Siam Ocean World
The lowest level of the Siam Paragon shopping complex houses the Siam Ocean World, the largest aquarium currently found in South East Asia (unrelated but interestingly, Thailand's only 3D Imax theater is found at the top floor. The Lamborghini, Aston Martin, Maserati, and Porsche showrooms are found on intermediate floors... but I diverge!).
The Siam Ocean World focuses primarily on aquatic life found in the oceans, although a wide variety of creatures can be found here. Among the mix are spider crabs, sea otters, penguins, sharks, and sting rays. One of the primarily features of the exhibit is the The facilities and tanks appear to be kept in immaculate conditions with each exhibit decorated to simulate the surroundings of the jungle, ocean, etc. I really recommend taking a look! In several days, I'll have a more complete summary under the "Places" page.
Several weeks ago, I stopped by a booth near the entrance and asked about the various options for membership. In the ensuing discussion that touched upon fun areas of Bangkok to visit, I found that the Siam Ocean World held much more than just general admission to see the fish, reptiles, and other animals. The attractions include the opportunity to:
- Dive with the sharks
- Walk along the aquarium "ocean" floor
- Take a Glass-bottom boat tour
- Go on a "Back of house tour"
- have a "Shark Encounter"
- watch a 4D movie ("Sanyo 4D Adventure")
As soon as I heard about the opportunity, to dive with the sharks, I took the bait. Additionally, I found that if I purchased a year-long membership card, then I could go to see the aquarium free-of-charge whenever I wanted and get a significant discount on diving with the sharks. The cost for going on the dive with the sharks tour would cost the same as first getting the year-long membership, and then going on the dive (which I subsequently did today!).
Popeye guides me over one of the many Siam Ocean
World passage [photo below]
After making an appointment yesterday, I arrived at the Siam Water World early in the afternoon for a leisurely scuba diving trip through the aquarium -- since this was my first time scuba diving, I arrived early for a quick overview and lecture about the equipment used and safe diving. My instructor was from Vermont - nicknamed Popeye after the cartoon character tattooed on his arm. After meeting near the entrance, I was whisked away to the back, given a wet suit and speedos and told where I could change and store my stuff. Surprisingly, all scuba equipment - including cleanup equipment like towels, lockers, locks, and showering facilities - are provided with the program.
During our overview - and after I changed into my wet suit - groups of tourists taking the back of house tour would pass by. At that point, I found we would also be traversing the aquarium for thirty minutes! During this time, we would also pass by the numerous glass passageways and windows into the aquarium.
I soon found that in addition to my very-tight feeling wet suit, I would be using gloves, "slippers", face mask, 20lb weight belt, and 20lb airtank (which fits on much like a heavy-duty backpack). After reviewing the basics (breathing, going down, going up, and checking on air pressure), we took the plunge. The only really strange phenomenon was breathing entirely with my mouth underwater. I'm fairly good at swimming, having taken years of swimming lessons and practiced regularly in pools, lakes, and the ocean... however, for the life of me, I found it quite difficult to stay upright, tending to float belly-up with the heavy air tank below. Despite these difficulties, we navigated the tank successfully within the thirty-minutes, and the experience was unforgettable.
The fish would swim all around, in front, above, and around. The sharks also came so close that if I reached out, I could have touched them! The instructor, however, had previously emphasized that such actions are inadvisable and not allowed. Several times, the sharks came so close that I could see their teeth. The hammerheads were fun, as were the multitudes of multi-colored fish. In addition to seeing and experiencing the aquatic life, I also had the opportunity to find out what it might be like to be a part of the exhibit! Many tourists were snapping pictures and little tikes waving at the divers in the tank. Overall, the experience was wonderful and unforgettable. After all, how many people can say that they've been scuba diving in a shark tank??
[Left to right] 1. Scuba-diving in front of the main glass of the aquarium 2. Kneeling on the ocean-floor and watching the fish (and the myriads of people taking photos!) 3. Oh! A shark!!! 4. Swimming through shark-infested waters 5. Waving to the cameras
