Say g'nite to denizens of the deep

Ever dreamt of sleeping in the middle of a deep blue ocean?

The closest to this is probably spending a night at one of the world's largest oceanariums.

S.E.A. Aquarium has lined up programmes to interest students in marine life and conservation, as part of the Singapore Science Festival, from Friday to Aug 3.

They include camping in sleeping bags in front of the aquarium's Open Ocean tank, as well as a peek into how the oceanarium is run. Students will also get to see how manta rays are fed, dissect and study squids and step into a minus 22 deg C freezer where food supplies for the aquarium's animals are stored.

Biswajit Guha, director of education at Resorts World Sentosa, which runs the oceanarium, said that running the aquarium was not just a matter of putting fish in water.

"You have to manage the water, manage the fishes' diets, and observe and understand their behaviour," he said.

He added that the programmes could be a source of inspiration as they could "open the eyes of students to a broad range of career opportunities" in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

thrinat@sph.com.sg

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