The SEA Aquarium, Singapore

Having earned itself a place in the Genius World Record, the SEA Aquarium located in Resorts World Sentosa is known for having the largest sea aquarium in the world, and for having the largest acrylic viewing screen. Home to hundreds of species of fish, mammals, mollusks, eels, rays, etc., the large array of biodiversity was enough to fascinate and leave anyone in awe. Our tour through the Seas Aquarium began with an up close and personal experience with the marine wildlife as we strolled into a submerged glass tunnel. Multi-colored fish dotted the corals, darting in and out, while the larger more curious fish emerged from the watery depths to inspect the onlookers.

Further on we walked, but where were the fish? Tanks were absent on either side of the room. A slight glow of light shimmered from the floor, and as our gaze shifted, we perceived the viewing glass on the floor! To our surprise, there were actually fish at the bottom! There lay several species of rays and bottom dwellers which certainly caught the attention of many! 

We stared expectantly into the vast aquarium. Nothing. Disappointed, we turned to go. Just then, a flash of movement at the back of the tank caught our attention. A trail of bubbles, like tiny transparent orbs indicated movements. Just then, a large animal propelled itself forward, cutting through the water like a knife, as it leaped towards the viewing glass, a wide grin on its face. Spinning upside down, it darted back up towards the surface to fill its lungs before plunging back into the cool, water. Among all the marine wildlife we had seen so far, nothing could match up to the athletic prowess of the Indo-Pacific Bottlenose dolphins. The dolphins are an endangered species and much has been done to preserve this playful creature, including putting them in aquariums or zoos where they can be better protected from the harm done by human beings.

As there are many species I would like to talk about, I will only name a few of the more interesting ones which caught my attention.

The first of which would be the jellyfish. Making use of jet propulsion to push themselves forwards, and at other times relying on the undercurrents, these sea jellies may look harmless, even cute, however they certainly pack quite a punch! Their tentacles normally used to stun and kill prey can actually cause the death of us humans as well!

Secondly would be the octopus. It's dark orange skin was wrinkled, seemingly with age. Eight of its tentacles latched onto the viewing panel, as suctions took hold of the glass. Edging its way along the rocks towards us, its eyes swiveled to face us, curiosity twinkling in its eyes. This was the first time I had actually seen a live octopus, and so it was a unique experience.

Some fish were excellent at camouflaging, namely the sea dragon. Shaped like a piece of seaweed, it wasn't without some difficulty that we succeeded in discovering it. It wasn't regularly shaped, and its back was covered in 'branches', to simulate how a piece of coral or loose seaweed would look like. The stonefish also blended it very well with the coral and rocks. The only thing which gave it away- it's wide gaping mouth, like a trap ready to spring into action should some potential prey stray within its range.

However, the mind-blower would be the 36m long acrylic viewing panel! In that aquarium alone there were an assortment of rays, sharks, fish, including the manta ray! The largest ray in the world. Words cannot describe the vastness of this aquarium so I shall let the photos do the job.

Manta Ray

The final attraction would be the shark seas. Walk into a tunnel leading into shark infested oceans, home to the scalloped hammerhead, lemon sharks, black tip reef sharks and white tip reef sharks. You can have a up close view with these sharks as they swim alongside the tunnel and circle above it. It certainly was a satisfying end to the aquarium!

Hammerhead Shark