Embark on a journey beneath the waves—where innovative technology and advanced research come to life in immersive environments designed to deepen understanding and inspire ocean conservation efforts.
Location
Perth Cultural Centre, Perth / Boorloo
Dates
Accessibility
Coming soon
Ticket options
Exhibition entry
| Standard | $25 |
| Concession | $20 |
| Junior (5 – 15) | $15 |
| Junior (0 – 4) | Free |
| Companion Card | Free |
| Family (2 Standards & 2 Junior or 1 Standard & 3 Juniors) | $65 |
Member Presale
11.30am Wednesday 11 March 2026
On sale to the General Public
11.30am Monday 16th March 2026
Members
Members receive presale ticket access and a discount on exhibition entry for OceanXperience
Gift vouchers
School excursions
Facilitated and self-guided education experiences available
About this exhibition
Welcome to OceanXperience!
From the world of National Geographic’s OceanXplorers, climb aboard and get ready for an ocean adventure.
This highly interactive exhibition recreates the most active environments of the ship, immersing visitors inside the ship’s Mission Control, Wet and Dry Labs, and more, where pioneering scientific research occurs in real time. Using cutting-edge technology, innovative research methods, and cinematic storytelling, OceanXperience demonstrates how today’s scientists explore the most remote parts of our oceans and discover new species.
Visitors will experience how robotics, submersibles, mapping systems, and media technology are transforming our ability to see, study, and share the ocean’s mysteries. By bringing these extraordinary expeditions to life, OceanXperience connects audiences directly to the discoveries shaping our understanding of Earth’s largest ecosystem—and why it matters.
Exhibition overview
OceanXperience is not just about our oceans. It is about how we explore them.
Designed as an interactive recreation of OceanXplorer, the exhibit invites visitors of all ages to become real ocean scientists and explorers. Inside immersive shipboard environments, audiences explore the tools, technologies, and scientific teams working to discover new species, map uncharted areas, and study delicate marine ecosystems.
Through large-scale media, interactive experiences, and real expedition footage from some of the most remote ocean regions on Earth, visitors see how innovation speeds up discovery—and how sharing these findings is vital to raising global awareness and promoting ocean conservation.
OceanXperience makes one idea clear: when we can see the ocean, we can understand it. And when we understand it, we are better equipped to protect it.
Exhibition highlights
Step Into the Action: Experience the excitement of life aboard OceanXplorer with immersive recreations of its most vital research spaces.
Collected data is visualised in real time for in-depth analysis. Deep-sea discoveries and stunning maps of the ocean floor unite to paint a never-before-seen picture of an unknown world. With this data, scientists, submersible and ROV pilots work together to explore the ocean depths and build a better understanding of underwater ecosystems.
Captains and officers in the Bridge use over 100 switches and levers while navigating the ocean and monitoring deployed vehicles. A variety of environmental and safety data screens keep the vessel on course, while advanced positioning equipment allows OceanXplorer to stay within 50 centimetres of a desired location, regardless of weather or sea conditions.
Aquarium technology in the wet lab allows scientists to study live organisms from the deep in real time while on missions. Marine samples taken from submersibles and ROVs can be processed for further research in the dry labs and beyond. On board research labs make simultaneous exploration and research possible while at sea.
Inside you’ll find microscopes, genetic sequencers, and visualisation of samples from the ship’s various sensors. Scientists use these state-of-the-art tools to study samples processed in the Wet Lab up close, and to apply meaning to collected data. Clues hidden in eDNA samples help Xplorers decide what to search for next.
Thousands of feet below the surface, deep-sea vehicles Nadir and Neptune work together to illuminate secrets hiding in the deep. When at rest, the submersibles live here alongside the ROV and AUV. These tools enable Xplorers and scientists to survey vast areas and make important discoveries.
Upgrade your visit with the HoloLab Experience for $5
In the facilitated HoloLab experience, visitors can step into mixed‑reality learning by wearing HoloLens headsets or watching participants in action through N‑Cam footage and a dedicated viewing window. Guided by a facilitator, the group will explore how technology drives scientific research and collaboration, using holograms to dive deeper into the world of marine biology. This optional add‑on can be purchased at the tap‑and‑go station inside the exhibition but is not essential to enjoy OceanXperience.
Ready to go on an ocean adventure?
Planning your visit
Check the WA Museum Boola Bardip visit planning webpage for information about public transport, nearby parking, Epoch café, and other amenities.
More information
Find out more about Perth Cultural Centre construction works.
For educators
Year 4 - 6 | Living things are remarkable in their ability to adapt to changing environments. Come and explore some adaptations of our avian friends, or perhaps marine life is more your focus. The choice is yours.
Weekdays during school term | 10am and 12.30pm
Year 4-12 | WA Museum maritime archaeologists are asking this very question through exploring the chemical make-up of glass bottle fragments found on shipwrecks to see if they can help determine where the glass came from.
Watch on demand
PP-2 | Dive into the world of water; its importance for life around us and its use as a resource.
Weekdays during school term | 10am and 12.30pm
Special exhibition events
Once a month on Friday night, explore the OceanXperience exhibition after dark, enjoy insightful talks, or simply relax with ocean‑inspired tunes and a drink in hand.
An immersive experience created by the renowned, award-winning London-based art collective Marshmallow Laser Feast, that lets you explore the ocean through the senses of its giants.
Monday 23 February - Friday 12 June
Sessions daily from 9:30am, Museum closes at 5pm
Embark on an epic Minecraft adventure! Unleash your creativity and collaborate to conquer challenges and build extraordinary underwater worlds.
Tuesday 14 April | 10am - 4pm | Drop and Leave
A creative marine biology workshop using squid ink to explore the ocean's depths.
Wednesday 15 April | 10am - 4pm | Drop and Leave
Meet the Flatback Turtle, Natator depressus—its Latin name literally means “flat swimmer.”
Thursday 18 June 2026 | 5pm - 6pm
Please arrive at 4.45pm
OceanXperience is a travelling exhibition produced and toured internationally by Flying Fish, based on the National Geographic series OceanXplorers, produced by BBC Studios Natural History Unit and OceanX in association with Lightship Earth Productions.
Learn more about OceanXperience on the Flying Fish website
