Sunday, June 16, 2013

Have a Shark Encounter... safely

My Paper, Friday, June 14, 2013, Page A6, News
By Felicia Choo, feliciac@sph.com.sg, My Paper, Friday, Jun 14, 2013
 

Up close and pesonal: The writer (right) admires a hammerhead shark at Marine Park's Shark Encounter, which will allow visitors to spend 15 minutes underwater gawking at ocean predators.
PHOTO: Up close and pesonal: The writer (right) admires a hammerhead shark at Marine Park's Shark Encounter, which will allow visitors to spend 15 minutes underwater gawking at ocean predators.
Photo by Ong Wee Jin / My Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcOF1SX5NKlC9HjTmcF3V3COzk4_j-vBugdrbl5yfVgs-VHcS39zUiCNcZzFtfMwCc2SzIfMlUjcIwq6w71uQtTmCbMgPF2Rrr_XyzQKfVh32vGi3EOqSze53aEA7AJ7jz9mr56kXU8jK-/s1600/Have+a+Shark+Encounter...+safely.jpg
My Paper, Friday, June 14, 2013, Page A6, News


Inches away from my face, a hammerhead shark bared its rows of menacing teeth and tore away at a hapless fish.

I remained unharmed in those few moments, peering from the safety of an acrylic enclosure underwater, where I was given a 360-degree view some 200 sharks of 10 species.

The media was yesterday given a preview of what visitors can expect at the Marine Life Park's newest attraction, Shark Encounter, which opens to the public tomorrow.

For $88, visitors aged 12 and above can spend 15 minutes underwater up close and personal with ocean predators, such as hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks and black-tip sharks. A maximum of two participants is allowed in each session.


For $88, visitors aged 12 and above can spend 15 minutes underwater up close and personal with ocean predators, such as hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks and black-tip sharks.
PHOTO: For $88, visitors aged 12 and above can spend 15 minutes underwater up close and personal with ocean predators, such as hammerhead sharks, nurse sharks and black-tip sharks.
Photo by Ong Wee Jin / My Paper
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTv4CLkRF-_OiyV2sJjrasPbdrkrtEz-ZlDTalb0TFsz6zZ8Pzj1FsysQGVSyu2yofUScFXXEWzl1aSJnZdyrjWzdTxXb-fgH14A2kkVH3IIVcMzDcNR0h16vZCTth09jt_x26tkLQTRjB/s1600/Have+a+Shark+Encounter...+safely-1.jpg
My Paper, Friday, June 14, 2013, Page A6, News


Another attraction at the park, called Sea Trek Adventure, will be opened to the public on June 30. It will see visitors don air-filled helmets and wetsuits before they descend 3m into the 18.2-million-litre aquarium.

Once on the aquarium floor, they can walk about and be treated to a panoramic view of 50,000 fishes of more than 80 species.

It will cost each participant $238 for a 20-minute underwater session, with a maximum of five participants allowed per session.

But, unlike Shark Encounter, visitors do not need to know how to swim to experience the Sea Trek Adventure.


Visitors need to know how to swim to experience the Shark Fantasy
Visitors need to know how to swim to experience the Shark Fantasy
PHOTO: Visitors need to know how to swim to experience the Shark Fantasy
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVbRqx-Bueq6twcjn4Tz_5xWsI-ZIxCJ9ZPxcsZ7QjuuHHcvv8MMlBzeli2kQVRQZQM0Ud_EfwlVTFPQtP8s3TZDMpbKL2m0pUiTrQvUxJfXNPlbcfImsSn4sAasqtYB9EmCkMfOPAA5z/s1600/sharknight-2.jpg
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-RlNKgGYATpVrbIWip-bwuKVOYOFTRu1uWd7PjY9kuhIrIZBb0PKx1wAmHm7mnnPGqcIy2zgxrUMQYZYzpiIJhks7rMe2KVZkXPGuwFqpY8gkBCHRKIYiyhoOY9QntemKTX_fCDF_Bi5L/s1600/sharknight-2-1.png
http://electroshadow.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/sharknight-2.jpg
http://euesports.com/forum/index.php?threads/sharks-avatar-and-sig.41756/


The Marine Life Park at Resorts World Sentosa opened its gates to visitors last November.

Its oceanarium is billed as the world's largest, with 100,000 animals spread over 8ha.

Visitors can look forward to even more sharks in the future, said the park's senior curator, Mr Grant Willis, 41.

He said: "We do have a lot of sharks that are breeding already (and) we have eggs that are hatching...

"What we're looking at now is to get pairs (of male and female sharks) and we are looking at having breeding groups of all the different species."

By Felicia Choo, feliciac@sph.com.sg, My Paper, Friday, Jun 14, 2013

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