Axolotl Love For Singapore Oceanarium That's 3X Bigger Than S.E.A. Aquarium

Geek Culture

7 days ago

S.E.A. Aquarium was already impressive in its own right, serving as the spacious home of marine biodiversity, from various stingray, shark, and jellyfish species to a giant octopus. Following three months of renovation works, the attraction is set to return three times larger than before as the Singapore Oceanarium, complete with 22 themed zones focusing on different aspects of life under the sea.
Ahead of its official opening on 24 July at Resorts World Sentosa, a closed-door preview was held for invited media and guests, offering a full look at the revamped space. It proved to be a spectacular, even breathtaking, time, and the expanded breadth can certainly be felt — where the previous walkthrough took around two hours or so, this new experience can come up to four hours.
Greeting visitors at the entrance is the Ocean Wonders exhibit, where captivating sea jellies are housed in kreisel tanks, a specialised habitat for delicate marine creatures. Whether it's the Lion's Mane Sea Jelly, Upside-Down Sea Jelly, or Atlantic Sea Nettle, all of them can be found pulsating and free-floating in 360-degree views, making for a therapeutic sight. Drop by another day, and there's a chance to catch other moon jelly species in action, as the live displays will be rotated after a certain period.
Leading into Ancient Waters, the spotlight shifts to the annals of history. Alongside towering replicas that breathe life into long-extinct creatures like the Dunkleosteus, the prehistoric zone also features fossil exhibits, interactive discovery points, digital experiences involving ancient marine organisms, and live habitats showcasing the Australian Lungfish, Arapaima, horseshoe crab, and epaulette shark. For an extra touch of hands-on fun, scanning a QR code on the wall unlocks an augmented reality (AR) experience, where individuals are fed information about the replicas hanging from the wall.
The next zone, Singapore's Coast, puts the local mangrove ecosystem into focus through two ways: projection mapping and active displays of the archerfish, Barred Mudskipper, Knobbly Sea Star, Spotted Seahorse, and more. But more scene-stealers are lying in wait in Whale Fall and Seamount, providing close-up glimpses of axolotls, Japanese giant salamanders, poison dart frogs, and the Titicaca Water Frog — most of which were not seen previously at the S.E.A. Aquarium.
Marking a respite from the marine scenery is a photo gallery by internationally acclaimed Singaporean photographers Toh Xing Jie and Michael Aw, housed in the Spirit of Exploration section. Titled 'Ties That Bind', it highlights the relationships that sustain ocean life, and leads into the Explorer's Nook café, which sells adorable marine-themed pastries and lifestyle products. A separate experience called Pier Adventure is also available here, allowing the little ones to bounce on suspended ropes for an additional S$10 for 20 minutes.
Now, back to the ocean floor. Coral Gardens, as its name suggests, is all about the vast diversity of hard and soft corals, accompanied by giant clams, with a designated area to educate the public on conservation efforts and the various consequences of global warming, including bleached corals. Visitors can also get a better view of moray eels through a crawl tunnel, while those with a more adventurous spirit can dip their hands into the touch pool.
Along the way, guests will come across the Aquarist Lab, where viewing windows offer a behind-the-scenes peek at in-house breeding programmes. Those keen to dive (hah) deeper into the experience can do so via the Singapore Oceanarium Insider Experience, costing an additional S$318 for adults on peak periods (S$288 on non-peak), or the Sea Jellies / Corals Animal Spotlight programme, each priced at S$28.
Elsewhere, Life in the Deep turns the attention to preserved specimens of deep-sea species, including the Supergiant Amphipod, Deepsea Lizardfish, and Pudgey Cusk Eel. Keeping in line with the vastness of the deep is the Open Ocean zone, home to manta rays, Spotted Eagle Rays, and zebra sharks. This isn't the only place to find these apex predators, either — the Shark Seas zone sees plenty of them gliding overhead and around in the Shark Tunnel, joining a viewing panel in showcasing the Sand Tiger Shark, Scalloped Hammerhead, Sandbar Shark, and more.
Rounding out the Singapore Oceanarium experience are the Trenches, Ocean's Future, and Hallway of Hope sections, with the latter two highlighting the importance of an individual's role in ocean conservation efforts and the dangers of global warming. When the trail ends, a merchandise store threatens to lighten the wallet, offering everything from standard fare like plushies and keychains to more unique souvenirs, such as customisable patches and papercraft.
Check some of them out below:
The Singapore Oceanarium opens its doors at Resorts World Sentosa on 24 July. Ticket prices start from S$ 50 / S$42 per adult (peak and non-peak, respectively), S$39 / S$35 per child (ages 4 to 12 years old), and S$39 / S$35 per senior citizen (ages 60 and above) for Singapore residents. Non-residents will have to pay S$55 / S$50 for adults, and S$43 / S$39 per child or senior citizen. From 25 June to 23 July, every purchase of an admission ticket — valid for visits between 24 July and 31 August — also includes a free exclusive marine animal blind box.
Alongside the previously mentioned Singapore Oceanarium Insider Experience and the Animal Spotlight programmes, other available experiences include Ocean in Focus: Into the Abyss and Fossilist Workshop, priced at S$88 each.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth's theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia's greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really. resorts world sentosa sea aquarium Singapore Singapore Oceanarium