Inside SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World: Every Zone, Animal And Add-On Experience

SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World sits on the B1 and B2 levels of Siam Paragon, a few steps from the BTS Skytrain at Siam station. The aquarium is the city's best-known indoor marine attraction, and this page is a walkthrough of every zone, the animals you will see, the daily feeding shows, and the five add-on experiences you can buy at the counter. If you want to know what is actually inside, how the layout works, and which spots are best for photos, you are in the right place. Bangkok Aquarium covers the details you need to plan a visit without the marketing fluff. If you are wondering whether there is an underwater aquarium in Bangkok, the answer is yes, and this is the zone-by-zone walkthrough.

What Animals Are At SEA LIFE Bangkok?

SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World is home to hundreds of marine species, including two penguin colonies, at least five types of sharks, rays, green sea turtles, otters, jellyfish, seahorses, clownfish, and a touch pool with rockpool creatures. The largest animal on display is a shark that reaches 4 metres in length. The operator keeps the species count vague, saying only "hundreds of marine species on display," and publishes no animal count beyond that.

The animal collection is spread across twelve named zones. The two penguin exhibits are a highlight: Gentoo penguins live in the Penguin Ice Playground zone, and Jackass penguins (also called African penguins) occupy the Rocky Shore zone. Both colonies are fed twice a day, and the Gentoo enclosure has a below-water viewing window that lets you watch them swim. The shark collection is the other big draw. The Shark Walk zone puts you inches above a glass floor panel with five species swimming below, and three large interactive screens help you identify them. The shark species include five different types of sharks, with no official list of the exact species published, though the operator does not publish a full species list.

Beyond the headliners, the Rainforest zone houses small-clawed otters and nine exotic animals added in a recent refresh. The Dive Discovery zone holds adult green sea turtles, and the Coral Reefs zone is full of clownfish and shimmering reef fish. The newly reworked Jellyfish Universe zone displays moon jellyfish and other species under dynamic lighting. The Rockpools zone is a touch pool where you can feel starfish and other intertidal creatures, a favourite with children. For more on the hands-on experience, read our guide on whether you can touch animals at SEA LIFE Bangkok.

The daily feeding shows are free with admission and cover penguins, otters, sharks, and rays. The table below cross-references every feed by zone, day, and time, so you can plan a route around the shows you want to see.

Note that the shark feed and the ray feed are both at 1:30 p.m. and never on the same day except Sunday, when both are listed and you have to choose one. That is a real planning tension worth knowing. The operator's own FAQ page says the feeding programme runs from 11:30 a.m. until 4:30 p.m. each day, but the published schedule shows the first feed (otter) at 11:00 a.m. and the last (Gentoo penguin) at 4:00 p.m.

What Is In The Ocean Tunnel?

The Ocean Tunnel is a 270-degree walk-through acrylic tunnel that puts sharks, rays, and a variety of fish directly overhead. The operator describes it as "the highlight of SEA LIFE" and stages it with a theme drawn from a Thai myth. No tunnel length is published, and the 270-degree figure refers only to the viewing angle. The tunnel is designed to feel immersive, with marine life passing on all sides of you.

The tunnel is the centrepiece of the aquarium. It sits in the Ocean Tunnel zone (map 14) and shares its space with the Fish Bowl, where rays gather. The ray feeding show happens here on Sundays, Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 1:30 p.m. When the feed is on, aquarists hand-feed the rays while a guide explains what you are seeing. The tunnel is well-lit for photos, but the curved acrylic can create reflections. A phone camera pressed flat against the glass works best, and the best shots come when a shark or ray passes directly overhead.

The tunnel is a reason many visitors book ahead. The entry ticket covers all twelve zones and the feeds, and the live listing offers free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. Check availability to lock in a time slot.

What Is The Glass Bottom Boat Ride Like?

The Glass Bottom Boat is a paid add-on that takes you across the surface of the main tank in the Coral Reefs zone. An aquarist feeds the fish by hand while you watch sharks, stingrays, and other fish through the glass floor. The operator describes it as getting up close and personal with sharks, stingrays and a great variety of fish. Life jackets are required, no selfie sticks are allowed, and no food or drink is permitted on board.

The boat departs every 15 minutes from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and is open to anyone aged 3 and over, though children aged 2 to 3 can join if a parent signs a consent form. The operator does not publish a running time, and the staff commentary adds context. The experience is not included in the standard entry ticket and must be booked at the counter on the day, as no online booking is available. The price is not published anywhere on the aquarium's official site, so you will only learn the cost when you arrive.

