My husband and son (2.7 years old) six months ago were at the aquarium in the Rio shopping center and I was interested not only in looking at the marine life, but also in comparing these aquariums.
Moskvarium is open daily from 10:00 to 22:00, we decided to go on a weekday: it’s cheaper and there are fewer visitors. We did not buy tickets in advance on-line; now there are no queues at the entrance, and you can buy tickets both at the Moskvarium itself and at the box office at VDNKh. We bought tickets at the box office near the main entrance.
Ticket prices are high. The lowest fare is daily from 10 to 16 (Monday to Thursday): adult ticket 800 rubles, children's ticket (child up to 120 cm tall) 600 rubles. After 16-00 and on weekends prices are even higher and higher. What is unpleasantly surprising is not just the high cost of a child’s ticket, but also the gradation by height, not age. (For comparison, a ticket to the oceanarium in the Rio shopping center on weekdays costs 500 rubles, a child’s ticket costs 250 rubles, and children under 5 years old are generally free).
I was also surprised that there were no signs anywhere on how to get to the aquarium; it’s good that we knew where it was, since in the summer we walked at VDNKh and saw huge queues of people wanting to get inside.
Upon entering the aquarium, visitors will undergo a serious security check. Everyone who rang in the frame is checked with a hand-held metal detector and asked to remove all metal objects, even small change in their pockets, and all bags are checked. My husband and I often went to football games before and were used to such checks, but people who encountered this for the first time may not like it.
On the ground floor of the aquarium there are ticket offices, a cloakroom, souvenir shops, and a cafe; it is very spacious inside. You can see the fish from the wardrobe; through the glass wall you can see a large marine aquarium and a tunnel.
To view the exhibition you need to go down the stairs or on the escalator. Guests are greeted by a full-wall graphic waterfall. Images of water droplets appear and then fall. Not impressed.
In front of the turnstiles there is a diagram of the oceanarium.
The exhibition is divided into zones according to fish habitat.
We started our inspection from the end, since we arrived shortly before the start of feeding the sharks and, so as not to miss anything, we immediately headed to the large aquarium.
Feeding sharks.
You can watch shark feeding three times a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 14:00. The fish are fed by two scuba divers located directly in the aquarium.
They give the fish pieces of food (apparently also fish) on a stick, and also feed the fish from their hands and even stroke them.
Many visitors gathered to see this spectacle, so the father had to put his son on his neck so that the child could see everything. The impressions from feeding the fish turned out to be the most vivid for my son; he did not want to leave this aquarium, and at home he remembered how air bubbles rose from the scuba divers, and of course he depicted a large shark.
In addition to feeding the sharks, the aquarium hosts the following events:
Exciting feeding of the friendliest and smartest inhabitants of the Aquarium - charming seals, takes place every day
Every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 14.00 in the "Flooded Forest" aquarium you can watch the freshwater giants of the Amazon - the beautiful arapaima - take fish directly from the hands of divers
In "Reservoirs of South Africa" every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 13.00 feeding of small but very dangerous freshwater predators - piranhas
Exposition.
Since we examined the aquarium from the end, I’ll tell you about it in the same sequence.
The tunnel turned out to be very small, like in the Rio shopping center, and did not make much of an impression. You can see a shark swimming overhead.
The crowd's favorite was this huge fish swimming back and forth along the glass. Everyone could take great pictures next to her.
Opposite the shark aquarium there is a pool with Baikal seals. The very cute animals seemed to rejoice at the visitors and twirled, tumbled and played near the glass to the delight of children and adults.
Bright exotic fish reminded us of the coral reefs of Egypt.
But I had previously only seen a clown fish swimming among the tentacles of sea anemones only on TV.
Unfortunately, my son soon got tired and we quickly ran through part of the exhibition. We didn’t pay much attention to the usual aquarium fish, of which there were quite a few.
But we couldn’t pass by the caiman and turtles.
My son really liked the turtles. And not only him, there were a lot of people around these pools.
I was impressed by the killer whale. And although we were only able to look at it from afar, this beautiful, powerful and at the same time graceful animal did not leave us indifferent. But it was not possible to really see the dolphins; only moving silhouettes were visible through the water column and the net.
At the very beginning of the exhibition I really liked the stingrays, which looked like birds, but with very long thin tails. They swam from one aquarium to another and returned back.
The aquarium contains a large number of freshwater fish.
Photos.
Photography is allowed in the aquarium; there is no additional charge for this (unlike Rio). But taking pictures is only allowed without flash. This rule does not apply to professional photographers, who are fenced off in special areas near the most beautiful aquariums. They do not disturb ordinary visitors much, since there are similar aquariums nearby with free access.
