Manila Ocean Park Now Open

March 2,2008

At long last Manila Ocean Park is now open to the public. Located behind Quirino Grandstand Luneta Park, Manila, Philippines, Manila Ocean Park is the first Marine theme park in the country. Similar to Singapore and Hongkongs' own Ocean Parks, Manila Ocean Park is home to a variety of marine animals and plants, less the dolphin shows of course.

At the moment the Oceanarium is the only area open to the public. The final plan is to include a mall and hotel within the theme park. At the moment it is still under the final stages of completion.

The Earth is covered by 80% of water. If you are amazed by the 20% percent that you can see above water, image the wonders that the deep hold.

Enter the lobby of the Oceanarium and be greeted by a series of LCD displays showing the wonders of the deep.

Welcome to Agos (Flow), the start of the exhibit. A virtual rain forest that shows the natural flow of water from land to sea. Interact with starfishes and sea cucumbers. Please be careful, try not to squish them or take them out of the water...

Bahura (Reef), showcases unique coral formations, plants, and animals that can be found in the Philippine coral reefs. Please turn-off your cameras flash at this point, as it disturbs the animals.

Laot (Fishing grounds), see a variety of fishes that can be found in deeper waters. Experience the feeling of diving under water inside a sunken ship and imagine seeing the different types of fishes at this depth.

Take a break, have your picture take with one of the mascots. Say cheese...

Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean), walk through a 25M tunnel and experience for yourself the wonders of the deep. See the various animals interact with one another and with their environment. Wasn't able to take a decent picture as the area was too crowded.

Ang Kalaliman (The Deep), see how schooling fish work in groups. Experience close-up how sharks and string rays move and react to their environment.

Multi-media Facility, though it seems to be still under construction kids get a blast of this projector that displays trivia, different shapes, colors, and figures on to the floor.

The 2nd floor Activity Area, is still under completion. This is interesting to look forward to as it will be equipped with a fish spa, hermit crab race area, Shark viewing area boat ride area and souvenir shop.

At the moment there are still a lot people going here, I suggest you visit it at a much later date, so you could savor the experience and see the completion of Ocean Park Manilas other facilities.

Hope to see here some time next year...