VALENTINE’S Day is on the way – and even the denizens of the deep are looking for love.

So a leading attraction is closing its doors to the under-18s – to allow adults to explore some of the saucy shenanigans that go on under the sea.

The Scarborough Sea Life Sanctuary is promising a fascinating insight into the love lives of sea creatures.

Organisers believe the passionate tail-twining of seahorses and the amorous love-biting of the male shark could help bring couples closer together.

“Sea creatures have an amazing variety of mating rituals, some of them incredibly touching,” said operations manager Jana Sirova.

“An edible crab, for example, will gently cradle his mate beneath him and carry her round for maybe three days before they get it together,” she added.

“The reason for this strange rite is that females need to moult their hard shell before mating and the male is protecting her while she is most vulnerable.”

The Sea Love event, for the over-18s only, will be on February 13 from 7pm and those booking will be greeted with wine and canapés; have their own tour guide and get a souvenir romantic photo to take away.

Anyone wanting to book should visit sealife.co.uk/Scarborough to secure their underwater love trip.