We couldn't resist and decided to take a family photo as a keepsake. The photographer girl offered us props: she put a red pirate hat on her son, which matched his red trousers, and gave us a musket; my husband got the steering wheel. She shot more than 20 frames and would have continued filming, but her son categorically refused to pose any further. The photographer gave us a plastic card with a barcode. With which you can view the captured footage and order printing at the terminals or at the Photo Cashier at the exit.
The cost of one photo measuring 15x20cm is 350 rubles, the photo is accompanied by a cardboard frame. You can print a photo in a larger format or choose a magnet with your photo, or transfer the photo to a flash drive. The cost of a flash drive with 10 photos is 1,750 rubles. We limited ourselves to 1 photo. We received the photo within 5 minutes. There is no need to throw away the receipt; it contains a code with which paid photos can be downloaded on the Moskvarium website.
The aquarium made sure that visitors could take interesting photos not only against the backdrop of fish. For example, in the halls there are huge shells, illuminated from the inside, in which you can sit, a high screen with a painted shark, the opening of whose open mouth can just fit a couple of people. I liked the roomy wooden boat, and my son, forgetting about fatigue, climbed on a large dinosaur whose eyes and teeth were like real ones.
Now there are not as many visitors to the aquarium as in the first months of operation. We arrived at 1:45 pm, there were still quite a lot of people, several people were standing at each aquarium. But by 15 o’clock, the number of visitors had noticeably decreased, and it was possible to calmly photograph the fish and take pictures ourselves, without disturbing anyone.
In the aquarium, I liked both the design of the aquariums and the interior in general.
Everything is modern, without stucco and unnecessary decorative elements, like in Rio.
It is very convenient that inside the exhibition there are areas where children can sit and there is a cafe.
The aquarium staff are friendly and welcoming.
In general, Moskvarium and Rio are similar, but I liked Moskvarium more! It has a more extensive exhibition, more spacious premises, and well-thought-out infrastructure.
We will definitely return to Moskvarium later, when our son is a little older!
Before visiting the Aquarium, please do not forget to call the number to check the fish feeding hours, which vary depending on the time period, season and feeding habits.
Thalasoma pavo
Octopus vulgaris
Diplodus puntazzo
Other events
- Lawn Games
- Feeding the Fish
- Organizational
Just 70 meters from the Konyaalti coast at the foot of the Taurus Mountains, school groups, youth games and other organizational events await you on a 5,000 square meter lawn!
Together with your friends, you can plan fun outdoor games such as tug of war, speed sack competition, free chair speed grab, ball bouncing competition, archery, kite flying.
Antalya Aquarium has a capacity of more than 5 million liters of water. More than a hundred sharks swim in the main tank. While feeding these sea predators from the hands of divers specially trained for this, you will be treated to a breathtaking spectacle. If you want to witness a shark feast, be sure to check shark lunch hours before your Aquarium tour!
Antalya Aquarium has facilities for individual events. Here you can organize both a private party and a press conference. Inside the world's largest tunnel aquarium, you can give your presentation in a stunning setting overlooking a sunken plane.
Cape Town is a very colorful place. Having been there, I felt rather contradictory feelings. The thing is that here is a place that is not like either Africa or Europe. I was able to visit Cape Town in August. There are practically no tourists here this month, as it is the “winter” month. No, of course, there is no frost and snowdrifts here, as in Russia, but it is still quite chilly. The temperature is above zero, but an unpleasant cold wind is blowing.
Cape Town has a fairly diverse population. A city in which a large number of nationalities coexist more or less peacefully.
The Malay Quarter especially caught my attention. It is worth a visit because of its unusual flavor. 
The area is replete with various houses painted in all colors of the rainbow. It's very beautiful and unusual. There is nothing else particularly noteworthy in the quarter, but it is simply a must see. It is so colorful, like the many nationalities that live here.
The streets of the city themselves are not outstanding, everything is the same as everywhere else. Naturally, where tourists visit, there are many cafes, restaurants and hotels. But everything else does not exude luxury. Everything is pretty poor and wretched.
But the city center opposite is built up with modern buildings, shops are full of bright signs. Everywhere is clean and tidy.
While in Cape Town, be sure to visit the pier. There are a lot of ships and luxury yachts here. If you have money, you can easily rent a boat here and sail on the waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
There are also many souvenirs that can be purchased for little money. What immediately caught my eye was that the souvenirs were not Chinese, as in many tourist cities. The bulk of souvenirs are made by hand by local craftsmen. Beaded jewelry is very beautiful. Moreover, beads are used not only for decorations, but also for toys, animals and even plates. Really beautiful.
You can also visit excursions and folk art exhibitions in the city.
If possible, go to the local aquarium; admission costs about $30. But you won't be wasting your money. There really is something to see here. Aquariums are simply full of their inhabitants. And the huge tunnel with white sharks will not leave anyone indifferent.
