The United Arab Emirates is an opportunity to swim in the sea all year round, comfortable beaches, affordable prices in stores, high quality service. Many tourists know Dubai as the main business and tourist center of the Middle East. The city is famous for its hospitality and many attractions . The list of must-see places in Dubai includes the Oceanarium in Dubai Mall. The attraction is a huge reservoir of water, designed for observing marine inhabitants, diving and snorkeling. Thousands of species of fish live here peacefully.
Photo: Oceanarium in Dubai.
The Oceanarium program offers a variety of entertainment – from simple observation of fish to extreme diving to predators and feeding crocodiles. And now more about this place.
Information about the Oceanarium
The largest indoor Aquarium in the world was built in the Dubai Mall – the largest shopping center on the planet . The attraction is a giant aquarium with a capacity of ten million liters of water. Built on the first level of the huge Mall. The front part of the structure is made of a special material – durable plexiglass.
Interesting fact! The aquarium in Dubai is included in the list of world records.
Statistical data:
- plexiglass panel size: width slightly less than 33 meters, height slightly more than 8 meters;
- the area of the Oceanarium – 51x20x11 m;
- more than 33 thousand live in the aquarium; four hundred stingrays and predatory fish should be noted separately;
- tiger sharks live in the Oceanarium;
- the length of the tunnel is 48 m;
- The oceanarium is filled with water, comfortable for all marine inhabitants – +24 degrees.
The entrance to the attraction is on the lower level of the Mall. Underwater Zoo can be accessed through the third floor.
Good to know! Around the tunnel are storefronts, cafes, so glare is reflected on its walls, which is not very convenient for photographing.
- The transparent tunnel laid in the Oceanarium provides an excellent, undistorted view of 270 degrees to the right and left.
- Here you can take photos and videos of everything.
- The most daring visitors can dive into an aquarium with predatory fish and stingrays. If you are a certified diver, dive yourself. Beginners will have to take an accelerated training course.
- If extreme sports do not appeal to you, take a fascinating journey in a boat with a bottom made of heavy-duty glass.
- On the second floor – between the Aquarium and the Zoo – there is a gift shop, but the prices here are quite high.
Entertainment
At the Dubai Mall Aquarium, guests are offered a wide selection of entertainment adapted to any age.
Tourists are offered a unique opportunity to look at large predatory fish, stingrays and other marine life at arm’s length and even without special diving equipment. Guests are given only flippers, snorkel, mask.
The duration of the tour is 15 minutes. During this time, guests of the Oceanarium will enjoy a fascinating immersion in the diverse and multifaceted world of the seas and oceans. In addition, there is a complex ticket or buy a separate ticket inside the Aquarium. The boat accommodates 10 tourists.
The program is designed specifically for guests who want to experience an adrenaline rush and experience indescribable emotions. A special helmet is put on the guest, the duration of the dive is 25 minutes. Two people are simultaneously immersed in a cage with predators.
The program will be interesting for beginners and experienced divers. For tourists who are not experienced in the field of diving, pre-arranged instruction and training. Dives are carried out three times throughout the day, each lasting 20 minutes.
Aquarium inhabitants are fed several times throughout the day. It is not necessary to buy a ticket to see this process, since feeding stingrays and sharks is clearly visible from the Mall.
At Dubai Mall attractions, guests are offered diving training:
- classes with the issuance of a PADI sample certificate;
- classes are provided for experienced athletes who have a PADI certificate, the course involves three dives, they can be done immediately, or you can plan for different dates.
Good to know! Tourist videos can be purchased. Equipment and equipment are provided – rent is included in the payment. First you need to book a participation in this entertainment.
Cost of services in the Oceanarium:
| Entertainment | Price | |
|---|---|---|
| dirhams | dollars | |
| Snorkeling | 290 | 79 |
| Walk in a boat with a panoramic bottom | 25 | 7 |
| Shark diving | 590 | 160 |
| Shark diving for certified divers | 675 | 180 |
| Diving with predators for beginners (the price includes: a training lesson, equipment, insurance, registration of a certificate) | 875 | 240 |
| Diving course | 1875 | 510 |
Good to know! Each guest is photographed at the entrance to the attraction, then at the exit they offer to purchase a small photo album. Its cost is 50 dollars. Buying it is completely optional.
