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Sea Aquarium Animal Encounters
Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)
NatureBapor Kibra

Sea Aquarium Animal Encounters

Feed sharks and rays, meet sea lions

DifficultyBeginner
Duration30 minutes to 1 hour per encounter; allow half a day
PriceAnimal Encounters snorkel: $75 adult or $40 child (ages 8–12), including admission
Type
Nature
Difficulty
Beginner
Duration
30 minutes to 1 hour per encounter; allow half a day
Price
Animal Encounters snorkel: $75 adult or $40 child (ages 8–12), including admission
Min age
8+
Group size
Small supervised groups
Best season
Year-round
Fitness
Easy
Rating
4.6/5
Physical req.
Most encounters are easy, but in-water snorkel or dive sessions need swimming ability and comfort in the water. Minimum ages apply to some programmes.
The experience

Sea Aquarium Animal Encounters

Feed sharks and rays, meet sea lions, and come face to face with reef life at the Curaçao Sea Aquarium, an open-water marine park fed straight from the sea.

The Curaçao Sea Aquarium at Bapor Kibra is built around a natural seawater system, so the animals live in conditions close to the open ocean rather than in closed tanks. Beyond the displays, the park is best known for its hands-on animal encounters, which let you get unusually close to marine life under the watch of trained staff.

The headline experiences put you in or beside the water with the residents. You can feed sharks and rays through a controlled feeding setup, meet and interact with sea lions, and snorkel or dive alongside reef fish and turtles. There are gentler touch-pool moments for younger visitors too, and the Animal Encounters snorkel experience includes aquarium admission.

Encounters on offer

  • Supervised shark and ray feeding sessions.
  • Sea-lion meet-and-greets and in-water programmes.
  • Snorkel and dive sessions among reef fish and turtles.
  • Touch pools and feeding shows for families.

The park sits beside the Dolphin Academy near Jan Thiel, so you can combine animal encounters with a dolphin programme and a beach day. Book the encounters ahead, especially on cruise-ship days, and bring swimwear, a towel, and reef-safe sunscreen for any in-water session.

At a glance

What to know before you go

Good for
✓Families
✓Couples
✓First Timers
✓Animal Lovers
Included
✓Park admission to displays (with most tickets)
✓Guided encounter with trained staff
✓Use of required in-water gear
What to bring
✓Swimwear and a towel
✓Reef-safe sunscreen
✓Change of clothes
✓Cash for photos and extras
✓Dive certification card for sessions requiring certified divers
Good to note
✓Follow the staff exactly during shark, ray, and sea-lion encounters.
✓Some programmes have minimum ages and swimming requirements.
✓Use reef-safe sunscreen and reapply between sessions.
✓Remove loose jewellery before entering the water.
Plan it

Plan this experience

The essentials for booking Sea Aquarium Animal Encounters and getting there.

Best season
Year-round
Group size
Small supervised groups
Minimum age
8+
Get directions →

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In pictures

Photo gallery

Curaçao Sea Aquarium Dolphin Show

Photo: Niels Karsdorp, Dh3201 via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Curacao-Sea-Aquarium-2013

Photo: Bjørn Christian Tørrissen via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Highlights include supervised shark and ray feeding, sea-lion meet-and-greets and in-water programmes, and snorkel or dive sessions among reef fish and turtles, plus touch pools and feeding shows for families.