Busan Aquarium

Haeundae Beach has always been popular with holidaymakers in the summer. The new Busan Aquarium adds excitement to the area year-round. After two years of construction and meticulous installation, the aquarium officially opened to the public in November 2001, about three months before schedule. The $30 million facility was designed by a combined Australian and Korean team lead by Bob Adams of Aquaria 21, the Queensland, Australia, specialist in marine technology. Under an exclusive arrangement with Haeundae-gu, Aquaria 21 will operate the aquarium for a period of 20 years with an option for another 10 years before donating it to Haeundae-gu.





A total of 35,000 animals belonging to about 250 species will be on display:

• 1 mammal species (Asian small-clawed otter)
  
• 1 bird species (Jackass penguin)
  
• 2 reptile species (green sea turtle, pig-nosed turtle)
  
• 2 amphibian species (Chinese giant salamander, Korean salamander)
  
• 50 freshwater fish species (piraruku, red-tailed catfish, pacu, sturgeon, electric eel, red-bellied piranhas, silver arowana, archerfish, discus, freshwater angel fish, blind cave fish, glass catfish, and others)
  
• 160 saltwater fish species (6 species of sharks, 4 species of rays, angelfishes, anglerfishes, batfishes, blennies, butterfly fishes, cardinal fishes, clown fishes, damsel fishes, gobies, groupers, jacks, lionfish and stonefish, parrot fishes, puffer fishes, sea dragons and sea horses, snappers, tangs, trigger fishes, wrasses, and others)
  
• 34 invertebrate species (chambered nautilus, giant Pacific octopus, giant spider crab, assorted soft corals, sea anemones, jellyfishes; assorted sea urchins, sea stars, sea cucumbers; assorted shrimps, giant clams, horseshoe crab, and others)

Key animals:
Grey nurse shark (Carcharias taurus): 12 sharks (4 males and 8 females) will be displayed- the largest gray nurse shark captive colony in Korea
Jackass penguin (Spheniscus demersus): 30 penguins are displayed- the largest jackass penguin colony in captivity in Korea
Chinese giant salamander (Andrias davidianus): it is the largest salamander species in the world- the first appearance to the public in Korea.

Information: (051) 740-1700
Location: 1411-1 Jung 1-dong

Hours:
Jan. ~ Jul. 22, Aug. 29 ~ Dec.
* Monday ~ Friday - 10:00 ~ 19:00
* Saturday/Sunday/Holiday - 09:00 ~ 21:00
Jul. 23 ~ Aug. 28 (Summer Peak Season)
* 09:00 ~ 23:00

Admission:
Adults: 15,000 won
Junior, high school students, seniors (65+ years old): 12,500 won
Children (4 years old ~ elementary school students): 10,000 won
* 4 years old and under are free

Students Group
Junior, high school students: 9,000 won
Children: 7,000 won

Regular Group
Adults: 12,000 won
Junior, high school students: 9,500 won
Children: 8,000 won
* Students/Regular Group price applies to groups of 20+.

Directions: Subway line 2, Haeundae Station, exits 3 & 5, 10 minutes walking

 The Busan Aquarium is bigger than the hugely popular COEX (Convention " Exhibition Center) Aquarium in southern Seoul, yet its admission charge is cheaper. The new aquarium, spread across two levels, has thousands of tropical freshwater fish. The main tank on Level Two houses sharks and rays and thousands of other fish in 3,000 tons of water. A seven-meter tall concave tank with a window 22 millimeters thick tank can be viewed from both levels. Among the 40+ exhibits, notable attractions include the Asian small-clawed otter jackass penguin, electric eels, and deep coral reefs. Of special interest are the 2.5-meter- long shark and giant turtle.

 Other facilities include a resting place, outdoor park, and parking lot on the ground floor. A simulator, theme restaurants, resting room, and souvenir shop are located on the first underground level (B1), while the aquariums are located on levels B2 and B3.