27 In 2009, the oceanarium introduced a shark nursery to showcase its success in breeding several shark species, such as bamboo and leopard sharks. 25 The pink dolphins, added to the Dolphin Lagoon in 1999, produced the world’s first pink dolphin calf to be born in captivity three years later, 26 followed by a second calf in 2008. 24 In 1992, the oceanarium’s first baby stingray was born. Shortly before its opening, for instance, one of its leopard sharks had laid a batch of eggs. 23Īside from being a showcase for marine life, UWS was also a breeding ground for various marine species. One of the camp highlights was the opportunity to sleep under the aquarium’s tunnel, right beneath the sea creatures. “Living in the Ocean”, an overnight camp at the oceanarium, was introduced in an effort to share more about the oceans and marine wildlife. Its workshops, talks and worksheets were well received by schools and teachers. UWS had established itself as an educational hub on marine life since its opening in 1991. 20Īlso popular were an interactive pool where visitors could touch starfishes, baby turtles, hermit crabs and corals and a rock pool containing clownfish and mudskippers. 19 After the lease expired in 2009, a new dolphin lagoon was built next to the oceanarium and opened on 2 July 2010. The Dolphin Lagoon, another key attraction, was first launched in 1999 and was originally located at Central Beach. 17 The oceanarium also added to its collection by rescuing wildlife in the waters around Singapore, such as a baby dugong found off Pulau Ubin in 1998. 16 Most of them were acquired from farms in Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Australia and the Maldives, while some, such as sharks, were captured by the oceanarium’s divers or bought from local fishermen. The tank held creatures like sharks, stingrays and groupers that were native to the waters off Indonesia, the Maldives and the South China Sea. From the moving walkway, visitors had a close-up view of the oceanarium’s marine life. Made of acrylic panes measuring 6 cm in thickness, the tunnel meandered through an enormous tank holding a variety of marine species in over 3 million litres of filtered sea water. The main attraction was a moving walkway enclosed by an 80-metre underwater tunnel. UWS showcased 2,500 specimens of marine life from 250 species, drawn from around the region. 12 The opening of UWS caused visitorship to VKA to fall significantly, and the latter closed by the end of May 1991. 11 It welcomed its millionth visitor in December 1991. 10 The new attraction was an immediate hit with visitors to Singapore as well as residents, drawing an average of 3,000 visitors on weekdays and 8,000 on weekends. 9 The planning and construction of the oceanarium had taken more than two years and the opening was to coincide with the nation’s silver jubilee. 8 Costing over S$20 million, UWS finally opened its doors on. The oceanarium project was introduced in 1988, with a scheduled date of completion of 1989. 6 Subsequently, the government established a joint venture with Underwater World International (a subsidiary of the Western Australia Development Corporation) and New Zealand company, Marinescape Corporation, to build and operate the new attraction. In August 1983, the SDC invited proposals for an oceanarium to be built on a three-hectare site on Sentosa. A request to relocate VKA was raised to the MND in 1981. At the time, the only similar attraction in Singapore was Van Kleef Aquarium (VKA). 4Īlthough the idea was not taken up, the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC) became interested in building an oceanarium as part of plans to attract more visitors to Sentosa. The idea of an oceanarium or marine park was proposed as early as 1978, when the operators of Ocean Park in Hong Kong submitted a proposal to the Ministry of National Development (MND) to build an oceanarium where visitors could observe marine animals in their natural habitat. 1 Its key features included the Dolphin Lagoon housing endangered pink Indo-Pacific humpbacked dolphins, 2 and an 80-metre moving walkway through an observation tunnel offering a panoramic view of the oceanarium’s marine creatures and corals. Considered Asia’s largest tropical oceanarium when it opened in 1991, UWS was one of Singapore’s popular tourist attractions. Underwater World Singapore (UWS) was an oceanarium located at 80 Siloso Road on the island of Sentosa.
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