Dubai aquarium offers glass-bottom boat rides.Byline: Dubai Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo at The Dubai Mall This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures. Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins. has launched innovative glass-bottom boat A glass bottom boat is a boat with sections of glass (or other suitable transparent material) below the waterline allowing passengers to observe the underwater environment from within the boat. rides, which take guests across the surface of the aquarium's ten million litre tank, offering views of the aquatic animals below. Each ride is led by a tour guide who educates the visitors on the aquatic life they encounter below. The 33,000 aquatic animals in the aquarium include sharks, rays and giant groupers. The glass-bottom boat rides allow visitors to experience several fascinating aspects of marine life, and provide them a bird's eye view of the aquarium. Starting with the spectacular sight of Cownose Rays, which circle in flocks near the surface, the rides also offer an unprecedented overview of the various habitats of the diverse aquatic animals. The various species in Dubai Aquarium, which replicates an ocean environment, have their own marked territories at different levels of the tank, as they do at sea. Nurse Sharks Nurse sharks are cosmopolitan carpet sharks belonging to the family Ginglymostomatidae. Common in shallow, tropical and subtropical waters of the western Atlantic and eastern Pacific, the family comprises three genera each with one species. , Fantail fantail a horse's tail cut and pulled so that it protrudes only a few inches beyond the end of the butt. Rays, Guitarfish guitarfish: see ray. and all the small reef associated species are commonly found on the ocean's bed while the sharks prefer to be in the darker rocky areas and caves. Rays have a preference for being near the water surface, where they flap their wings and glide on in perfect poise. The Giant Trevally The giant trevally, Caranx ignobilis, is a species of fish belonging to the Jack/Carangidae family. Also known as ulua in Hawaiian, mamulan in the Marianas, rōnin-aji , Bigeye Trevally, Rainbow Runners and Batfish batfish: see angler. are among others species that tend to prefer the water surface. Reactions from visitors have been enthusiastic. "The boating experience was indeed awesome," said Varun Vaidya vaidya /vai·dya/ (vi´dyah) [Sanskrit "one who knows"] in ayurveda, a physician. , a tourist from India. "The glass-bottom boat rides have created much hype at the aquarium," said Arif Amiri, chief executive officer, Emaar Retail. "The experience offers visitors a unique opportunity to watch and study the fascinating aquatic animals from close encounters. The boat rides are a great complement to the shark dives which have also been launched to immense success." To enjoy the glass-bottom boat rides, visitors need only pay an additional Dh25 ($6.80) to their Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo ticket. Add on a fish feed from the glass-bottom boat for Dh5. The boats are operational throughout the day and each boat can accommodate up to ten guests, with each journey across the aquarium's surface lasting around 15 minutes. -- TradeArabia News Service Copyright 2008 www.tradearabia.com Copyright 2009 Al Hilal Publishing & Marketing Group Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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