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Marine Life Park

(Redirected from S.E.A. Aquarium)

1°15′31″N 103°49′07″E / 1.2587°N 103.8186°E / 1.2587; 103.8186

Marine Life Park
Visitors observing the Ocean Dome exhibit at S.E.A. Aquarium
Map
Date opened22 November 2012; 11 years ago (2012-11-22)
Location8 Sentosa Gateway, Sentosa, Singapore 098269
Land area8 ha (20 acres)
No. of animalsMore than 100,000[1]
No. of speciesMore than 800[1]
Volume of largest tank18,000,000 L (4,000,000 imp gal; 4,800,000 US gal)
Total volume of tanks45,000,000 L (9,900,000 imp gal; 12,000,000 US gal)[1]
WebsiteS.E.A. Aquarium

The Marine Life Park is a part of Resorts World Sentosa, Sentosa, situated in southern Singapore. The 8-hectare (20-acre) park is home to two primary attractions—the S.E.A. (Southeast Asia) Aquarium and Adventure Cove Waterpark. Upon its opening in 2012, the S.E.A. Aquarium had the distinction of being the world’s largest oceanarium and public aquarium, a title it held through 2014,[2][3] until it was surpassed by Chimelong Ocean Kingdom.[4]

S.E.A. Aquarium

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At the time of its opening, the S.E.A. Aquarium was the world's largest, by total water volume (until overtaken by Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Hengqin, China),[4] containing nearly 45,000,000 litres (9,900,000 imp gal; 12,000,000 US gal) of water, and housing more than 100,000 individual marine, brackish, and freshwater animals belonging to over 800 species.[1] The aquarium is divided into ten zones with 49 habitat exhibits. The centrepiece of the aquarium is the Open Ocean exhibit, which features more than 18,000,000 L (4,000,000 imp gal; 4,800,000 US gal) and 50,000 schooling fish, as well as rays, sharks, and other marine creatures.[5] Until the aforementioned opening of Chimelong Ocean Kingdom, the S.E.A. Aquarium had the world's largest underwater viewing panel, at 36-metre (118 ft) wide and 8.3-metre (27 ft) tall, built to give visitors the feeling of being on the ocean floor.[2] There is also a conservation group called Guardians of the S.E.A.A.,[6] which supports research, education and public engagement efforts to protect the marine environment. S.E.A. Aquarium will be rebranded to Singapore Oceanarium in 2024 when expansions and construction have been completed.[7][8]

Attractions

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The main attractions include:[9][10]

Name Description
Shipwrecked! Features a model ‘shipwreck’ beneath a simulated Karimata Strait (on the lower-eastern side of Sumatra). Marine species include the black-blotched fantail ray, bowmouth guitarfish, snubnose pompano and the zebra shark. There is also a side-perspective tunnel in addition to the primary frontal viewing area. Outside of the tunnel is a floor tank which includes the brownbanded bamboo shark and fluted giant clam. Although the aquarium only keeps female zebra sharks, two pups (named ‘Vanda’ and ‘Hope’) nevertheless were born in 2016 and 2021, respectively, through parthenogenesis; this rare phenomenon, which sees female sharks reproduce on their own (without a male spawning) has only recently been observed in zebra sharks. Parthenogenesis is known more from certain reptiles and amphibians, such as the mourning gecko.[11]
School of Fish The centrepiece of this area is the Coral Garden, a cylindrical tank with an artificial coral reef and a wide variety of coral reef fish like clownfish, Napoleon wrasse and many more. There are also a couple of seahorse tanks. Freshwater and brackish-water fish, like the suckermouth catfish and european sea sturgeon are also housed nearby.
Ocean Diversity Allows face-to-face interaction with Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. It is also home to the Tasmanian giant crab, zebra turkeyfish and many different species of jellies.
Open Ocean The Open Ocean exhibit is a large tank, with multiple viewing panels, for thousands of individual animals, such as the giant grouper, Javanese cownose ray, leopard whipray, pickhandle barracuda and reef manta rays.
Quirky Adaptations This area shows visitors the various evolutionary adaptations which different species of fish have developed to survive. Fish include the blotcheye soldierfish, bumphead parrotfish, elephant fish, old wife, payara, queen angelfish, and the weedy seadragon .
Underwater City Most of the live corals are held in these tanks, with 100 species of hard corals and 20 species of soft corals, along with many fish, including the regal blue tang, and marine eels like the giant moray.
Apex Predators of the Seas Visitors walk through a tunnel that allows them to view various larger shark species, such as the blacktip reef shark, sand tiger shark, scalloped hammerhead shark, tawny nurse shark and whitetip reef shark.
Aquatic Ecosystems The final area in the aquarium features the Discovery Touch Pool, which allows visitors to touch and interact with black sea cucumbers, chocolate chip sea stars, epaulette sharks, green brittle stars, sea hares and sea urchins. Several species of poison dart frogs are also exhibited here.
 
