World’s Best Aquariums

Aquariums are never as cool as the real thing, diving alongside the fish, but sometimes it's impossible to take your entire family with you into the waters, which is where aquariums can help. It's a great experience for kids and adults alike and is also a great way to get your children interested in scuba diving.

Lots of people only consider taking up scuba diving after visiting aquariums and seeing just how majestic it is under water.

This list will give some of the best aquariums around the world, should you feel that your local aquarium deserves a spot on the list simply add a comment describing your aquarium.

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Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre - Vancouver, Canada

Located in Stanley Park, Vancouver in Canada this large aquarium is home to over 300 species of fish, over 100 species of amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds along with plenty of invertebrates.

The Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre aquarium was founded in the 1950s and has since dramatically grown in size. The aquarium has a list of historical events which include the first Beluga whale to be conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium.

The aquarium covers about 9000 square meters and has a total over nearly 10 million liters of water as well as over 150 different aquatic displays. The outdoor gallery named The Wild Coast consists of a few pools which house dolphins, sea otters and a porpoise.

One of the main attractions at the aquarium are the three Pacific White Sided Dolphins, namely Spinnaker, Helen and Hana aged 21, 21 and 14. The aquarium also had another dolphin until earlier this year when she sadly passed away at the age of 31.

There are also six Beluga Whales named:
• Kavna - The oldest of the six
• Imaq - Who is the largest Beluga whale at the aquarium
• Nala - A Beluga calf
• Qila - A 13 year old female Beluga
• Aurora - A 21 year old female Beluga
• Tiqa - Which is the calf of Imaq and Qila.

The aquarium also has an amazing exhibit area of amphibians and reptiles which translucent bubbles which extend upwards into the display where children are able to peer through and look at the animals at eye level.

The fact that this is Canada's largest aquarium and offers such diversity puts it on the list as one of the world's best aquariums.

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Two Oceans - Cape Town, South Africa

The Two Oceans Aquarium is located at the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa and is a beautiful aquarium at the foot of Table Mountain. The aquarium was originally opened in November 1995 and since then has been a major tourist attraction for the City of Cape Town.

One of the more interesting special features of the Two Oceans Aquarium is the opportunity for PADI open water certified divers to dive with ragged tooth sharks at the aquarium.

The Two Oceans Aquarium has the following exhibits:
• Frogs Beyond the Pond - An interactive gallery dedicated to creating awareness as to the problems currently facing this declining group of animals.
• Oceans of Contrast: Atlantic Ocean - This exhibit shows one the marine life present in the colder oceanic waters of the Atlantic, an interesting exhibit consisting of Jellyfish, Giant Spider Crabs, Octopus, Seahorses and so much more.
• Oceans of Contrast: Indian Ocean - This gallery consists of 6 different exhibit which house the more tropical marine life from the warm Indian Ocean, here you can expect to see tropical reef fish, the more colourful of the bunch.
• Afrisam Children's Centre - Something for the younger generation, this area is for children between 4 and 10 and gives parents a chance to relax on their own for a bit while their children are entertained with various activities.
• I&J Predator Exhibit - One of the more popular exhibits is the Predator Exhibit where you will be looking through a large window into a world of ragged tooth sharks, rays, turtles and various other large fish life. This exhibit contains over 2 000 000 liters of water. There is also the beautiful kelp forest exhibit as well as the Sappi River Meander where you will see plenty of penguins.

While I may be slightly bias with the Two Oceans Aquarium being my home aquarium, I honestly feel it deserves a spot on the world's best aquariums.

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Sydney Aquarium - Sydney, Australia

The Sydney Aquarium is a large aquarium opened in 1988 and is in fact known as one of the largest aquariums in the world, it houses over 650 different species and over 6000 fish. The aquarium has some wonderful exhibits which include large see-through acrylic glass tunnels where one passes through and can view large sharks passing around them and over them.

The Sydney Aquarium is also known for their exhibits remaining primarily that of Australian animal life, much of the aquarium is built off the marine life one is able to encounter when diving The Great Barrier Reef and even has an exhibit which is a reconstruction of The Great Barrier Reef.

There were renovations done in 2008 which saw the seal sanctuary closed for some months. The seal sanctuary was then re-opened with new modifications and is now known as Mermaid Lagoon; Here you will be able to see dugongs, Rays, Zebra Sharks and numerous other fish.

Another fairly recent addition to the aquarium is the glass bottomed boat which travels in the Great Barrier Reef tank, allowing visitors to the aquarium a chance to look down upon the marine life inside.

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Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan - Osaka, Japan

The Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan is an extremely large and architecturally beautiful aquarium, located in Osaka, Japan. The aquarium primarily consists of large walk through displays with 16 different tanks, the largest of which holds 5400 cubic meters of water and contains Whale Sharks as well as Manta Rays.

The details for the different tanks is as follows:
• Aqua Gate - 11 meter long tunnel with temperatures of 21 degrees Celsius, and a total water volume of 140 tons. The tank contains various tropical and non tropical fish life.
• Japan Forest - This tank has a water volume of 60 tons and has water temperatures of between 15 and 23 degrees. Animals you will be able to see in this tank include giant salamander, red spotted masou trout, Asian small clawed otters and more.
• Aleutian Islands - A recreation of the Aleutian Islands, water temperatures remain at a cold 10 degrees Celsius or less. The total volume of water for this tank is 250 tons.
• Monterey Bay - A large 1050 ton tank with a variety of marine mammals. It is a recreation of the conditions along the California coastline. Water temperatures in this tank are generally around 18 degrees.
• Japan Deeps - A 80 ton tank with creatures which live in the depths of the ocean, around 200 to 400 meters. These creatures include Snipe Fish and Giant Spider Crabs.

There are plenty more tanks present at this aquarium, including the Floating Jelly Fish Tank and more than 5 other recreational areas for such locations as Antarctica, Tasman Sea, Gulf of Panama and much more.

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Shedd Aquarium - Chicago, Illinois

The Shedd Aquarium was for a long time the largest indoor aquarium in the world, with over 19 000 000 liters of water. It was also the first aquarium to have a permanent saltwater fish collection. It is one of the most visited aquariums in the world with over 2 million visitors annually, and is the most popular cultural attraction in Chicago.

There are over 30 000 different animals at The Shedd Aquarium with over 1500 different species, making it an extremely diverse aquarium. It is also among the oldest aquariums currently in popular use, the Shedd Aquarium was opened in May 1930.

One of the main attractions of the aquarium is the oldest fish currently in any aquarium in the world, it is claimed. 'Granddad', accurately named is a rare Australian Lungfish which arrived at the aquarium in 1933, Granddad is at least 86 years old.

Definitely one of the world's best aquariums, and offers some great species of marine animals to look at. We highly recommend a visit to this aquarium should one be in the area.