Sleeping with the Sharks

A sleepover that brings the wonders of the ocean to town

You promised your children to take them to the beach, but it is raining everyday now and you are worried that your family might end up wasting the whole vacation in a hotel room waiting for the rain to stop.

Well, that does not have to be the case. As Bangkokians, we have countless options and alternatives. Even if you cannot take your children to the seaside, they can spend the night sleeping with sharks, sting rays and some 30,000 amazing species of other marine animals.

And, the best thing is that you do not have to drive them to the seaside, because the sleepover is right here in the middle of Bangkok, at Siam Ocean World.

The “Sleepover at Siam Ocean World” starts at 5pm and ends at 8am, the next day. All meals and a sleeping bag are provided for the children.

The sleepover area is in the tunnel of the Open Ocean Zone where children can watch the huge 360° view fishbowl filled with more than 20 sharks, including the kings of sea – sand tiger sharks and the beautiful leopard sharks, as well as giant groupers, sting rays and shoals of oceanic fish.

The children will be able to closely observe the behaviors of sharks and deep reef fishes until they fall asleep, or stay up watching the animals for the whole night if they want to.

In addition to the bedtime shark watching, the aquarium will organize various activities for the children such as an exciting night tour to the rainforest zone, talk with the diver and curator about their experiences with shark and penguin feeding, as well as learn about marine biodiversity from an expert.

Children can also visit “the Back of the House”, a restricted working area of the aquarium used for daily operations and for the quarantine of newly imported species.

Children who are brave enough to get really close to the sharks can join the “Dive with the Sharks” activity, while those who are not good at swimming can have fun walking underwater with a special suit designed to keep them dry.

They can also touch a leopard shark at the “Shark Encounter”, which is closely monitored by divers. They can also ride a glass-bottom boat that allows them to have a great view of the open ocean tank. Lastly, but certainly not to be missed, children are shown a movie in the “4D X-venture Theatre”.

**Interested parents must make reservations for the ‘Sleepover at Siam Ocean World’. The sleepover is held only when the aquarium has received at least 25 participants per group, per night. It costs 990 baht per person for basic activities. Visit www.siamoceanworld.com/ or call 02-687-2000.