AQWA logo |
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Front Entrance to AQWA |
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| Date opened |
1988 (as Underwater World, Perth) |
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| Location | Hillarys, Western Australia |
| Number of species | 400 |
| Volume of largest tank | 3,000,000 litres (793,000 USgal) |
| Website | www.aqwa.com.au |
The Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) is a privately owned aquarium in Hillarys, Western Australia. AQWA was Australia's largest aquarium when it opened, and remains so to this date.[2] It is also the world's 10th largest Aquarium.
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The aquarium opened on 13 April 1988 as Underwater World, Perth. It was acquired by the current owners, Coral World International and Morris Kahn, in 1991, and changed its name to Aquarium of Western Australia (AQWA) on 1 January 2001.[1]
The aquarium specializes in marine animals that inhabit the 12,000-kilometre (7,500 mi) Western coast of Australia.[2]
The main tank is 40 metres (130 ft) long and 20 metres (66 ft) wide and holds 3,000,000 litres (793,000 USgal) of seawater. It incorporates a 98-metre (322 ft) acrylic tunnel. The facility holds approximately 400 species of marine life.
The facility is host to a seal enclosure, "Seal Island". From 1992 to 1999 the aquarium hosted a family of dolphins enclosed in a sea pen, which later died due to poisoning.[3][4]
For a fee, snorkelers and qualified SCUBA divers get even closer to the fish, sharks, and turtles by joining the aquarium's dive master in exploring the main tank.[2][5]
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