 
White-spotted jellyfish

Adventure Cove Waterpark

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The Adventure Cove Waterpark (simplified Chinese: 水上探险乐园; traditional Chinese: 水上探險樂園; pinyin: shuǐshàng tànxiǎn lèyuán) is situated in southern Singapore. The park features seven water slides, including the region's first hydro-magnetic coaster, Riptide Rocket. It also features pools like Bluwater Bay, a wave pool and the Adventure River. The 620-metre (2,030 ft) river, one of the world's longest lazy-rivers, have 13 themed scenes of tropical jungles, grottoes, a surround aquarium and more.[2]

Rides and attractions

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Rides and attractions include:[12]

Type Name Description
Thrilling Water Slides Dueling Racer Consists of two vertical water slides which allow two riders to race down the slide at a time by lying on a mat.
Pipeline Plunge A slide that is shaped like a pipe which allows two riders to slide down together in a float.
Riptide Rocket Southeast Asia's first hydro-magnetic roller coaster, which provides strong climbs and steep drops and shocking twists to two riders on a float.
Spiral Washout Funnel-like slide which caters to two riders on a float.
Splashworks Like a multiple obstacle course, Splashworks consists of balance beams, tight ropes, cargo nets, and platform cliff jumps.
Tidal Twister Slide with unpredictable twists and turns, catering to two riders on a float.
Whirlpool Washout On a float, riders slide down the ride in twists, turns and dips. At the end of the slide, people will be facing backwards.
Immersive Experience Ray Bay An up-close encounter with the rays. Additional charges apply.
Rainbow Reef Snorkel amongst reefs and 20,000 tropical fishes of four different species.
Fun For Kids Adventure River Float in a tube through 14 habitats around the waterpark. The habitats include a Grotto, dolphin lagoon and ray bay.
Big Bucket Treehouse A water playground with mini water slides and water-filled buckets tipping.
Bluwater Bay Ride the waves in a giant pool.
Seahorse Hideaway Shallow wading pool with fountains.

Dolphin Island

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Between 2008 and 2009, Marine Life Park purchased 27 dolphins from the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific to be part of its attraction.[13] Two dolphins died in Langkawi, Malaysia where they were temporarily housed[14] before being sent to the Philippines for training and housing while the marine park in Sentosa is being constructed.[13] While in the Philippines, local animal rights groups and Earth Island Institute filed a civil rights suit, and the Quezon City court issued a 72-hour temporary environment protection order to block the re-export of the dolphins to Marine Life Park on 14 October 2012.[15] RWS reiterated that the resort's acquisition of the 27 Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins adhered to regulations governed by the United Nations Environment Programme under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora.[16] Following another appeal, the block on the re-exportation of the dolphins was temporarily extended. Upon expiry of the blocking order, the dolphins were subsequently exported while the court appeal was ongoing. One of the dolphins, Wen Wen, died on the flight to Singapore,[17] making it the third dolphin to die prior to the opening of the Dolphin Island within the park.[18]

Transport

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The park is accessible by MRT (via the Sentosa Express), bus, car and by foot.[19]

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "World's largest oceanarium opens". CNNGo Staff. CNN. 22 November 2012.
  2. ^ a b c "World's Largest Oceanarium opens at Resorts World Sentosa 22nd November 2012". Resorts World Sentosa. Archived from the original on 28 August 2013. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
  3. ^ "Resorts World at Sentosa - World's leading family holiday destination". E Travel Blackboard. 29 October 2008. Archived from the original on 10 July 2011. Retrieved 15 July 2010.
  4. ^ a b "CHINA'S HENGQIN OCEAN KINGDOM CONFIRMED AS WORLD'S LARGEST AQUARIUM AS ATTRACTION SETS FIVE WORLD RECORDS". Guinness World Records. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
  5. ^ "World's Largest Oceanarium opens at Resorts World Sentosa 22nd November 2012" (PDF). Resorts World Sentosa. 20 November 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Guardians of the S.E.A.A."
  7. ^ "Resorts World Sentosa to expand SEA Aquarium, Universal Studios; hotels to be refurbished". CNA. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  8. ^ Chang, Charlotte (10 January 2022). "S.E.A. Aquarium to be rebranded to Singapore Oceanarium by 2025". youthopia.sg. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  9. ^ "Insider Guide to Exploring S.E.A. Aquarium". rwsentosa.com.
  10. ^ "Park Map". rwsentosa.com.
  11. ^ "2 'miracle babies' at S.E.A. Aquarium: Zebra sharks born asexually without father". mothership.sg.
  12. ^ "Adventure Cove Waterpark". Resorts World Sentosa. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  13. ^ a b "RWS: Not all four dolphins died while in captivity at our Marine Life Park | Coconuts". Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  14. ^ "More than 100,000 people against dolphins in captivity". Yahoo News. 4 August 2011. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  15. ^ Mateo, Janvic. "Court order sought vs export of dolphins to Singapore". Philstar.com. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
  16. ^ "Philippine court lifts order preventing export of dolphins to S'pore". Channel NewsAsia. 17 October 2012.
  17. ^ "Dolphin bound for Marine Life Park dies en route to Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. 22 November 2012. Retrieved 2 December 2012.
  18. ^ "A peek at the Marine Life Park dolphins". AsiaOne. 31 December 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
  19. ^ "Getting to Resorts World Sentosa". Resorts World Sentosa. Resorts World Sentosa. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
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