Brief information on Shanghai Ocean Aquarium  

Within the sprawling exhibition area divided into nine thematic zones and spread over three floors, there were quite a number of creatures that caught my fancy and it was hard to pick a favourite.

 

In the main lobby, giant crocodiles lie motionless in that tanks, their unblinking eyes doing nothing to give away their sheer size submerged and hidden from the surface. Pensive penguins in the polar zones stand together in groups on rocks, seeming to egg each other to take a dive – but no one took the plunge. It made for an amusing sight nonetheless. Spotted seals suspended themselves upside down in the water, and a couple shot across the tank turning somersaults tirelessly, joyfully, and really just rather adorably. In front of a tank housing sharks and stingrays, a bench was thoughtfully provided for meditation, presumably, so that one can take full advantage of the serenity and hypnotic effect of giant rays and sharks appearing to be in flight. The highlight of the ocean aquarium is a Perspex tunnel going through a tank of marine creatures. Visitors stand on a conveyor belt that slowly takes them through schools of fish, swimming sharks, turtles, stingrays, and many other weird and wonderful creatures. For someone who has never gone scuba diving, I imagine this is perhaps the closest I will get to the experience.

 

The only letdown was the jellyfish display. The colourful walls of drifting jellyfishes were an enchanting sight, but the experience was marred by muzak – really the worse kind of drivel that tries to pass off as music – blaring at an uncomfortable volume on loop. At the main lobby where the crocs hung out, the same problem was also present: announcement about how the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium is one of the biggest in Asia blaring on loop. As I stand transfixed by the exhibits, I can’t help but ask “Why?” The announcement seemed to serve no purpose other than to annoy.

 

The aquarium is divided into the China Zone, the South America Zone, the Australia Zone, the Africa Zone, the Southeast Asia Zone, the Cold Water Zone, the Polar Zone, and the Deep Ocean Zone. Endangered Chinese aquatic animals are showcased in the China Zone, which the aquarium claims is the only exhibition of its kind in the world. Unfortunately, some of the single, solitary housed in the glass cases looked rather unhappy. It was a contrast to the South America Zone is done up to reproduce the effect of being in a jungle, lit up with bright windows of fishes and other aquatic creatures.

 

Feeding time at the Cold Water Zone for the delightful spotted seals, at the Polar Zone for the funny penguins, at the Shark Cove, and in the Open Ocean exhibit is also open to visitors with the different times stated on the premises.

 

All in all, the signs were good and informative and the experience was fun. Having been a fan of aquariums and having visited aquariums all around the world, I can say it compares very well with its international counterparts.