The ocean has a story; Singapore Oceanarium tells it all
Spread over 22 themed zones and three times the size of its predecessor (SEA Aquarium), the new oceanarium is designed less like an aquarium and more like a time machine.
It's one of few marine attractions in the world that doesn't just display the ocean's biodiversity – it shows you the past, present and future, in an immersive presentation.
The coral reef exhibits are a kaleidoscope of colours. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
The journey begins in the world's earliest chapters. Creatures long vanished from Earth – such as the jaw-snapping dunkleosteus and the terrifying xiphactinus – rear their prehistoric heads through life-sized animatronics, towering replicas and augmented reality.
Alongside them, ancient survivors such as the horseshoe crab and Australian lungfish live in real tanks, having outlasted the Ice Age and even the dinosaurs.
The subsequent zones show the ocean as we know it today. In one called Singapore's Coast, visitors are transported to the island's mangrove shores, where the archerfish and barred mudskipper dart between tangled underwater roots.
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A re-creation of Singapore's waters shows how they teem with life. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
In Coral Gardens, reef fish shimmer like confetti. In Ocean Wonders, moon jellies float in a 6.8 m kreisel tank, mesmerising the viewer with their gentle undulations.
In Open Ocean, the star attraction, a 36 m wide viewing panel allows one to peer into a massive 18 million litre habitat where manta rays, zebra sharks and spotted eagle rays glide by slowly and majestically.
But the oceanarium doesn't stop at spectacle and wonder. In an unexpected pivot, it dives into the urgency of protecting our oceans before it's too late.
Jellyfish perform their hypnotic, pulsing waltz. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
The Open Ocean Currents zone uses art and projection mapping to track the journey of a single plastic bottle drifting across the seas.
In Ocean's Future, you step into an animated ice shelf that's fracturing and falling all around you, as global warming destroys one of Earth's last great frontiers. Other installations present haunting visions of what the ocean could become if we don't act.
Predators galore in this section highlighting prehistoric sea creatures. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
Behind all this is the beating heart of the oceanarium: the Research and Learning Centre.
The first of its kind in Asia to be certified Green Mark Platinum Zero Energy, the facility runs on 100 per cent solar power and houses coral propagation labs, jellyfish nurseries, and conservation efforts for critically endangered species such as the bowmouth guitarfish and the sunflower sea star.
The oceanarium showcases critically endangered creatures such as the axolotl (ambystoma mexicanum), a paedomorphic salamander. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
It's not just a place for scientists – it's open to the public too, through workshops, behind-the-scenes tours, and hands-on experiences that combine education with real-world conservation.
Families can dig for real fossils in day programmes, design custom fish on interactive screens, or get up close with Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins in guided spotlight tours.
Fancy falling asleep to this view? Singapore Oceanarium invites you to glamp overnight. PHOTO: YEN MENG JIIN, BT
For those chasing a more exclusive thrill, try the Ocean Dreams experience. It's a sleepover inside the oceanarium, where guests spend the night in glamping tents pitched right in front of a giant viewing panel. Dinner is curated. The lights are soft. And as the sea creatures drift by, so do your thoughts.
This isn't just an aquarium. It's a call to care – for the sea, its future, and our place in it.
Tickets start at S$50 for adults and S$39 for children or senior citizens. For Singapore residents, tickets start at S$42 and S$35, respectively. The attraction will be open daily from 10 am to 7 pm from Jul 24.
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