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Georgia Aquarium
Melding
education and entertain-
ment, with an emphasis on the former,
The Georgia Aquarium boasts an
impressive tank capacity totalling 10
million gallons and homes between
100,000 to120, 000 marine creatures
representing over 500 species within
six different galleries. Go on a 100ft-
long walk through the stunning Ocean
Voyager exhibit and be wowed by
the vastness of the ocean as you
see whale sharks and manta rays
Manila Ocean Park
Opened
in 2008, the Manila Ocean Park located in Ermita,
Manila is home to 14,000 marine creatures of around 277
species, the marine life featured are indigenous to the
Philippines and Southeast Asia. Featuring a stunning
walkthrough of the watery depths encompassing seven sec-
tions, the oceanarium contains well over 500,000 gallons of
seawater. Its most notable and unique feature is a 25-metre,
220° curved, acrylic underwater walkway tunnel within
its spacious, 86,000sqft premises, offering a spectacular
underwater view of amazing sea creatures swimming
overhead. The Oceanarium specially filters water from
Manila Bay whereby it goes through a process to ensure that
the seawater is suitable tomarine life. Of notablemention are
the Shark and Rays encounter where you can get up close
and personal with friendly sharks and stingrays, as well as
the Jellies Exhibit featuring a variety of beautiful jellyfishes.
www.manilaoceanpark.com
Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium (Okinawa Churaumi Suizokukan)
Okinawa
has a rich history built around marine and oceanic traditions. Chura
means ‘beautiful’ in the Okinawan dialect and Umi means ‘ocean’ in Japanese,
a name that is most apt for this gor-
geous aquarium totalling 2.6 million
gallons. Its main tank, the Kuroshio
Sea, holds over 1.9 million gallons
of water that is home to an 8.5m
long whale shark and manta rays
alongside other fish and sea creatures.
Aside from being the first aquarium
to successfully breed manta rays as
well as host multiple whale sharks
in captivity, Churaumi’s other unique
feature is their cultivated, open, roof-
less system for their coral sea tank,
allowing fish to swim excitedly in
and out of the cultivated reef. A trip
to Okinawa is not complete without
a stop by the Okinawa Churaumi
Aquarium!
www.oki-churaumi.jp
swim lazily around you. Or wander
through the Cold Water Quest exhibit to
see beluga whales and the endangered
African Penguins. It is the only non-Asian
aquatic institution that houses whale
sharks (of which they have four), and
who are kept in the expansive 6.3m gallon
tank. Georgia Aquarium opens 365 days a
year, although timings vary. Check their
website for opening hours in order to
better plan your trip.
www.georgiaaquarium.org
Image Courtesy of Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium