Ever wanted to come face-to-face with sharks, play with them, and even feed them? Or have you heard of the King of Crocodiles? We are of course talking about the world’s largest saltwater crocodile living in the Dubai underwater aquarium, rightfully carrying the title of “King of crocodile”! There is also ample opportunity to feed the unbelievably cute otters and learn how to dive, snorkel and scuba dive with the help of trained professionals in this amazing place.
If you haven’t heard of this highly popular destination, then go right ahead and include it in your travel itinerary as fast as you can. But continue reading this article as we have gathered every little useful detail you need to know before packing your suitcase and setting off to the largest suspended aquariums in the world, Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo.
The Dubai Underwater Aquarium is without a doubt one of the most popular tourist attractions for excited travelers heading to Dubai. This underwater attraction is committed to marine conservation, and runs educational programs to teach visitors about ocean life and protecting aquatic ecosystems. Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo key features include:
The aquarium offers something for everyone:
Below are the main sections of the aquarium, each offering a unique experience:
The Dubai Aquarium Tunnel offers an exceptional view of the ocean’s depths. This underwater tunnel, 48 meters long, is sited on the ground floor of one of the top shopping centres in Dubai, called the Dubai Mall, to carry the visitors 11 meters beneath the ground.
A tour to the Dubai Aquarium Tunnel provides you with a breathtaking chance to walk through the sea waters and come face to face with awe inspiring marine animals.
While passing the aquarium tunnel, you can see small and big fish along with other sea life. You wouldn’t believe your sense of exploration in the magical world of the Underwater Zoo at the Dubai Aquarium. You get to learn so much about the way these creatures live and also about various species found in rivers and oceans.
A tour to the Aquarium Zoo will undoubtedly be fascinating and unforgettable, especially for children. The Underwater Zoo is located on Level Two of the Dubai Aquarium above the Aquarium tank.
During your tour to the Dubai Underwater Zoo, you pass by three environmental zones namely, Rainforest, Rocky Shore and Living Ocean. At Dubai Underwater Zoo, there are 40 various and unusual marine species. The variety and strange creatures that one gets to see in this zoo includes Lionfish, Piranha, Otters, Giant Spider Crabs, Seahorses, Garden Eels, Archerfish, Water Rats, Paddlefish among others marine species.
The Royal Crocodile at the Dubai Aquarium, which we mentioned briefly before, is perhaps one of the most fearsome and interesting animals you get to see there. This gigantic reptile, 40 years old, 5 meters in length, weighing 750 kilograms, is the aquarium guest as it has been brought from Australia. You would have to see it with your own eyes to approve why it is regarded as one of the wonders of the animal world.
This crocodile was only 2.4 meters in length when first captured, has regular meals and stays in a well-protected environment. It grows under a very good condition and is now one of the scariest and strongest reptiles in nature. We wish him well as his wife – the Queen Croc- joined him recently at an age of 80 years!
In 2010, the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo gathered facilities and provided the proper environment to keep Gentoo Penguins. The Dubai Aquarium penguin sanctuary is so well designed that the penguins feel right at home, by which we mean the South Pole.
For example, the temperature in this sanctuary is fully controlled and even the annual cycle of light is on point. Believe it or not, and much to the penguin delight, during the summer time in Dubai, the temperature of their sanctuary is maintained like that of the South Pole in winters! As of today, Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo welcomes 16 penguins and half of them are females and the remaining are males.
Another species you’ll get to visit in the Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo is the Asian Small-clawed Otter. About 13 species of otters exist but they are the smallest and of Asian breed. You can take a special tour in their habitat and see these charismatic creatures up close.
Accompanying the visitation is a program of entertaining education about the lifestyle of otters. These tiny creatures weigh less than 5 kilograms, and sadly, critically endangered. They usually feed on crustaceans, snails, fish, and insects. You might find it funny but these highly intelligent otters have an enormous appetite, sometimes eating as much as 20% of their body weight in a day.
Shark Aquarium at Underwater Zoo, Dubai, has an unforgettable family experience stored for its guests. Here you will get to know how the sharks are kept and learn, if interested, some information about the life of sharks.
The educational content of the Shark Aquarium covers the environment these creatures live in, their diet, and their breeding habits. But that’s not all as you also get to interact and communicate with the sharks, but you have to wait a bit more to read all about it as we will cover all the interactive activities provided at this aquarium in the next section.
Some of the exciting activities you can experience during your visit to the Dubai Aquarium include:
Did you know you could learn underwater breathing in the depths of the aquarium, or did you ever think of trying scuba diving inside Dubai Aquarium? If you are interested in diving and fear it simply because you haven’t tried this thrilling underwater activity, you can fully learn to dive at the Dubai Aquarium and receive a complete diving certification.
Here, you will be taught everything about diving and with ample time as each course usually starts at 1:00 PM, 3:00 PM, and 5:00 PM. Before the actual practical class in the 10-million-liter aquarium, a short theoretical lesson about the safety precautions, instructions, and necessary skills will be given by the instructor.
The only thing left to say is that Scuba diving in Dubai Aquarium is only allowed for those above the age of 10 years. Anyone older must also be in good physical and health condition if they want to get in the water. Pregnant women are also advised not to go scuba diving.
You can experience a breath-taking view of the aquarium riding through the Glass-Bottom Boat at Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. You and your group can ride on the surface of the world’s largest suspended tank, enjoying a bird’s eye view of over 33,000 aquatic animals, which means over 70 species! All you have to do, as this activity needs no instructions, is sit back, relax, and enjoy your tour. The Glass-Bottom Boat Rides, is on Level 2 and each rides depart every 10 to 20 minutes. Children under 2 years old and pregnant women are not allowed to ride the Glass-Bottom Boats.
