The United Arab Emirates is an opportunity to swim in the sea all year round, comfortable beaches, affordable prices in stores, high quality of service. Many tourists know Dubai as the main business and tourist center of the Middle East. The city is famous for its hospitality and a large number of attractions. The list of must-see places in Dubai includes the Dubai Mall Aquarium. The attraction is a huge reservoir of water, designed for observing the sea inhabitants, diving and snorkeling. Thousands of fish species live here peacefully.
The Aquarium’s program includes a variety of activities-from simple fish watching to extreme diving to predators and feeding crocodiles. Now read more about this place.
Information about the Aquarium
The largest indoor aquarium in the world was built in 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 a huge Mall. The facade of the building is made of a special material – durable plexiglass.
Interesting fact! Dubai Aquarium 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 main tank of the aquarium is 51x20x11 m;
- more than 33 thousand live in the aquarium, and four hundred stingrays and sharks should be noted separately;
- tiger sharks live in the Aquarium, where they have the largest collection in the world;
- the tunnel is 48 m long.;
- The aquarium is filled with water that is comfortable for all marine inhabitants — +24 degrees.
The entrance to the attraction is located on the lower level of the Mall. The Underwater Zoo can be accessed from the third floor.
Useful to know! There are shop windows and cafes around the tunnel, so glare is reflected on its walls, which is not very convenient for photographing.
Dubai’s Largest Aquarium-Features
- The transparent tunnel laid in the Aquarium provides an excellent, undistorted view of 270 degrees to the right and left.
- You can take photos and videos of everything here.
- The most daring visitors can dive into the aquarium with predatory fish and rays. If you are a certified diver, dive on your own. Beginners will have to complete an accelerated training course.
- If extreme sports don’t appeal to you, take an exciting trip in a boat with a heavy-duty glass bottom.
- There is a gift shop on the second floor, between the Aquarium and the Zoo, but the prices are quite high.
Entertainments
The Aquarium at Dubai Mall offers a wide range of entertainment options tailored to suit all ages.
Snokerling in a cage
Tourists are offered a unique opportunity to see large predatory fish, rays and other marine life at arm’s length and even without special equipment for diving. Guests are given only fins, snorkel, and mask.
Glass-bottomed boat ride
The tour duration is 15 minutes. During this time, guests of the Aquarium will enjoy a fascinating dive into 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 can accommodate 10 tourists.
Shark Cage Dive
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.
Shark Diving
The program will be interesting for beginners and experienced divers. For tourists who are not experienced in the field of diving, pre-arrange instruction and training. Dives are held three times during the day, each lasting 20 minutes.
Daily show programs with feeding of marine life
Aquarium inhabitants are fed several times throughout the day. You don’t have to buy a ticket to see this process, as feeding stingrays, sharks is perfectly visible from the Mall.
Scuba Dive and Specialty Dives
The hotel offers diving lessons in Dubai Mall attractions:
- 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 performed at once, or you can schedule them for different dates.
Useful to know! Videos with the participation of a tourist can be purchased. Equipment and photographic equipment are provided – rent is included in the payment. You must first book your participation in this entertainment.
Cost of Oceanarium services:
| Entertainment | Price per person (dihrams) |
|---|---|
| Snorkeling in a cage | 370 |
| Dive to the sharks in an oxygen helmet (in a cage) | 620 |
| Shark Diving for certified divers | 790 |
| Complex of 3 dives: shark watching and swimming, underwater photography and shark feeding | 2100 |
| Scuba diving | 1210 |
Please note! The minimum age of a person for diving is 10 years, for snorkeling-8 years.
Underwater Zoo
It consists of three themed 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 nothing to do with water. On the third floor of the Mall, where the zoo is located, there are 40 aquariums and aviaries.
Interesting fact! The most colorful, intimidating resident of the attraction is a giant crocodile named King Croc. It justifies its nickname by more than 100% – the length is 5 m, and the weight is 750 kg.
One of the exhibitions is dedicated to nocturnal inhabitants, including bats, barn owls, false cobras, Yemeni chameleons, and Ethiopian hedgehogs.
The Kraken’s Lair exhibition is called quite intimidating, but it looks very attractive. It is home to squid, cuttlefish, nautilus and octopus. There is a separate enclosure for penguins, and children’s laughter can always be heard near the otter zone. Do you want to feel like an actor in a horror movie with piranhas? Visit an aquarium where fish with terrible teeth, bad temper and a constant feeling of hunger live. The aquarium with jellyfish is illuminated so that the beauty of these marine life is fully manifested.
Interesting fact! A special resident of the zoo is the bryzgun fish. The fish got its name for its ability to shoot down insects with a water jet, 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, as well as on land. In dry months, the fish easily burrows in the sand, thus waiting out the unfavorable period. These fish have brains and are often trained. Also in a separate aquarium live huge crabs and seahorses.
Useful tips
- Tickets can be purchased at one of two ticket offices. One works on the first floor, near the Aquarium. Only combined tickets are available here. If you go up to the third floor, you can find a second ticket office. There are cheaper programs here, and as a bonus, there are almost never any queues.
- If you purchased a ticket online, you will still have to wait in line at the ticket office for the cashier to print out the paper version.
- A little trick. If you don’t want to pay money, try going to the Aquarium for free. There are several ways to do this: go behind the Aquarium, from the side where the shops are located, or go from the back of the tunnel entrance, but only if there are no fences.
- There are several routes to get to the Aquarium:
– metro-Dubai Mall station, then you need to wait for the shuttle bus, which runs free of charge to the entrance of the shopping center.
— by RTA bus No. 27, the frequency of flights is once every 15 minutes, departure from the Gold Market, and arrival at the first level of the Dubai Mall. - By car-follow the Sheikh Zayed Highway to the transport interchange next to the Burj Khalifa skyscraper. You need to navigate by the Financial Center (previously it was Doha Street). You can park your car in an open parking lot near the Mall, which has a capacity of 14 thousand cars.
- Admission is free for children under three years old, but please note that some activities are prohibited for children and pregnant women.
- Tickets purchased at the ticket office can be used throughout the day.
- How much time should I plan to visit the Aquarium? To walk slowly through the tunnel, 20-30 minutes is enough. The same amount of time is spent on a boat trip. Schedule a one-hour visit to the Zoo. As practice shows, guests do not spend more than 2.5-3 hours here.
Practical information
Official website of the aquarium — https://www.thedubaiaquarium.com/Dubai Mall Aquarium Ticket Price
On sale are tickets that provide a different range of services. The best choice is a comprehensive program-a visit to the Aquarium and Zoo, the price is 120 AED.
You can also choose the following programs::
- the opportunity to visit all the entertainment of the Aquarium – 400 AED;
- Aquarium, Zoo visit, sightseeing boat ride – 199 AED;
- unlimited access to the Aquarium for 365 days, – adults – 400 AED, children-300 AED.
Work schedule
- From Monday to Thursday – from 10-00 to 23-00.
- From Friday to Sunday – from 10-00 to 24-00.
On a side note: How to save money on sightseeing in Dubai?
After visiting the Dubai Aquarium, check out one of the restaurants located at the exit of the attraction. The first one is decorated with models of animals that live in the jungle — giraffe, gorilla, crocodile. The second restaurant serves delicious fish dishes.
