors should never feel threatened by the actions or conduct of a visitor.

Any person who does not comply with these Terms and Conditions may be refused entry, or removed from The Deep by Crew, security or police officers, without any right to a refund. Opening and closing times must be respected and adhered to.

• Opening and closing times are as advertised on-line and at the main entrance, but can be adjusted should The Deep feel it necessary at any time.
• The Deep reserves the right to prohibit entry to areas of the exhibition, or prohibit access to individual exhibits or interactives.
• The Deep cannot guarantee that all exhibits/interactives will be working, that all advertised events, presentations or activities will be running, or that all exhibits/animals will be available for display, at all times.
• Tickets cannot be re-sold, and are not transferable. Photocopies of tickets are not accepted.
• Vouchers or offer codes cannot be re-sold.
• The Deep reserves the right to refuse admission without giving a reason for doing so.
• Under 16s must be accompanied at all times by an adult.
• Activities of all those people on or around The Deep buildings and site must be carried out with due consideration for the safety and enjoyment of others. An appropriate standard of behaviour and attitude is therefore required to be able to continue to access The Deep.
• All vehicles must drive with due care and attention, adhering to road signage and markings, including The Deep’s environmental policy and signage which requests that engines are not left to idle, particularly on larger vehicles such as coaches.
• Visitors who are, or who appear to be, under the influence of alcohol, drugs, ‘legal highs’, or other substances will not be permitted entry; or will be asked to leave without any right to a refund should this become apparent later.
• Visitors who appear to be acting suspiciously through word or activity may be refused entry or asked to leave the site without any right to a refund and may be reported to the relevant authorities.
• Should The Deep have any concerns about visitor behaviour towards children or vulnerable adults this may be reported to relevant authorities. Should a child or vulnerable adult be perceived to be in imminent danger (for example left in a locked car) The Deep may take action deemed appropriate for the person’s welfare.
• Theft, or acts of violence (actual or threatened) including physical or verbal abuse against The Deep Crew or members of the public will not be tolerated, will be reported to the Police and may result in prosecution.
• The Deep cannot accept liability for injury, loss or theft experienced by visitors whilst within any of its buildings, car parks or grounds.
• Assistance Dogs and Emotional Support Dogs are welcome at The Deep. Click here for our top tips to help you and your Assistance Dog or Emotional Support Dog have a safe and enjoyable visit to The Deep. 
• However, due to the busy nature of the aquarium, we cannot allow pets into the building.
• The Deep advises that pets must not be left in cars and that it may report unattended animals or those in distress to the relevant authorities, or take other action deemed appropriate for the animal's welfare.
• Bag Searching – The Deep conducts bag searches. The searches look for restricted items and any other material that might be considered a risk to our animals, or to the health, safety and enjoyment of our visitors. Visitors will be asked to remove any inappropriate items from site before entry is allowed. If anything is found that is considered to be illegal, this will be confiscated and the Police will be contacted. To assist The Deep with bag searches please leave bulky bags or luggage at home or in your vehicle.
• Smoking (including the use of all types of e-cigarettes/vapes) is prohibited within any of the buildings. Smoking outside the building must be carried out away from doorways, and must be with due consideration for others (e.g. away from queues or other gatherings of people).
• All visitors to site must follow all alarms, signs, barriers or directions given by crew. This is for your safety and the safety of those around you.
• Do not bring onto site, or into any buildings, dangerous, inappropriate or offensive items. These include, for example: alcohol, weapons or clothing with wording or slogans which could be found offensive by those within a family environment.
• Fundraising, demonstrations or distributions of campaigning or sales material must not be carried out without prior agreement.
• Wheeled toys such as skateboards, rollerblades, hover boards and bikes must not be used inside any buildings and must be used with due care and attention at all times outside.
• Do not leave belongings unattended; please look after your personal property. Any property left unattended may be removed. If you lose any item during your visit please speak to a crew member. The Deep accepts no liability for loss of, or damage to personal items. As such, we recommend that visitors do not bring valuables to The Deep.
• Visitors must not cause any distress to animals, through, for example antagonistic behaviour, banging on glass, shining of torches or laser pointers. Animals must not be handled or touched at all, anywhere, without the express permission of The Deep.
• Visitors are permitted to use hand-held cameras within The Deep for private and non-commercial purposes, with the flash turned off for animal welfare reasons. In the event that video or photography is restricted this will always be clearly signed. Making any recording or taking any photograph of any person without the authorisation of that person is prohibited. Non-private or commercial use of cameras/recording devices and the use of tripods or lighting, is only allowed by prior arrangement. Any photographs or videos taken within The Deep, or of the exterior of the building, are for personal use only. Commercial use of any kind is not permitted, unless a specific agreement is clearly otherwise in force. The Deep will notify visitors by prominent signage at reception if it is carrying out commercial filming or photography that may feature visitors. This signage will include instructions to visitors should they not wish to be filmed whilst on site, and The Deep commits to honouring these requests. Otherwise, visitors entering the attraction agree that The Deep (or any other authorised party) may use such images in an appropriate manner, in perpetuity, in any promotional, advertising, publicity material, or other appropriate reason in any format. Copyright in these materials is held by The Deep (or other authorised party).
• The Deep does not tolerate abuse or violence towards any visitor, contractor or Crew member, or malicious damage to its property. The Police may be notified of any activity or situation if it is deemed necessary by The Deep’s Duty Manager or other appropriate representative.
• Dress and appearance must be suitable for a family visitor attraction. Full clothing including footwear must be worn at all times.
• Offensive language and lewd behaviour is inappropriate for a family visitor attraction. Visitors who are using offensive language or behaving lewdly may result in being refused entry, or being asked to leave the site without any right to a refund.
• Visitors accept that they have a duty to take reasonable steps to ensure their own safety at all times on Deep premises. All persons in and around the Attraction must behave in a safe manner at all times.
• If any Deep Crew member thinks you may be causing unreasonable offence to other visitors, or are endangering yourself, others, our property or our animals, they will ask you to stop. Our Crew have the authority to escort you from the premises if necessary.
• Unnecessary noise (such as that from the use of portable electronic devices) or any behaviour likely to cause annoyance or confusion to other visitors is not permitted.
• Vehicles are parked at the owners’ risk. The Deep takes no responsibility for damage caused to any vehicle using the car park and no guarantee is given as to the security of visitors’ vehicles in the car park or any contents. A parking fee applies. If any guest loses their car park ticket, they will have to buy a new ticket.
• A CCTV system is used by The Deep to assist in the proper running of the site, for the purposes of security, safety, and good management. You and your actions may therefore be recorded when you enter The Deep’s site. However, we do not make any representation as to the extent of coverage provided by the cameras and will only release footage, or details of the footage, to appropriate authorities such as the Police, upon formal and appropriate request.
• Ticket and Annual Pass conditions can be found here.
• In the event that The Deep is in correspondence with a member of the public via telephone, email, letter, social media message or any other means, and this includes offensive language, offensive content, threats against crew members or anything else deemed inappropriate, The Deep will cease communication and will enter into no further correspondence with that individual. The Deep reserves the right to delete any related social media posts, messages or comments.

The Deep accepts no responsibility for any loss and/or damage suffered by visitors as a result of the visitor’s failure to comply with these Terms & Conditions or any event outside The Deep’s control (including any distress, inconvenience, anxiety or loss of enjoyment arising from the evacuation of the Attraction). This does not affect any visitor’s statutory rights or any liability of The Deep which cannot be excluded by law.

The Deep reserves the right to vary these Terms and Conditions at any time without prior notice, and additional Terms and Conditions may be issued to cover specific events or activities.

‘The Deep’ is owned by EMIH Limited and operated by its wholly owned trading subsidiary, Running Deep Limited.

Reviewed and updated: April 2024