PhotoBlog: The SEA Aquarium @ Resorts World Singapore

Over the weekend, I visited the Resorts World SEA Aquarium Singapore, with my church group as an excursion outing. The Marine Life Park, located on Sentosa island, consisted of the World’s largest SEA Oceanarium (read: humongous fish tank), a Bottlenose Dolphins enclosure as well as an outdoor area called the Marine Encounters Ray Bay, for visitors to experience being in the waters with some stingrays and fishes. It contains a total of 100,000 marine life (more than 800 species).

The exhibits, which are demarcated into 10 zones with 49 habitats, did a pretty decent job in introducing the myriad marine life-forms and their natural environment, and educating visitors on the different types of marine ecosystems based on geographical locations, such as the deep ocean (South China sea, the Red sea, Java sea, the Gulfs, etc), coral reefs, mangrove swamps, deep sea, tropical freshwater lakes etc.

Here’s the map for the various exhibits, and you can get the hi-res pdf version here.

As you entered the aquarium, you will pass through a glass tunnel where the old Underwater World travellator used to be. Different types of sharks paced and patrolled the waters all around you. I spotted the black-tip reef sharks and hammerheads (my fav!) among others.

At the end of the tunnel, you will be greeted by a Discovery Touch Pool where you can touch and feel the texture of harmless sea animals such as the star fish, sea cucumber and even milder forms of sea urchins. Follow the one-way path and you will find yourself surrounded by tanks on both sides of the walkway, with information boards pertaining to the occupants, their origins with some snippets of fun facts.

Sea Dragons & Sea Horses

Lobsters

Octopus

Smartest invertebrate that I know of. I have stories from my lab days where we rescued an injured baby octopus from our diving trip and brought it back to the lab to nurse back to health, and it ate up all our fishes during the night. We set a camera to film its modus operandi and discovered that it learnt to open its own hatch-cover (those small terrapin aquarium with a hatch door), moved across the table AND door to the opposite end of the lab, lifted up the latch of the fish tank and helped itself to a sashimi buffet. Studies have shown that Octopuses are very intelligent creatures with an amazing ability to learn (numbers, colors, shapes, etc).

Moray Eels

Jellyfishes

The Ocean Journey exhibited many varieties of jellyfishes in different tanks, but I was particularly captivated by the rhythmic movements of these ones dancing away on their own. The ambience lights within the tank changes color and they just looked absolutely mesmerizing.

The star of the aquarium was undoubtedly the huge giant tank at the end of the walkway. The huge oceanarium houses the larger deep sea marine animals in approximately 45,000,000 litres of water (36m wide x 8m high). I was so stoked to see Manta rays and eagle rays cruising graciouslythrough the water, maneuvering effortlessly past sharks and other fishes. Their movements were timed so perfectly with each other, that it was such a joy to watch. I could stand/sit there for hours just staring…

I reluctantly pried myself away from the tanks and proceeded to the remaining exhibits which showcases the coral reefs and its colorful vibrant residents.

I couldn’t take as many pictures as I would like to cause I was busy chaperoning, but you can also see Lion fish, Puffer fish, Spider crabs, nautilus, etc.

The last zone uses the same glass overhead tunnel as the entrance, where the sharks roam above and around you as you say your goodbyes.

You can even arrange to stay overnight camping under this tunnel, under certain criteria. Should you wish to serenade your loved one with fine dining at the Aquarium, there is the Ocean Restaurant by Cat Cora 🙂

Directions to the Marine Life Park @Sentosa:

Take the MRT to Harbourfront Station and walk towards Vivocity Mall. On the 3rd floor, there is a monorail (S$3.50 per person) or Bus RW8 (S$2) that can take you to Resorts World Sentosa. Alternatively, if you’re up for a walk, venture across the boardwalk towards Sentosa from Vivocity (10mins, with S$1 admission fee into the island). Turn right after the gantry.

The aquarium is open from 10am – 7pm daily.

Admission charges:

Adults: S$33
Children and Seniors: $23

Cel’s tips: You should always check if there are discounted rates with selected credit cards. They run promotions quite often, could save you 10-20% off the normal rates 🙂

Also, bring your own bottled water as beverages could be pricey inside, and be prepared to be on your feet quite a fair bit throughout the experience. There are restrooms right before the gantry entrance so do visit it before embarking on the 1-2 hours long walk.

Read more on their official website.