Close encounter of a fishy kind

There were many tourists waiting to get into the aquarium so we could see how popular it is. I found that feeding fish is not easy. Different species eat different food, like shrimp and squid. It is crucial to cut the food into one-bite pieces. The fish gobbled up the food.

This trip was amazing. I could barely tear myself away from the coral, it was so beautiful. I was amazed by a huge spider crab. It had eight legs and it was horrible. When we threw the food into the water, there was a little silence and then the fish just rushed up to get the food. It's the first time I've had such a close encounter with fish.

This trip to Ocean Park was not your everyday visit. Rather than going off to explore all the fantastic rides and attractions, we had a VIP tour.

First we toured the aquarium, where our guide pointed out all the rare fish. They included starfish, manta rays and everyone's favourite - sharks.

We then learnt about maintaining the tanks and got to feed the fish. Unfortunately my throw hit everyone else instead of the fish. Oops. No one took kindly to that.

Feeding the fish was the best. We dug into a bucket of small fish using a spade and threw it across the water like throwing a baseball. Suddenly all the fish came swarming to the spot.

I bet you want to know how to become a marine biologist. Well, you'll need a diploma or a degree in biology or marine science. Being an aquarist, you need to arrive at Ocean Park at 8am to clean the tanks and get ready. You feed the fish at 9.30am and 2.30pm. The fish are not fed at night.

This visit to Ocean Park was unique. We went right past the queues of tourists with our VIP passes.

The Grand Aquarium is magnificent. It features more than 5,000 fish and other aquatic animals. Visitors can explore the ocean in this three-storey-tall aquarium. It features a dome that is 5.5 metres in diameter with fish swimming over your head.

Especially awe-inspiring is the 13-metre-wide glass viewing panel that lets the sea creatures meet you eye-to-eye.

After this visit to Ocean Park I discovered that it is not just a place with entertainment facilities or souvenir shops but a place driven by an ideal and passion to preserve the animals and let people experience their unique habitat. From now on, let's forget the selfish way we treat our environment and intensively shelter and protect our precious marine resources and species. This way we can create a better world.

The aquarist was really friendly and told us a lot about the fish. He also told us a lot about his job. I realised that an aquarist needs to be in charge of everything, like water quality and the fish's health. It was great to try my hand at the job. Now I want to be involved in preserving the ocean.

I had been looking at the adverts for the new aquarium and it looked really interesting. So this was a great chance to explore it. It really didn't let me down.

The appearance and the environment look better and fresher. With the smell of sea water, the aquarium brought me into the world of the ocean. The tanks are bigger and cleaner and I was delighted to see all kinds of fish and coral living freely in the water.

The aquarist told us a lot about the habit of sharks and other sea creatures. To my surprise, hammerhead sharks are very timid! I thought all sharks are fierce, but I was told they rarely attack humans.

The Grand Aquarium

YP Junior reporters listen attentively as an expert talks about the marine creatures at Ocean Park's Grand Aquarium.