There are only two major places you really need to visit when you are in Singapore. The first is Universal Studios Singapore and the second is Underwater World Singapore.
If you are fascinated by how many animals the earth has and as to how diverse they are, then your curiosity should be satisfied by Underwater World Singapore.
There may be other minor sights and things to do, but you can skip them if you are on a small budget or on a tight schedule.
Table of Contents
Background
It has over 100,000 marine animals divided in to 800 species in 45 million liters of water. As of today, it is considered the biggest aquarium in the world.
Fish
The main tank at the end of the tour was massive, with one of the windows appearing to be the size of a movie theatre screen. The plastic used to hold back all that water looked thicker than the width of a regular tire.
In addition to the main aquarium, visitors can go through a path that showcased many smaller aquariums. Many are the usual rectangle shape but there was one which was a tube that was several stories high.
These smaller ones had separate creatures in them. Some of the nice ones included displays of Jelly Fish, Lobster, Octopus, and several species of shark.
Price
Fish
The price of per ticket for adults is S$ 29.90. Children get in at a cheaper rate as they are charged S$ 20.60. I understand that senior citizens can get as much as half off, so if you are traveling with some, make sure they have identification with them.
In addition to the entry fee to Underwater World Singapore, you need to pay S$ 4 for the Sentosa Express that starts at Vivo City in the mainland.
If you don’t have cash, you can pay by credit card. Just remember that credit cards tack on something like an additional 2.75% for foreign transactions. It may be a bit annoying, but it beats having to carry plastic Singaporean bills with you.
Aquariums
Spiral Aquarium
There are quite a number of aquariums to look at while at Underwater World Singapore. And each was fascinating to view. If fact, I was so amazed by their hypnotic beauty, I totally forgot my wife was starving because it was past lunchtime.
[Oops!]
Jelly Fish
Jellyfish
Some of my favorites include several Jelly Fish exhibits. And while I have seen the delicate majesty of these creatures on television, nothing compares to seeing them up close.
Some had big mushroom heads, while others had long strings of stinging arms. Some moved rather quickly with every beat of their head, while others glided slowly around the water tanks they were in.
One of them even had a dead fish attached to its highly poisonous tentacles. It was in an advanced state of decomposition and didn’t seem to slow down the jelly fish as it moved around.
Lobster
Lobster
If you find insects disgusting, then you might not want to know that those tasty lobsters you eat are distant relatives of insects. If you look at them close enough, you might come to the same conclusion that they are just bigger insect that happen to be living in water.
[Yikes, imagine if these huge things lived on land!]
And since we just had one for lunch the day before, I will attest to their being tasty. No wonder Octopi love eating them.
Octopus and Chambered Nautilus
The octopus display was interesting, especially seeing the huge eyes they had. But most of the ones on display seemed to be shy and sleepy.
Nautilus
I understand that these are the most intelligent creatures of the invertebrates, or animals that have no skeletons. They are supposedly able to squeeze into holes that are much smaller than their heads just to hide.
To bad I wasn’t able to see them change color while they were lasing around. I guess having to watch so many drab colored, four-legged creatures pass by can get boring when your main diet consists of a multi-colored, multi-legged lobster.
Just don’t forget to turn off your flash when you photograph them. Their big eyes are so sensitive to light, just like Philippine Tarsiers, that they may go blind.
Then there are the Nautilus, which may be several times more fascinating than the octopus because they have stayed the same after millions of years. Floating in their shells with big eyes and tentacles makes them look more like an alien than something that lives in our seas.
Sea Horses
A relative of mine used to have Sea Horses as part of his marine aquarium, and they are fascinating. They float around and move about with tiny fins on their backs.
Shrimp
And while my relative has the simple ones that resemble chess pieces, the ones that I saw displayed at Underwater World Singapore looked like floating leaves.
Fortunately, something christened them as Sea Dragons instead of ocean litter. As regal as they move, giving them a name comparable to garbage would be a travesty.
Eels
Another interesting exhibit was the Moray Eels. With their piercing eyes, and expressive mouths that seem to have lips, they look extremely smart. Perhaps not as human-like as the octopi, but they do remind me of an old teacher.
Moray Eel
The thing about these eels is that they are very curious in the wild. I actually saw a tiny one when I was snorkelling in Batangas and it followed me before losing interest. It wasn’t a very big one, but it was unnerving when all I had as body armor was a pair of swimming shorts.
Getting back to the display, these specimens they had here looked interesting as they breathed through their mouths.
[Ahh… Moray eels; ya gotta love ‘em.]
Sharks
Now, who among you aren’t fascinated by sharks? No one? Well, I do know that many of you fear them, but they still fascinate, right?
Shark
Well, there are several aquariums that have different types of sharks. The most amazing species has got to be the Hammerhead Sharks. With their hammer-like appearance, they look more like alien creatures than something found in our ocean.
And while the Hammerheads looked amazing, the Whaleshark was simply regal. As it swam around the main aquarium, it did so with grace. Dark with white spots, it made me wish that I had gone to Granada Beach when I visited Cebu. I could have gotten the opportunity to swim alongside them instead of seeing these majestic creatures in a tank.
Other Creatures
There were still other creatures that will keep any boy focused. Some of these included the Lion Fish, the Sea Turtle, the Rainbow Crab, and the Japanese Giant Spider Crab.
Lion Fish
And who could forget the Pharaoh Cuttlefish, and Mimic Octopus in their display cases? Fascinating. Simply fascinating.
Yup, so many creatures to see that just a few hours is not enough to appreciate all of them. If my wife wasn’t starving, I would have suggested that we spend the whole day here.
[But then we had to go, as some of those fish might end up on a barbeque stick.]
Final Thoughts
Manta Ray
Yup, only Universal Studios Singapore and Underwater World Singapore are the two major places you should not miss when you are in Singapore. While there are a couple other attractions, like the Songs by the Sea, they still do not compare to what these two places have to offer.
I will admit, seeing all that sea life in one spot was fun. With so many sea creatures to see and photograph, one doesn’t need to rent diving gear anymore. But then again, diving with then in the wild must be one heck of an experience.
Must Do’s
- Bring a camera than can handle dark environments.
- Bring a camera flash.
- Bring a macro lens if you have one.
- Do not use a flash for the Octopus display.
- Carry extra camera and flash batteries with you.
- Eat before entering because you might get hungry.
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