The aquarium on the Anse Vata waterfront is one of the best introductions to New Caledonia's marine world before you go snorkelling or diving. Tanks hold nautiluses (which are essentially living fossils, unchanged for 500 million years), sea snakes, reef sharks, rays, turtles, and dozens of species of brilliantly coloured reef fish found in the lagoon outside.
The nautilus tank is the centrepiece — the animals are nocturnal and the aquarium keeps its lighting low to allow viewing of these rarely seen creatures. A large outdoor touch pool lets children handle sea cucumbers and other intertidal creatures. The aquarium is close to most of the Anse Vata hotels and takes about 90 minutes to visit properly. It makes a good stop on a hot afternoon when the beach is too bright.