Underwater World, Singapore

Entrance to Underwater World
Underwater World
Date opened 1991
Location Sentosa, Singapore
Land area 28 hectares (69 acres)
Number of animals 2500
Number of species 250
Major exhibits Aquatic Creatures
Website www.underwaterworld.com.sg

Underwater World (Chinese: 新加坡海底世界), also known as Underwater World Singapore Pte Ltd, is an oceanarium located on the offshore Singaporean island of Sentosa. Opened in 1991, it has more than 2,500 marine animals of 250 species from different regions of the world. The oceanarium is mostly underground and it is owned by the Haw Par Corporation. The Underwater World's ticket includes admission to the Dolphin Lagoon at Palawan Beach.

Underwater World is also involved in several environmental and educational projects, such as the Living in the Ocean Programme, Ocean Ambassador Programme and the Coral Club.

The Underwater World also provides exclusive venues to host events, such as ocean-themed functions.

History

The oceanarium was opened in 1991. It re-opened on 23 February 2010 after a revamp of several attractions within the park.[1] Underwater World Monorail Station used to serve this attraction, but it no longer does since the station closed in 2005.

Attractions

Underwater World has a 83-metre (272 ft) long travelator that moves visitors along a submerged 6-millimetre (0.24 in) thick acrylic-windowed tunnel from which they can look at an array of marine life including coral reefs, stingrays, moray eels, turtles, sharks and others.

Adventures

The Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon offers numerous adventures to the visitors. Some of them include:

Dolphin Lagoon

Dolphin performing an agile feat at the Dolphin Lagoon

The Dolphin Lagoon is home to several Indo-Pacific Humpback Dolphins, also known as the "pink dolphins". Several "Meet-the-Dolphins" sessions are held daily to allow visitors to enter the waist-deep pool and interact closely with the dolphins. The ticket to the Underwater World & dolphin show does not include the direct contact with the dolphins, an additional photo-coupon must be purchased. The lagoon also includes a Dolphin Suite where visitors can watch the dolphin performance from within an air-conditioned area.[1]

In August 2014 the organizations Wildlife Watcher Singapore, in collaboration with Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, disclosed severe mistreatment of the dolphins in the Lagoon in a report.

Effect of plans for Sentosa Integrated Resort

On 6 December 2006, Underwater World Singapore launched three new attractions—an interactive stingray feeding pool, a display of small marine reef species, and 'Fish Reflexology', Singapore's first fish reflexology spa, where two species of doctor fish gently nibble away at the dead skin on visitors' feet. The new features cost S$650,000.

This was amid plans that were being proposed for Sentosa's Integrated Resorts. Genting Group's S$5.2 billion proposal, Resorts World, would feature the world's largest oceanarium at that point in time—the 8-hectare (20-acre) Quest Marine Life Park—which would house 700,000 marine animals in a 30,000,000-litre (6,599,000 imp gal; 7,925,000 US gal) lagoon. Rival bidder Kerzner-CapitaLand's proposal would have an even larger marine habitat, with a capacity of 109,000,000 litres (23,977,000 imp gal; 28,795,000 US gal), including the world's largest jellyfish enclosure and an artificial reef for diving and snorkelling.[3] A week later it was announced that Genting International won the bid.

List of animals in Underwater World and Dolphin Lagoon

Sharks at Underwater World
Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphin performing at Dolphin Lagoon

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Underwater World revamped". The Straits Times. 23 February 2010. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  2. ↑ Underwater World Staff. "Underwater World – Adventures". Underwater World. Haw Par Corporation. Retrieved 20 October 2010.
  3. ↑ Jessica Cheam, "Underwater World not threatened by IR plans", The Straits Times, 7 December 2006

Underwater World: http://followfantasy.blogspot.com/2013/11/singapore-2013-day-3-part-1-underwater.html

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Thursday, November 19, 2015. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.