There they told me that there is an extreme excursion in the city - feeding white sharks. 
Well, how can you miss this? Well, I was, naturally. In the first rows of those who want to feed the toothy predators. In my understanding, it looked like we were leaving meat to the sharks on a boat, but in reality everything was very, very creepy. The fact is that you had to feed the predators from a cage in which you are put and lowered under water. When I realized what kind of attraction it was, it was too late to refuse and go somewhere else. Before the dive, we explained to everyone that we couldn’t stick our little hands out of the cage if we needed them again. The sharks were fed tuna. Another thing to consider when participating in this show is that the boat you'll be taking out on the ocean rocks a lot. Therefore, half of our group actively emptied the contents of their stomachs overboard. Maybe this is also feeding sharks?)))) In short, after visiting this excursion, I realized that I would never agree to such an event for any money, even if they offered me money for it. 
But fans of extreme sports will definitely enjoy this show.
Of course, I would advise everyone to fly to Cape Town in the summer, when it is warm and you can swim in the ocean and sunbathe. And not just sightseeing. Of course, there are many places worthy of admiration, but still, when traveling to a seaside city, you still want warmth and the sea.
A panoramic aquarium with a capacity of twenty thousand liters is filled with real sea inhabitants, both peaceful starfish or small reef fish, and dangerous predators - blacktip sharks. You just have to take a step inside the aquarium and you are already surrounded by sharks that are cutting circles around you, hoping to profit from prey.
When
Where
Marine Aquarium - Oceanarium, Chistye Prudy metro station.
What is the price
Ticket prices range from 100 to 200 rubles.
Description of the event
What will happen after? A brave hand will penetrate the aquarium and throw pieces of meat to the sea monsters. Right before your eyes, jaws with thousands of teeth will begin to tear apart pieces of meat. If you want to see this terrifying and terribly exciting spectacle with your own eyes, hurry up and buy tickets to the Oceanarium of the Moscow Marine Aquarium.
You can purchase tickets to the shark feeding show at the organizer's price in just a few clicks, even without leaving home.
This show will appeal to both curious children and their fearless parents, both wildlife lovers and horror movie fans. The Shark Feeding Show is a spectacle you won't soon forget. Maybe for a few more nights you will dream of terrifying clattering jaws, cloudy water and the crazy eyes of sea predators devouring fresh meat.
It's no wonder that so many people come to watch this show every day. After all, these are transcendental emotions and real animal rage. And, best of all, you will be completely safe.
Who is it suitable for?
For children and adults, nature and animal lovers, as well as those who want to see real feeding of sharks and moray eels.
Why is it worth going
- A panoramic aquarium allows you to be in the heart of the action
- Absolutely safe
- Opportunity to see predatory fish up close
Every self-respecting diver tries to see as much of the underwater world as possible, dive in as many places as possible and get to know as many marine inhabitants as possible. Of course, underwater it is recommended, and sometimes insisted, that divers not touch anything. But there are places where the exact opposite happens! For example, it is part of some of our club trips, which we have quite often. There they actually play with the divers. But in Playa del Carmen there is another type of entertainment for divers - feeding bull sharks!
And now you won’t be able to play here, but you will be full of impressions. And so, around November, but like all Mexicans, they do not have a clear schedule. Therefore, we recommend considering the end of November as the time of arrival of the sharks, and they are with us until March. If the divers are tasty, they may stay.
In general, from November to March we can enjoy their presence, but this turned out to be not enough, and the local people, having fallen in love with these fish, decided to feed them. And now all divers with certification or equivalent can observe sharks feeding. There are enough sharks to make divers feel like guests at this belly festival.
How do sharks feed?
The first thing we do is, of course, arrive at the place where the boat starts from. It's located right in Playa del Carmen.
Then we collect our equipment and, having gathered our courage (for the first time), we go to the boat. The boat brings us to the site, and we very disciplinedly begin the dive.
As soon as we are directly at the location we need, you will see a rope that everyone needs to grab together and sit on the bottom, close to each other. This way you create the illusion of one whole organism, and sharks do not swim between you and your neighbor.
Then the show just begins, a specially trained person who knows the sharks by sight begins to feed them. At the same time, he tries to make sure that the shark grabs the food in front of everyone, and not behind his back. Therefore, you will see a lot of teeth, and the sight will also be unforgettable.
This dive is so impressive that many people sign up to re-feed the bull sharks the very next day. For our part, we try to organize all the logistics and make sure that nothing interferes with your enjoyment of diving with sharks. This includes one dive, we naturally provide cylinders and weights, transfer from your hotel in Playa del Carmen, a dive guide and all fees and taxes. There will also be drinking water on the boat.
If you still have any questions, feel free to do so.
P.S. There have been no untoward shark incidents in Mexico in more than 20 years.
