Located right in the popular Haeundae Beach, the Busan Aquarium boasts about 250 species and 35,000 marine animals. These animals can be viewed through huge acrylic windows including 80 meters of underwater tunnel. Just imagine three million liters of water being pumped in from the ocean for the gigantic aquarium’s 40 or so themed exhibits.
A joint project by Oceanis Australia Pty. Ltd. (which also owns the Melbourne Aquarium, the Underwater World, Mooloolaba, and the Chang Feng Ocean World in Shanghai) and the local government of Busan, the Busan Aquarium is considered a world-class facility in Korea that aims to educate and entertain hordes of tourists throughout the year.
For those who haven’t tried scuba diving and haven’t seen the wonders of the underwater world, the Busan Aquarium is the perfect – and the safest – alternative. The lengthy escalator ride going down to the main hall will have you passing through a dark tunnel decorated by forms of sea creatures in blacklight. It’s like entering another world, a sort of inner journey into the unknown. If you’ve read enough materials on Carl Jung, for instance, you’d compare the experience with that of going deeper and deeper into your subconscious and, in the process, facing your fears – of the dark, of water, of enclosed spaces, of sharks, etc.
Fortunately in our case, nobody fainted nor hyperventilated in the group. As we touched down on solid ground, everybody went in separate directions, ogling at the lighted aquariums scattered all around. Quite a daunting task for our guides who had to herd us all – like a school of fish – in one direction.
The tropical fishes that came from as far as Africa and the Amazon are popular attractions what with huge arowanas and gigantic fish of the catfish variety gracefully swimming about, oblivious to the crowd of curious bi-pedaled oglers. The sight of a darkened aquarium lit only by moving slits of light is slightly unnerving; it turns out that the moving lights were luminous gills from a tropical fish species. One of the most creepy aquariums is that of the piranhas. With scales glowing with a golden sheen, the school of piranhas float unmoving, poised to strike at an unsuspecting prey. An onlooker’s first instinct is to stay at least three feet away from the tank, especially at the sight of a skeleton (plastic, of course) inside the tank, which was enough to get the message across that these creatures are dangerous. But, thank goodness for the thick aquarium glass, one could come near without fear of ending up an appetizer. Pity, it wasn’t feeding time. It would have been a sight to watch these toothy creatures in a feeding frenzy.
Directly opposite the piranhas are the penguins, obviously one of the more popular ones in the place. Here you can see them doing water ballet in groups – graceful gliders of the sea. The otters, meanwhile, are having their nap and can’t be disturbed, thank you. Looking for Nemo? Well, we saw a doppelganger in one aquarium, along with Dory and that angelfish what’s-his-name lookalikes.
A favorite spot in the Busan Aquarium is the touch tank where one can have a hands on examination of several variety of starfish. Orange, red, yellow and blue, spotted or plain – you can pick them up and look at their undersides, feel their hard or rubbery texture. Hard not to be starstruck here.
A few meters down the hallway are humungous snow crabs with heads the size of an ordinary plate and arms longer than a ruler. A pinch from its huge pincers could leave a nasty wound so be careful if you try to catch one out at sea. Yes, these creatures are said to be delicious steamed or sauteed in chili. Another edible creature is the octopus but the baby octopus in Busan Aquarium is so cute and so helpless that you’ll feel guilty about the octopuses you ate in the past. If you’ve any thoughts of ordering puffer fish sashimi in the nearest Japanese or Korean restaurant, try and look at a live one first. We did and we swore never to try one. It’s that toxic looking.
One fascinating sea creature that we don’t get to see much is the dragonfish. Seemingly a cross between a seahorse and a seaweed, the dragonfish reminds you of a water nymph or an alien serenely swimming in and out of seaweeds and soft corals, a master of disguise as it magically adapts the colors of its environment. One moment it’s reddish in hue, at another it’s either yellow or black, green or gray.
The Busan Aquarium’s highlight is a gigantic tank filled with different species of sharks such as lemon sharks and nursing sharks, a group of groupers (gigantic fish very common in Philippine waters), several schools of fish, a yellow manta ray and a solitary sea turtle. It’s quite fascinating going through the tunnel looking up at the pearly white underbelly of a shark, or sitting on one of the ledges with a mean-looking grouper right behind you. In this kind of environment, you can’t help but wonder if these creatures are also sizing you up and forming opinions about humans as well. "Funny awkward creatures, these humans," the sharks must be mumbling to themselves as they endure camera flashes and stares.
A mini-show is provided for visitors in this area where they get to watch two divers feed the sharks and other sea animals. Children, especially, love the part when these divers are surrounded by numerous fishes and disappear from view. Interesting to watch as well is the pas de deux between the divers and the lemon sharks during feeding time. Very graceful indeed.
It’s quite easy to forget about time when you’re down in the Aquarium. Or temporarily take your mind off your daily stresses. Remember that study about how aquariums can help lower blood pressure of patients? Well if that is certainly the case, a visit (or several visits for that matter) will surely bring back anybody’s blood pressure to normal. Like a rebirthing of sorts, you’ll come out of it hopefully having a deeper understanding of this deep, dark world, dancing to and singing The Little Mermaid’s ditty, Under the Sea, with oomph.