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Wednesday 17 March 2010 (UAE)
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Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo
The Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo is a large fishtank in The Dubai Mall, hosting thousands of fish and other underwater wildlife for visitors and residents to watch. No fishing allowed though. Enter the tunnel on the ground floor, or go to level 2 to visit at the Underwater Zoo. View the fish for free from far away on ground floor, level 1 or 2, or buy a ticket for the tunnel to stand up close and make funny faces while the fish wonder if you really are the most intelligent species on the planet. You can press your nose against the glass for free if you walk behind the aquarium on level 1 (where Chillis, Romano's Macaroni & Grill, and H&M are), or sometimes downstairs behind the tunnel entrance or exit (if it's not roped off).
Dubai Mall Aquarium leak
- On 25 February 2010 a crack developed and the Dubai Mall Aquarium started leaking, resulting in a partial evacuation of the Dubai Mall, a cleaner floor, and discounted fish and chips at the food court.
- "There was a small problem, a simple crack, and the water leaked," according to an unidentified police officer, as reported by Reuters.
- A statement from The Dubai Mall said "A leakage was noticed at one of the panel joints of the Dubai Aquarium at The Dubai Mall and was immediately fixed by the aquarium's maintenance team. The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety of the aquatic animals."
- But a statement on the WAM website (the UAE official news agency) with the headline "Al Abbar scotches rumours over aquarium leakage in Dubai Mall" reported that Mohammed Ali Alabbar, the Emaar Chairman, denied the reports of leaking water (or maybe leaking fish) - he "brushed aside the rumours circulated by public that the aquarium in Dubai Mall has a leakage", and said there was a "technical fault in the operating device," whatever that means. Later on the same day, the report was withdrawn from the WAM website.
- Unknown if Dubai Mall Aquarium staff were looking for a Dutch diver to stick his finger in the crack until someone could come back from Ace Hardware with a tube of silicone sealant.
- Forumers, twitterers, and Chicken Little were distraught and reported a major disaster in Dubai, saying things like the fish tank had "exploded." As far as we know, the aquarium is still there, and the fish are still peering through the glass (or perspex), wondering if everyone disappeared to update their twit accounts and telephone the British press to report another Dubai goes glug glug glug story.
Dubai Aquarium ticket prices
| Dubai Aquarium tunnel | Aquarium tunnel + zoo | Glass-bottom boat | Swim with the sharks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adults | AED 25 (US$7.00) | AED 50 (US$7.00) | AED 25 + 50 | AED 625 or AED 825 |
| Children | AED 20 (US$5.50) | AED 50 (US$7.00) | AED 25 + 50 | AED 625 or AED 825 |
Dubai Aquarium opening hours
- Sunday to Wednesday 1000-2200 (10am to 10 pm). Last admission to tunnel at 2145, last admission to zoo at 2100.
- Thursday to Saturday 1000-2400 (10am to midnight). Last admission to tunnel at 2345, last admission to zoo at 2300.
List of fish species in the Dubai Aquarium
- Batfish
- Bigeye Trevally
- Cownose Rays
- Fantail Rays
- Giant Grouper
- Giant Trevally
- Golden Trevally
- Grey Reef Sharks
- Guitarfish
- Leopard Sharks
- Leopard Stingray
- Nurse Sharks
- Rainbow Runners
- Reef Sharks
- Sand Tiger Sharks
- Shovel Nose Ray
- Stingrays
- Unicorn Fish
Feeding times for stingrays at 1300, 1800, & 2200 (1pm, 6pm, 10pm). Ask at aquarium about feeding times for other fish (or check the swim with the sharks timetable).
Underwater Zoo
- View different ocean environments - Living Ocean, Rainforest, and Rocky Shore
- Animal species include Crocodiles, Dart Frogs, Giant Catfish, Giant Spider Crabs, Harbour Seals, Humboldt Penguins, Leaf Fish, Leafy Sea Dragons, Moray Eels, Nutria Water Rats, Otters, Piranha, Seals, Sea Jellies
Dubai Aquarium glass bottomed boat rides
- Guided boat tours of the Dubai Aquarium
- Ticket prices AED 25 for a 15 minute ride + AED 5 if you want to feed the fish (but you need to already have bought a Dubai Aquarium entry ticket first)
- 10 passengers per boat
Diving with the sharks
- "Swim with the Sharks" available from 09 May 2009 for both qualified and unqualified divers.
- Shark dives organised with Al Boom Diving, unqualified divers will have a preliminary pool training session with them beforehand at their Al Wasl Rd or Dubai Marina Yacht Club centers.
- Shark dive costs AED 625 (US$170) for certified divers, or AED 825 uncertified divers (includes a preliminary lesson) and scuba diving gear rental, DAN diver insurance, and a certificate of participation.
- Advance booking required, tel +971-4-3422993
- Shark dives last about 20 minutes and are available 3 times per day.
- Video film of your dive available for an extra charge.
Big fish eating small fish
- There were reports in September 2008 of shark attacks at the Dubai Mall Aquarium - some of the Sand Tiger Sharks were eating the smaller fish and licking their lips when divers entered the tank.
- An 18 September 2008 report in the Khaleej Times said that the sharks had killed 40 smaller sharks, damaged divers' equipment and had a crack at the divers also.
- The general manager of The Dubai Mall, Yousif Al Ali, reportedly said "During the stages of setting up the aquarium, two cases of minor injuries were reported and were immediately attended to by the on-site medical team". Presumably he was talking about the divers, not the fish.
- A few months later the Dubai Aquarium said that the sharks had been trained to only eat the food that was given to them, and not to leave their vegetables behind or they wouldn't get a dessert.
The Ocean School
Dubai Aquarium has ocean education programs for school students. Teachers can register on the Dubai Aquarium website for more information about how to bunk off for a day while their pupils learn something fishy. Programs available for students from KG to Grade 12 in both Arabic and English.
Dubai Aquarium summer camp for kids 2009
- Summer Fun Camp for children over 5 years old, available from 28 June to 27 August 2009, 0900-1400 (9am-2pm)
- Includes Dubai Aquarium, Underwater Zoo, Dubai Mall Ice Rink, drinks and lunch (maybe not food & drink after Ramadan starts)
- Cost is AED 99 per child, telephone +971-4-4373155 for bookings
Dubai Aquarium other activities
- Cage diving ("coming soon" according to a poster on the wall)
- Behind the scenes tour (also "coming soon")
Dubai Aquarium numbers
- Tank dimensions 51 x 20 x 11 meters
- Perspex acrylic viewing panel size 32.8m width x 8.3m height (the largest in the world apparently)
- Volume 10 million litres of water
- Over 30,000 aquatic animals (unless the big fish get hungry) including 400 sharks and rays
- Over 85 different species of fish and other sea creatures (no mermaids or snorks though)
- Length of tunnel 48m
- Thickness of aquarium acrylic (it's not made of glass) is 75 cm
- Thickness of acrylic used for tunnel is 19 cm
- Water temperature kept at a constant 24 Celsius
Dubai Aquarium contact details
- Tel +971-4-4373155, fax +971-4-4373180
- Postal address: PO Box 191741, Dubai, UAE
- Email enquiries@thedubaiaquarium.com
Last update Thursday 25-Feb-2010
Related pages
- Sega World Dubai - large entertainment centre and indoor amusement park complete with roller coaster
- The Dubai Mall - the largest mall in Dubai and one of the largest in the world
Related websites (new window)
- www.thedubaiaquarium.com - Dubai Aquarium website, includes a quiz, e-cards, photos, online booking (not available August 2009) and other information
- Dubai directory - add your link free