The Glass Bottom Boat is one of five paid extras. If you want to combine it with other add-ons, the Combo Package sold at the ticket counter bundles the 4D Cinema, the boat, a digital photo, a Pepsi and popcorn set, and entry to Madame Tussauds, but that package is bought at the door, not online. The boat's location in Coral Reefs means you can combine it with a walk through the reef displays before or after your ride.

Which Add-On Experiences Cost Extra?

Five experiences are sold separately at the ticket counter: the 4D Cinema, Undersea Explorer VR, the Glass Bottom Boat, Beyond the Surface, and the Jellyfish Lab. None are included in the standard entry ticket. The operator publishes no prices for any add-on, so the cost is only known when you arrive. All five are open to ages 3 and up, with children needing a parent present depending on the activity.

The 4D Cinema runs every hour from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the B1 floor. The film is a children's cartoon about aquatic conservation, lasting about 12 minutes, with seat effects like wind and water spray. The Undersea Explorer VR is a virtual reality experience at the Penguin Ice Playground, also hourly from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. The Glass Bottom Boat departs every 15 minutes from Coral Reefs. Beyond the Surface takes you behind the scenes in the Rockpools area to meet the aquarists, but no fixed schedule is published; you ask at the counter. The Jellyfish Lab runs from 11:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the last tour at 3:15 p.m., in the Jellyfish Universe zone.

The table below lists the published run times, frequency, age rules, and location for each add-on. The price column says "not published" because that is the honest answer.

The standard entry ticket covers the aquarium itself, all twelve zones, and the free feeding shows. If you want to add any of these experiences, you buy them at the counter after you enter. The ticket page shows the current entry price (checked September 2026) and the free cancellation policy.

How Is The Aquarium Laid Out Floor By Floor?

SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World occupies two basement levels: B1 and B2. The entrance is on B1, next to the food court. Shark Walk is the first zone you encounter. The walking order beyond it is not published as an official route; the sequence in this article is built from the operator's feeding-show map numbering. B1 holds most of the headline zones, while B2 contains the Ocean Tunnel, Shark Shipwreck, and Penguin Ice Playground.

The operator's own map assigns numbers to several zones, visible on the feeding-schedule page. Shark Walk is unnumbered but described as the start. From there, you can follow the map numbers roughly: 12 (Rocky Shore), 14 (Ocean Tunnel and Fish Bowl), 15 (Shark Shipwreck), 17 (Penguin Ice Playground). The other zones, Jellyfish Universe, Ancient Rainforest, Coral Reefs, Rockpools, Seahorse Kingdom, and Dive Discovery, are placed around the B1 and B2 levels without numbered stepping stones. The infographic below suggests a route that follows the map numbers and then loops back to catch the unnumbered highlights. For the best times to arrive and how the crowd flows, see our guide to SEA LIFE Bangkok opening hours.

The table below groups the zones by floor, based on the operator's signage and the feeding map.

The entry ticket gives you access to both floors, and there is no time limit inside. You can wander back and forth, but re-entry is not permitted once you leave. The ticket is open-dated for the day you book, and booking ahead secures a time slot. The entry ticket is available on the live listing, and it includes free cancellation up to 24 hours before your visit (checked September 2026).

Which Zones Are Best For Photos?

The Ocean Tunnel, Shark Walk, Jellyfish Universe, and Penguin Ice Playground are the most photogenic zones. The tunnel's curved acrylic gives a wide backdrop for shots of sharks and rays overhead. Shark Walk's glass floor creates a dramatic perspective. Jellyfish Universe uses dynamic coloured lighting for striking silhouette shots, and the Gentoo penguin viewing window lets you capture penguins swimming underwater. Phone cameras work well in most areas, but the tunnel's curved glass can cause reflections.

The table below summarises what makes each zone worth a photo and any lighting notes that affect your shots.

No flash photography rules are published for the general aquarium, but the Glass Bottom Boat explicitly bans selfie sticks. The rest of the aquarium appears to allow standard photography and video, and many visitors share photos online. The operator's own descriptions make the tunnel and jellyfish zone the most marketed photo spots, and guest reviews consistently call them out.

If you want to capture the feeding shows, the 1:30 p.m. shark or ray feed is the most dramatic, but remember that on Sunday you have to choose between them. The ticket lets you stay as long as you like, so you can try both the 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. penguin feeds. The lighting in the feeding zones is generally good enough for phone photography, but the Shark Shipwreck area is darker than Shark Walk, so a steady hand helps. The entry ticket lets you plan your visit around the feeding schedule, and the live listing shows real-time availability.

So the practical move is to set your feeding priorities first, then reserve the SEA LIFE Bangkok Ocean World entry ticket for whichever day you plan to visit.

Common Questions About The Zones At SEA LIFE Bangkok