There are aquariums that show you fish behind glass. Then there are places that pull you into the ocean itself, and make you feel the current, the pressure, and the responsibility that comes with it.
On opposite sides of the planet, two venues are rewriting what it means to connect with marine life. One is tucked 200 meters from Manly Wharf in Sydney, Australia. It was born in 1965 as Marineland, and for almost 60 years it has been built on a foundation of rescue, breeding, and local conservation. The other rises like a spacecraft on Hengqin Island in Zhuhai, China. It opened in September 2023, holds seven Guinness World Records, and holds enough water to fill 30 Olympic pools.
Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary – Sydney, Australia and Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China could not be more different in scale. Manly is intimate, hands-on, and community-driven. Chimelong is monumental, cinematic, and engineered for spectacle. Yet both ask the same question: how do we experience the sea, and what responsibility do we take for it?
This guide breaks down what makes each place unique, what you will actually see and do there, how they approach education and conservation differently, and why visiting either one changes the way you think about oceans. Whether you are planning a family day near Sydney Harbour or a two-day trip to the world’s largest indoor theme park, here is everything you need to know.
An image/photo of visitors walking through the 110-meter Shark Harbour tunnel at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary with grey nurse sharks swimming overhead
Walk into Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary and the first thing you notice is the sound, or rather the lack of it. Compared to a theme park, it is quiet. The building is three levels wrapped around a foreshore promenade. It started as Marineland in 1965, was rebuilt as Underwater World in 1989, became Oceanworld in 1992 with what was then the world’s longest 110-meter tunnel, and relaunched as Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary in 2012 after adding Penguin Cove.
The footprint is small. You can cross the whole sanctuary in 20 minutes. But people rarely do, because the tanks are designed for proximity, not distance. The largest tank, Shark Harbour, holds 4,000,000 liters. That is about 1.1 million US gallons. The acrylic is close enough that you can see the scars on a grey nurse shark and the way a giant stingray flexes its wings. There are over 4,000 animals here, but it never feels crowded because the space is broken into smaller, themed rooms.
Now fly 8,000 km northwest to Zhuhai. Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China does not feel like an aquarium. It feels like landing on a different planet. The entire complex is 397,064 square meters of enclosed space. To put that in perspective, it is more than twice the size of the previous record holder for world’s largest indoor theme park.
It opened in September 2023 as part of Chimelong International Ocean Tourist Resort. On day one it claimed seven Guinness World Records. The total water volume across 38 tanks is 75,350,969 liters. The single largest tank, the Whale Shark Exhibit, holds 56,450,136 liters. The viewing window is 39.6 meters wide and 8.3 meters tall, the largest single acrylic panel in the world. The building also houses the world’s largest indoor artificial wave, the largest living coral reef exhibit, and the highest capacity motion simulator.
Key differences to know:
Why it matters: Scale changes your relationship to the animals. At Manly you feel like a guest in a rehab center. You can make eye contact with a keeper. At Chimelong you feel like you entered the ocean’s command center. The architecture is telling you this is bigger than any one person.
Read more: Inside Sydney’s Best Conservation-Focused Aquariums
An image/photo of little penguins in Penguin Cove at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary with keepers during a feeding talk
Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary was designed around Australian waters and animals that need help. The focus is not on collecting every species. It is on telling local stories.
Step into Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China and the menu of animals expands globally.
Why it matters: Manly shows you what lives in your backyard and how to protect it. You leave knowing the name of a turtle. Chimelong shows you what lives everywhere, from the Amazon River to the abyss, and wraps it in technology so you feel the scale. One teaches empathy. The other teaches awe.
Read more: How Modern Aquariums Balance Conservation and Entertainment
An image/photo of a child touching a crab in the interactive rock pool at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary during a guided tour
Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary’s mission is printed on the walls: Breed, Rescue, Protect. Everything flows from that.
The education model is human and direct. There are daily keeper talks, JAWsome Sharks tours, and Sanctuary Snack Time where staff explain diets and behavior. The touch pool is staffed so a child can ask “why is it slimy” and get a real answer. Shipwreck Shores Play Zone lets kids role-play as marine biologists with splash areas and puzzles.
Reviews often say the same thing: “more about education than sea life seeing.” That is intentional. It is smaller, less crowded, and easier for a 6-year-old to ask three questions in a row. Conservation is not a side panel. It is the main story. Staff talk about bycatch, ghost nets, and the specific threats to grey nurse sharks in NSW waters.
Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China takes a different educational approach. The brief was to blend entertainment and science education at massive scale. The result is high-tech and highly produced.
Interaction here includes:
The conservation message is there, but it is delivered through immersive design. Exhibits highlight endangered species and include environmental calls to action. Animal encounters are staged in arenas rather than rehab pools.
Key takeaway:
Both work because different audiences learn differently. If you want to learn by holding a crab, go to Manly. If you want to learn by riding through an aquarium in a submarine while a narrator explains ocean currents, go to Chimelong.
Read more: Family Guide to Ethical Animal Encounters in Australia
An image/photo of the massive acrylic viewing window at Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China with whale sharks swimming past
Getting there
Tickets and timing
Manly tickets have historically been around $25 Adult, $17 Child. Because the site closed to the public on 28 January 2018 due to projected maintenance costs, and demolition commenced in July 2024 for the Manly Cove West upgrade, you should check current status before booking. Some third-party sites still list tickets, so verify directly.
Chimelong is open year-round because it is indoors. Spring (March-May) and Autumn (September-November) are most comfortable for the wider resort. Avoid Chinese New Year and National Day Golden Week for crowds and higher prices.
What not to miss
At Manly, work your visit around the schedule:
At Chimelong, prioritize:
Atmosphere and accessibility
Manly feels local and relaxed. Staff know repeat visitors. There are fewer rides, more conversations.
Chimelong feels futuristic and busy. With 150,000 marine animals from 400 species, 15 zones, and constant shows, it is built for awe and movement. Signage is in Chinese and English, and AI kiosks help with translation.
Read more: Planning a 2-Day Trip to Chimelong International Ocean Resort
An image/photo of marine biologists working behind the scenes at Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary with a rehabilitated green sea turtle
An aquarium can be two things at once: a place of wonder and a place of work. The difference is what happens behind the scenes.
At Manly, the work is visible. The Breed, Rescue, Protect program is not marketing. It is daily. Staff rehabilitate turtles injured by boats or plastic. They breed Little Penguins to support wild populations. They track individual grey nurse sharks because the species is critically endangered in NSW. The sanctuary partners with local schools and runs beach cleanups. Because it is small, you can actually see a keeper carrying a bucket of fish and ask what it is for.
The message is: the ocean starts at your shoreline. If you protect Sydney Harbour, you protect the animals in this tank.
At Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China, the impact is different. Scale allows for research that a small facility cannot do. The 10-tank coral reef system is used to study coral propagation. The massive water systems test filtration and life support at a scale needed for future ocean conservation projects. The park also funds broader Chimelong conservation initiatives and positions itself as a science education hub for millions of visitors per year.
The message is: the ocean is global. If you understand whale sharks, orcas, and coral reefs, you understand climate, currents, and biodiversity.
Three shared challenges both face:
Neither model is perfect. But together they show the range of what modern aquariums can be.
An image/photo of families comparing the intimate tunnel experience at Manly versus the grand scale of Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium
Choosing between Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary – Sydney, Australia and Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China comes down to time, travel, and what you want to feel.
Choose Manly if you want:
Choose Chimelong if you want:
They are not competitors. They are two answers to the same question. Manly asks you to care for what is close. Chimelong asks you to imagine how big the ocean really is.
If you have kids under 10, Manly is easier and calmer. If you have teens who want rides plus animals, Chimelong wins. If you care most about conservation action, Manly’s model is clearer. If you care most about science communication at scale, Chimelong’s model is unmatched.
The ocean is too big to fit in one building. That is why we need both kinds of places.
Manly SEA LIFE Sanctuary reminds us that conservation starts locally. With its penguins, rescued turtles, and grey nurse sharks named Murdoch and Freckles, it turns visitors into protectors one interaction at a time. It proves you do not need 75 million liters to change someone’s mind.
Chimelong Spaceship Aquarium – Zhuhai, China reminds us how vast and strange marine life is. With 75.3 million liters, a tank that can make its own waves, and a submarine that takes you through it, it turns visitors into explorers. It proves that spectacle can also carry a science message.
If you are in Sydney, take the ferry to Manly and spend an afternoon learning the difference between a wobbegong and a carpet shark. If you are in Guangdong, book two days at Chimelong and let a motion simulator and a whale shark share the same afternoon.
Either way, you will leave with wet shoes, new facts, and a different respect for what lives under the surface. And that is the point of both sanctuaries. Not just to show us the ocean, but to make us want to keep it.
Want me to turn this into a downloadable travel guide with maps, ticket links, and a 1-day itinerary for each location?
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