Yes, this is another day invested at an aquarium. The thing is, each aquarium is different all around the world and they rarely disappoint. Elena and I secretly wish to have a giant aquarium in our home — one that we can scuba dive in and feed our sharks. So yeah, until that day happens we visit these local attractions.

And Aquaria didn’t disappoint.

*Family selfie before heading into Aquaria*

Some of the most interesting parts of Aquaria we were not expecting. For example, the river otters were so incredibly fun to watch. We arrived shortly before feeding time and the three of them were acting like our cat Leo before meal time. They were making noise, scratching on the door where the food comes and generally acting crazy waiting for the precise moment when they would be fed.

*These river otters move FAST and my iPhone is OLD, so not a match*

This aquarium also had lots of birds. Not at many as the bird park (see related post), but plenty for visiting an aquarium. This was a pleasant surprise and the birds loved the attention.

*White parrot who loved getting up close and “talking”*

The penguins also like to be right up front checking out the people.

*Close up as the penguin and I check each other out*

And the biggest surprise (for me anyway) were the monkeys.

*Small, cute and high energy. These guys loved jumping around*

The next biggest surprise were all the massively large fresh water fish. These fish looked like sharks and many of them were about the same size as black-tipped reef sharks.

*Giant fresh water fish that looks shark-like*

And finally, we came to the part I was originally anticipating. The giant bullet-proof glass tank holding the sharks as well as other large salt-water fish. Violet poses to demonstrate the size of this tank:

*Violet is happy to see all the large fish here in the aquarium*

*The tank is so big, it has giant religious statues of famous tales*

*Hanuman (monkey god) chases & falls in love with Suvannamaccha*

It’s so interesting to see how these giant tanks are designed. The underwater statues were a nice touch and reinforces the fact that we’re here in Phuket, Thailand. We didn’t know what to make of this shark who has certainly seen better days:

*Looks like the shark got hit with a cannon ball and swallowed it*

I know this aquarium helps heal sharks who have been attacked or injured in the wild, but this one was a head scratcher. The shark didn’t seem to mind and went about swimming in the tank.

There was even an underwater acrobatics show which was very fun to watch. These are gymnasts who train under water and have full length routines with their partners.

*Making a heart shape underwater before backflipping in synch*

And then there are the micro organisms which we get to see up close and personal. This particular sea horse came out to let me take a few close ups of him.

We had lunch facing the largest wall of the aquarium where the sharks would float by along with other large fish including sting rays. Everything about today’s visit felt unique and special. So many different ways to present sea life and today was a great example of how to “get it right” so you can spend quality time exploring together as a family (even when your kids are now young adults themselves).

Aquaria, Phuket, TH (March 20, 2026)

Nai Harn Beach, Phuket, TH (March 19, 2026)