An Amazing World of Marine Animals

Aqua Planet Jeju is home to around 48,000 animals on Jeju Island in Korea. The aquarium has displays from the world’s five oceans—Arctic, Antarctic, Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian. It is known as an “amusement theme park.” Not only do sea creatures entertain visitors, but there are also synchronized swimming performances.

Among the highlights are demonstrations by the famed baenyeo-free divers of Jeju. Multiple shows are on offer throughout the week, demonstrating the history of these incredible women who spend up to seven hours diving without oxygen to harvest mollusks, seaweed, sea urchins, and other seafood

Chimelong Ocean Kingdom is among the top attractions in Hengqin, Zhuhai, China. It opened in 2014 and has achieved several world records, among them the largest underwater viewing dome, the largest aquamarine window, and the largest aquarium tank. It is found within the Chimelong International Ocean Resort and is part theme park and part aquarium. Visitors can enjoy water fight rides and flying dolphin cars.

A favorite is the Penguin Pavilion.

The 22.7-million-liter Whale Shark Exhibit tank boasts the largest aquarium window and largest underwater viewing dome.

Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is a remarkable place in the United Arab Emirates. It is located in the Dubai Mall. Visitors can enjoy over 400 sharks and rays, three large ecological zone exhibits—the Rocky Shore, Living Ocean, and Rainforest—and an aquarium tunnel 11 meters below the surface of the aquarium.

Among the highlights is getting nose-to-nose with an otter.

The Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta, Georgia, is home to a massive whale shark and is among the best aquariums in the US. It is the winner of awards such as the Evoqua Water Sustainability Award and the WAZA Conservation Award. Visitors can get up close to beluga whales, goliath groupers, bottlenose dolphins, and thousands of other creatures.

Cage diving with sharks is something for adventure-seeking tourists. Guests wear a wetsuit and submerge themselves in a cage to see some of the world’s most fearsome and incredible sharks up close.

The Kaiyukan Aquarium in Osaka, Japan, is among the largest in the world. The building itself is an architectural masterpiece as visitors follow the long, spiral ramp from the 8th floor to the 4th. This way you get from the surface of the sea to the ocean floor below.

There are fifteen tanks, each devoted to a different area—Antarctica, the Pacific Ocean, the Great Barrier Reef, and Japan’s forest are all represented here. All together 30,000 sea creatures are on display.

Every evening, at 5 pm, the Kaiyukan Night Aquarium comes to life. The lighting and music change to become more tranquil and majestic.

Monterey Bay Aquarium in Monterey, California, offers visitors exciting sea creatures such as sharks, jellyfish, and a giant Pacific octopus. Visitors can enjoy an underwater kelp forest, an aviary, and an open sea aquarium with a 90-foot window. You can learn about the life in the nearby Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary by seeing the plants and animals.

Check out the Into the Deep Exhibit, where visitors get a glimpse of the amazing creatures living in the deepest depths of North American oceans.

Among the highlights is the Kelp Forest exhibit with a 28-foot tank, which makes it one of the “tallest aquarium exhibits in the world.”

Nagasaki Penguin Aquarium in Nagasaki, Japan, is a wonderful home to these flightless birds. More than 180 penguins make their home here divided into nine different subspecies, such as the King and the Humboldt penguins.

Visitors can also sit up to a couple feet away from the penguins as they stroll around the aquarium's artificial beach, giving a small display of how they behave and play in their natural habitat.

Oceanographic Valencia in Valencia, Spain, has many interesting exhibits and a huge underwater tunnel. It has displays of the most impressive ecosystems on Earth, from wetlands to tropical seas to freshwater lakes. The aquarium is located in the popular Ciutat de les Arts y les Ciencies area of Valencia. Creatures making their homes here include Beluga whales, bottlenose dolphins, penguins, and crocodiles.

Visitors can enjoy dining in the underwater restaurant, Submarine Restaurant.

Among the highlights is the Dolphinarium

Try Sleeping with Sharks is a unique tour that includes a “gymkhana” where guests decipher messages throughout the aquarium, followed by dinner and a sleepover in the Oceans exhibit. The following day includes breakfast and a free visit to the Oceanographic.

The S.E.A Aquarium, at Resorts World Sentosa, is located on the resort island of Sentosa just off the southern shore of Singapore. It is home to more than 100,000 animals spread over 40 habitats set within seven zones. Visitors can enjoy such creatures as poison arrow frogs, elephant fish, and scalloped hammerhead sharks.

View a shipwreck where a staff diver feeds the sharks, rays, and other marine life while guests watch the action unfold from a dry, front-row seat.

Ocean Restaurant is a must-visit eatery set within the aquarium. The only underwater dining venue in Southeast Asia.

SEA LIFE Sydney is an amazing place to see the life of creatures from the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. There are nine interactive zones that are home to interesting underwater creatures such as sawfish and seahorses as well as penguins.

Among the favorites here is the Penguin Expedition.

Visit Pig, the Dugong, a massive animal housed in the Dugong Island exhibit. It’s similar to a manatee and boasts a forked tail.