Asia Dive News : Siam Ocean World to open this week
“Construction of Bangkok's first aquarium ‘Siam Ocean World', which is the largest aquarium in Southeast Asia, located at the Siam Paragon is expected to be completed by the middle of November and ready for opening on December 9, 2005.
The finished aquarium will feature more than 30,000 aquatic creatures from 400 different species and will be divided into seven zones.”
Deep Reef will be one of Siam Ocean World‘s most interesting zones. The zone represents a wide variety of magnificent coral reefs from around the world. The reefs are a very important ecological system as they provide habitats for many thousands of marine species. The highlight of this zone is an eight-meter tank that illustrates how different species adapt themselves to various environments, from the sheltered shallows of the sloping reef, to the almost vertical drop-off into Deep Ocean, from where the name “Deep Reef” originates.
Siam Ocean World will open from 09.00-22.00 Hrs. Tickets cost Bt450 ($11 USD) for adult and Bt280 for children (80-120cm in height).
‘Siam Ocean World' Thailand's first and Southeast Asia's biggest aquatic education and entertainment centre, represents an investment of more than 1 billion baht and will be operated by Oceanis Australia Group, the leader in the aquarium business with more than 15 years experience.
The company believes of the 400 species that will be on view that the Ragged Tooth Shark will be a manin attraction. “Ragged-tooth Shark, consists of 2 species, which are Odontaspis ferox and Carcharias taurus, but only Carcharias taurus from South Africa will be on show at Siam Ocean World. On the average they will grow up to 3.7 meter in length, but the one that we have imported has a length of approximately 2.5 meters. Ragged-tooth Shark grows very quickly, viewers will be able to notice the change”.
Ragged-tooth Shark will be display in the Open Ocean zone at Siam Ocean World, in a natural habitat environment along side other intelligent species of fish as well as schools of deep sea fish. For example Leopard Shark, Black Tipped Reef Shark, Giant Grouper, Golden Travelly, etc.
Bangkok aquarium to raise marine awareness
Siam Ocean World, Bangkok's first commercial marine aquarium, will be a major asset in raising awareness of the marine environment to Thai school children.
The venture will host educational programmes and tours aimed specifically at school children and teachers. A major boon to raising awareness of the marine environment and its ecology.
The venture, without doubt, will establish awareness of the beauty and complexities of marine ecology making sights and experiences available to those who could not otherwise witness the grandeur of Thailand's reefs and open oceans.
Such awareness, it is hoped, will instill both in parents and children the need to protect the local environment from the potential ravages of industry and commercialization.
Access to the more exotic aspects of the underwater world has long been out of the reach of many groups due the high cost of the more exotic Thai diving locations compared to average local incomes. The aquarium will end that situation for many Bangkok residents, visitors and school children.
Coupled with the existing, but much smaller, marine aquarium operations in Prachuap Khiri Kahn, Phuket, Pattaya and Koh Samui as well as the countries established dive industry Thailand could now become the regional leader in the the availability of marine awareness resources for school children in South East Asia.
Siam Ocean World will open its doors with the official opening of the Siam Paragon Centre in central Bangkok on December 9, 2005.
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