In the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, you can have an exhilarating interaction with Rays, a wonderful and graceful species. They invite you to hand-feed their intrepid Eagle Rays and Cow nose Rays on their specially designed ray feeding platform. It’s an unforgettable experience as these gentle creatures breach the water surface to take fish from your hands. Rays are perfectly safe to feed and will leave you with a smile on your face.
You could also visit the Dubai Mall Aquarium, to faces your worst nightmare, the non-vegetarian sharks in a close contact. For doing this activity you would use the special outfit with the oxygen helmet to raise your adrenalin easily.
This tank holds over 400 sharks and stingrays, including the largest collection of sand tiger sharks which you get to enjoy in a safe, metal cage. You could ask your instructor to film your experience using his GoPro, you can also buy the memory card to share with your friends and family later.
Snorkeling is the next fun thing you can do at this aquarium without any prior experience. Anyone above 8 years old can join snorkeling here at 370 AED only. If you are not a fan of diving, then snorkeling is for you.
Fortunately, snorkeling requires no previous experience or training. Wear a special outfit and go right ahead and dive into the safe cage of the aquarium. You will get a chance to see over 70 species of marine life, 300 sharks, and many stingrays from close in the snorkeling experience.
The aquarium, receiving over 1.5 million paid visitors each year, is open every day and you get to enjoy it on:
As the aquarium is a highly recommended place for tourists, visiting during weekdays or early mornings can help avoid the crowds. That is even more wise when you remember the weekends or public holidays when Dubai Mall, the Most Visited Place on Earth in 2023, sees a surge in footfall.
The Dubai Underwater Aquarium is located at Downtown Dubai, Al Mall Center Street, at The Dubai Mall. The Public Transportation in Dubai will get you there in no time.
The Dubai Aquarium has different ticket options to suit the preference of each visitor. Families or groups are entitled to discounted packages, while VIP tickets include a priority access policy and a number of other special treats. Some packages involve fast-track entry that helps to skip long lines. Here’s the price for separate activities:
Fortunately, the Dubai Aquarium entrance fee is the same for adults and children. But why not checking online for any discounts or deals available? We especially suggest this smart move on holidays or special events. You might get to buy your tickets at a more reasonable price.
Dubai Aquarium and Underwater Zoo believe and do their best to provide an inclusive atmosphere for its visitors. For this reason, the place is wholly wheelchair-accessible, and anyone can comfortably take the tour seated in a chair. Ramps, elevators, and restrooms with access will facilitate ease of movement. The aquarium also offers sensory-friendly viewing of exhibits, if requested. It is highly advisable that a visitor with special needs contacts the aquarium in advance so that proper arrangements can be made for the optimum experience during the visit. The staff are trained to support visitors in all conditions.
Dubai Aquarium, takes its health and safety regulations very seriously. All those activities we mentioned above are done by certified staff, especially when it comes to water activities such as scuba diving and snorkeling. You’ll be amazed by the level of caution performed here, as they fully brief you on safety protocols, such as how to use diving equipment or how to interact with the animals beforehand.
Pregnant women are restricted from certain experiences here, particularly scuba diving and visitors with disabilities or medical conditions are encouraged to take their condition seriously and inform the instructors.
Different activities within the Dubai Aquarium also have their various age restrictions, for example children under 10 years of age are not allowed to participate in scuba diving activities. They can try more easy experiences like the Glass-Bottom Boat Tour or Snorkeling with stingrays and sharks. To determine a child’s appropriateness for participation, check with each experience as height and/or weight might be an important consideration factor.
Now who would have the heart of leaving this wonderland empty handed? We suggest a short trip to the gift shop and some souvenir shopping, after spending your day at the Dubai Aquarium. There are many gift shops here selling all sorts of marine-themed merchandise. Your choices are endless, be it plush toys, ocean-inspired jewelry, educational books on marine life, of others. If one wishes for a more personal type of memento, then the taking and purchasing of sea-creature photos can be made available on site. Snacks and refreshments are also sold at different spots in the aquarium, which further adds to the expense of your tour.
The time you’ll spend in the Dubai Aquarium will be an unforgettable part of your trip to Dubai. Even residents tend to come here from time to time as it has something extraordinary and new to reveal in each visit. Since the Dubai Underwater Zoo and Aquarium is located in The Dubai Mall, we suggest killing two birds with one stone, visiting the aquarium and shopping at the mall on the same day.
Be it cage diving with sharks or snorkeling, the highly engaging Dubai Aquarium is something different and unique, entertaining and interesting for people of all age groups. Feeling inspired by the magical attractions of Dubai? We are not surprised as this vibrant city never stops dazzling us either.
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General restrictions indicate that children below 10 years are not allowed to do activities like scuba diving. But instead, they can do Glass-Bottom Boat Tour or Snorkeling with stingrays and sharks. We suggest checking the individual activity requirements so you'll be prepared for any specific age, height, or weight limitations.
It is best if you do so in advance and online, especially during seasons of high tourist traffic. That's how you would avoid long queues for popular activities like diving with sharks or an underwater zoo. Some activities may even require a reservation because of limited available space.
Yes, there are strict health and safety guidelines if you choose to do scuba diving or snorkeling. But you'll be briefed with safety protocols beforehand. Certain activities, such as scuba diving, are also prohibited for pregnant women and if someone has certain health conditions.
Comfortable clothes are recommended for the tour to the aquarium, but all equipment and gear shall be provided for water activities like snorkeling and diving.
You can buy marine-themed souvenirs, including toys, ocean-inspired jewelry, and educational books from Dubai Aquarium. You could also buy your own professionally taken photos or videos the instructors took during your experiences, such as swimming with sharks or snorkeling.
