Aquaria Phuket
Tourists view penguins at Aquaria Phuket in Phuket, Thailand, Oct. 24, 2020. Aquaria Phuket is Thailand’s largest aquarium, covering 104,000 square feet and with a total tank volume of 7 million litres. The aquarium was closed due to the COVID-19 earlier this year and reopened on Sept. 18. (Xinhua/Zhang Keren)
If as a child your favorite cartoon was the Little Mermaid and you have always dreamed of circling ‘at the bottom of the sea’ among thousands of colorful fish, at the Phuket aquarium you can become a child again and live your dream! Between one excursion and another, take some time and spend an afternoon full of fun and discovering the thousands of species that are housed in the 30 tanks of the aquarium: tropical fish, exotic and colorful marine creatures, sharks, crabs … There is something for everyone !! Both children and adults will be fascinated by the beauty of some species and intrigued by the impressive strangeness of other marine creatures, such as razor fish and stonefish.
A world to discover
One of the most exciting attractions of the aquarium is certainly the underwater tunnel, which passes through a huge tank, giving visitors the feeling of really walking on the seabed, admiring sharks, rays, groupers and many other species from close range. Stop to take photos with your favorite animals and when you think the surprises are over, you will come across eight giant cod at the end of the tunnel! Continue your visit through the path that will take you to the turtle tank and have fun observing the movements of one of the most popular species for adults and children.
To allow the visitor to get to know the marine world better, in front of each tank there is an information sign with the marine species present in the tank and their main characteristics and curiosities. For more detailed information, you can also take advantage of the many screens located inside the aquarium: pause to view the images transmitted and find out about the issues relating to the protection of marine fauna and its habitat.
A world to protect
The Phuket aquarium is part of the Marine Biology Center, founded in 1966 by a collaboration between the Thai government and the Dutch authorities. The center carries out numerous studies and research on marine ecosystems, their composition and their variability over time. The data collected are used for educational purposes and to raise awareness of the damage that pollution and human activity can cause to an already very fragile world and the need to intervene with protection and conservation programs.
Furthermore, new technologies are studied and developed within the center to protect all those marine species that are at risk of extinction and rehabilitation programs have been activated for the animal and plant species that have suffered damage