Have you ever noticed the Cité des Sciences submarine? It’s the argonaute, a submarine from the 50’s that berthed in 1989 in the Parc de la Villette. For the anecdote, the argonaute has been towed from Toulon to Le Havre then it sailed back up the Seine to the Canal Saint-Denis where it had to pass the seven locks and most of all, it had to be set up on the land, right next to the Cité des Sciences.

The Argonaute can be visited and it’s very surprising to see how 40 men can live for 50 to 80 days in sea without ever seeing the sun.

Starting October 29, 2018, the visit of the Argonaute can be completed with the Sous l’Océan exhibition set in the area next to the submarine (a large red container reminding us of a harbor).

Suited to all from 6 years old, the exhibition offers us to live fascinating experiences.

After an introduction to the story of submarines (with models!) we’re offered to go to sea and take control of a submarine. Kids are over the moon: by pulling a handle, they go down, deeper and deeper, and end up facing strange creatures. If they don’t see everything, adults easily get that the temperature drops and the pressure increases in the ocean!

At the end of the corridor, a room you don’t want to miss. We can listen to the ocean, -2000m down, yes, the same depth where whales live. The entrance of the room is fascinating because we become aware of a constant white noise when a whale is not here!

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Then comes the experiment rooms: Archimedes’ principle, speed of sound in water, submarine driving, kids will have fun and learn a lot about oceans.

For adults, the Sous l’Océan exhibition offers to follow the sea traffic in real time on a terminal, to observe the probes sent weekly all over the world to record data about seabeds.

The greatest experiment remains Suffren piloting simulator, the latest submarine of the French Navy. We’re like kids, touching buttons to complete our mission successfully!

After this tour, don’t hesitate to have a look at the other explora exhibitions such as Corps et Sport and Feu!, they are included in the admission fees.