Underwater zoo
Consists of three thematic zones dedicated to the oceans, rainforest and rocks. Despite the fact that the zoo is underwater, not all of its inhabitants live under water, moreover, some of them have no relation to water. On the third floor of the Mall, where the zoo is located, 40 aquariums and aviaries are equipped.
Interesting fact! The most colorful, awesome resident of the attraction is a giant crocodile named King Croc. He justifies his nickname by more than 100% – length 5 m, and weight 750 kg.
One of the exhibitions is dedicated to night residents, bats, barn owls, false cobras, Yemeni chameleons, Ethiopian hedgehogs are represented here.
The exhibition Kraken’s Lair is called quite intimidating, but it looks very attractive. Squids, cuttlefish, nautiluses and octopuses live here. A separate aviary is equipped for penguins, and children’s laughter is always heard near the area where the otters live. Want to feel like an actor in a horror movie featuring piranhas? Visit the aquarium, where fish live with scary teeth, a nasty character and a constant feeling of hunger. The aquarium with jellyfish is highlighted so that the beauty of these marine inhabitants is fully manifested.
Interesting fact! A special resident of the zoo is a splatter fish. The fish got its name for its ability to knock down insects with a water stream, and then eat them.
Another amazing inhabitant is the African protopter. The peculiarity of the fish is the presence of gills and lungs, so it simultaneously feels comfortable in the water and also on land. In the drier months, the fish easily digs into the sand, thus waiting for an unfavorable period. These fish have a brain, they are often trained. Huge crabs and seahorses also live in a separate aquarium.
Useful Tips
- Tickets can be purchased at one of two ticket offices. One works on the ground floor, near the Oceanarium. Only combined tickets are presented here. If you go up to the third floor, you can find the second ticket office. There are cheaper programs here and as a bonus, there are almost never any queues.
- If you purchased your ticket online, you still have to queue at the ticket office for the cashier to print a paper version.
- Little trick. If you don’t feel like paying money, try going to the Oceanarium for free. This can be done in several ways: to go beyond the Aquarium, from the side where the shops are located, you can also go from the back of the tunnel entrance, but provided that there are no fences.
- You can get to the Oceanarium by several routes:
– metro – Dubai Mall station, after which you need to wait for the shuttle bass, which runs free of charge to the entrance of the shopping center.
– by bus RTA No. 27, the frequency of flights is once every 15 minutes, departure from the Gold Market, and arrival to the first level of the Dubai Mall. - By car – you need to follow the Sheikh Zayed highway, to the traffic intersection next to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper . You need to navigate the Financial Center (previously it was Doha Street). You can leave the car in an open parking near the Mall, its capacity is 14 thousand cars.
- Children under three years old have free admission, but it is important to note that some activities are prohibited for children and pregnant women.
- Tickets purchased at the box office can be used throughout the day.
- How much time to plan for the inspection of the Oceanarium. To slowly walk through the tunnel, enough 20-30 minutes. The trip in the boat lasts the same amount. Plan to visit the Zoo for one hour. As practice shows, guests do not spend more than 2.5-3 hours here.
See also: Metro, as the most convenient form of public transport in Dubai .
Practical information
On sale are tickets that provide a different range of services. The best choice – a comprehensive program – a visit to the Aquarium and the Zoo, price – 120 AED.
You can also choose these programs:
- the opportunity to visit all the entertainments of the Oceanarium – AED 315;
- visit to the Aquarium, Zoo, a trip in a boat with a panoramic bottom – 175 AED;
- unlimited access to the Oceanarium for 365 days – adult – 600 AED, children – 500 AED.
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday – from 10-00 to 23-00.
- Thursday, Friday and Saturday – from 10-00 to 24-00.
Note: How to save money in Dubai on sightseeing ?
Having visited the Oceanarium in Dubai, look at one of the restaurants located at the exit of the attraction. The first is decorated with models of animals that live in the jungle – giraffe, gorilla, crocodile. The second restaurant serves delicious fish dishes.
Prices on the page are for July 2018.
Video: A brief but interesting and useful overview of the Dubai Aquarium.
