A Singaporean Underwater Adventure: SEA Aquarium at Resorts World Sentosa

I have very fond memories of Sentosa. I remember visiting it back in the 1980s and 1990s and riding the monorail train. In fact, Sentosa was first opened to visitors in 1974, before I was even born, and it has been a part of the collective memories of so many Singaporeans. With an area of just 5 km²,it is absolutely packed with attractions for tourists. It would take you a whole week (or more) to do Sentosa justice given the sheer number of activities available on the island. If you are short on time, one attraction you should not miss is the SEA Aquarium.

You will get to encounter creatures from the oceans at SEA Aquarium.

Along with me for my visit to SEA Aquarium was Rob from the UK and Kai from Finland. Kai was particularly excited as this would be his first visit to Sentosa despite having visited Singapore a few times before. They asked me what to expect there. I thought of the obvious, “Erm, fish tanks with loads of colourful fish, I suppose?” Well, we had an added bonus and got more than that.

We began our visit with a history lesson on Asia’s maritime heritage at the Maritime Experiential Museum. This museum focused on Singapore’s vibrant history as a trading port through the ages. The challenge for such an exhibition is for it to truly come alive and engage visitors who may not have a keen interest in the topic. I think they did succeed in this aspect – some of the exhibits were highly interactive using a touch-screen displays, and there were also exhibits where you could not only see, but also touch and smell some of the spices, silks and other various exotic goods that were once traded in Singapore centuries ago.

Photo © Flickr user Choo Yut Shing

Being a history buff, I took the time to appreciate displays. I thought it was a shame this part of the attraction has not been advertised much to visitors because it is a very well-organized, informative and educational musuem that deserves at least 30 to 45 minutes to do justice. It does give a completely different dimension to the experience and the scale of some of the exhibits are breathtaking, such as the full-sized cross section reconstruction of Zheng He’s Chinese junk which he used to cross oceans in the 15th century, complete with giraffes!

To be honest, I was ever so slightly cynical prior to the visit – I thought, well once you’ve seen a glass tank with loads of fish swimming, you’ve seen them all, and that it’s all going to be quite similar. Well, I was wrong – the SEA Aquarium is split up into different zones representing different seas from different parts of the world. The kinds of marine life featured in each area are very different, given that each geographical region has different climatic conditions.

The most memorable experience was walking through the glass tunnel walkways, where we could look up and see the marine life (along with some frogmen) swimming all around us. Pretty soon, I found myself doing what every other person seemed to be doing – walking around with my phone in my hand, taking pictures of practically every tank I saw. You don’t need to be a marine biologist to appreciate the SEA Aquarium experience; indeed everyone just seemed content to gape at the opportunity to get up real close to these creatures of the deep.

The immersive experience of the tunnels is surreal.

The interiors of the SEA Aquarium are kept dimly lit, so visitors could focus on the displays of marine life in the tanks before them. Given how much effort was put into the Maritime Experiential Museum, I felt that the interiors in the aquarium itself seem a bit clinical and basic in contrast. But one thing I appreciated about the SEA Aquarium is the air-conditioned comfort it provided, which is much needed in humid Singapore.

Escape into another world at the aquarium.

It is not easy to pick a favourite room in the aquarium, but one of the best has got to be the jellyfish display. I suppose it is because jellyfish are the most unusual and different from all the sea creatures on display. They have this paradoxical beauty about them – deadly poisonous yet seductively attractive at the same time. From the massive Portuguese-Man-of-War whose tentacles can extend up to 50 metres long to snare its prey, to the much smaller prehistoric Moon Sea Jelly, to the various sea jellies from the deepest oceans which can glow in the dark, one could easily linger for a long time in that room, just gaping at the beauty of these creatures floating in their tanks, inches away from our eyes.

A real hands-on experience at the Discovery Touch Pool.

Another favourite of mine is the Discovery Touch Pool where visitors can literally have an hands-on experience by touching creatures like the knobbly sea star, pencil sea urchin and sea cucumber – after having been seeing these creatures from behind a glass wall all this time, it was quite a thrill to be able to touch them. There may be a queue for this very popular attraction, but trust me, it is definitely worth the wait!

The haunting beauty of the jellyfish.

Having been to different aquariums around the world, I feel that the SEA Aquarium is of a very high standard in terms of visitor experience, especially when it comes to the educational content (which admittedly, felt like it was more pitched at children rather than adults). Nonetheless, I loved the fact that it carried a very green message about protecting the marine environment, which is an extremely important message I hope all visitors would take away with them.

Singapore is an island nation and thus visiting the SEA Aquarium is not only a chance to see the wonders of the seas, but also an educational experience to learn about the relationship between people and the sea. Certainly, what makes SEA Aquarium unique is the Singaporean flavour, which was particularly rich at the Maritime Experiential Museum and the displays showcasing the marine life indigenous to Singapore. I can safely say that the SEA Aquarium will certainly give visitors a unique and enjoyable experience.