Sea Trek Adventure, Berjalan di Dalam Aquarium Terbesar

Saya sudah terbiasa diving jadi disaat saya ditawarkan untuk mencoba Sea Trek Adventure, saya sedikit malas. Bagi saya memakai semacam helm untuk masuk ke dalam air adalah perkara rumit, saya sudah terbiasa dengan masker dan mengambil napas dari regulator sehingga memakai helm sama sekali tidak terpikirkan. Namun saat di Adventure Cove Waterpark, semua di group saya belum pernah diving dan Sea Trek adalah cara bagi yang belum bersertifikasi selam untuk menikmati keindahan "laut" buatan di Marine Life Park, Sentosa, Singapura.

Being a diver, trying Sea Trek Adventure wasn't a temptation for me, in fact, I'm a bit lazy to try it. For me, wearing a helmet to get into the water seems complicated. I'm used with the mask and regulator to breathe so I never think about wearing a helmet to get into the deep water. But during my visit to Adventure Cove Waterpark, all the people in my group haven't tried diving before and Sea Trek in Marine Life Park, Singapore is a way to enjoy the beauty of marine life without a diving certificate requirements.

Briefing first

Tidak rela hanya mengamati yang lain dari atas, saya putuskan untuk ikut "repot" memakai helm dan perkakas, yang sebenarnya lebih simple dibandingkan diving karena tidak perlu membiasakan diri bernapas dari mulut, atau mask clearing saat air masuk ke dalam masker.

Well, not willing to just observe from the surface, I decided to join the hassle to wear a helmet and tools which is actually are simpler than diving since you don't have to get yourself used breathing through the regulator or mask clearing when the water gets inside your mask.

Banyak prosedur Sea Trek yang sama dengan diving, karena masuk ke kedalaman meski hanya 3 meter, instruktur mengajarkan cara equalisasi atau menyeimbangkan tekanan di kuping dengan cara menghembuskan napas dari hidung sambil menekan hidung agar terututup, atau menggerakan rahang dan menelan ludah. Prosedur lain adalah cara komunikasi di dalam air, mulai dari tanda oke dengan menyatukan telunjuk dan jempol membentuk huruf "O" hingga tanda jempol ke atas untuk naik.

A lot of procedures of Sea Trek are similar with diving. Even you'll only get into 3 meters depth, the instructor will teach you how to equalize the pressure in your ears which are by exhale through your nose while pushing your nose using your fingers or just moving your jaws or even swallowed your saliva. Another procedure is the how to communication underwater, ranging from okay sign with the thumb and forefinger unite to form the letter "O" until thumbs ub to sign that you wanna go up to the surface.

Ready to get wet!

Last briefing before going into the aquarium

Layaknya diving, kami memakai wetsuit yaitu pakaian yang terbuat dari bahan neoprene yang mampu menahan panas tubuh di dalam pakaian. Namun saya tidak perlu memakai pemberat karena helm yang dipakai pun sudah berat, total berat satu helm ini 32 kilogram. Namun tenang saja karena saat di dalam air berat helm ini menjadi 6 kilogram, masih cukup berat bagi saya yang terbiasa diving dengan pemberat 3 kilogram.

Just like diving, we gotta wear wetsuit which is a suit made of neoprene material that can hold your body temperature underwater. But I don't have to wear any weight belt since the helmet is already around 70 pounds, but when it gets underwater it became 13 pounds which is still heave for me who used with 6,6 pounds weight belt during dive.

Bubbles one to bubbles two, do you copy?

Kami turun perlahan di tangga dan saat bahu sudah berada di dalam air, helm dipasangkan perlahan. Selang tabung oksigen disambungkan perlahan dan membuat suara "POP" di dalam helm, maka oksigen sudah mengalir dan saya dapat turun perlahan.

We enter the aquarium through the stairs and when your shoulder is in the water, the staff will help you wear the helmet. When oxygen hose are connected, you'll hear a "POP" sound and it means the oxygen are ready and flowing through your helmet. Then, you can descent slowly.

See how crowded it is!

Sea Trek Adventure di Resort World Sentosa menawarkan pengalaman turun ke kedalaman 3 meter di dalam aquarium terbesar di dunia, yaitu South East Asia Aquarium yang biasa disebut SEA Aquarium. Total air yang dapat ditampung di aquarium ini sebanyak 18,2 juta liter air yang menjadi rumah bagi sekitar 50.000 ikan dari 80 spesies yang berbeda.

 
Sea Trek Adventure at Resorts World Sentosa offers the experience of going to a depth of 3 meters in the largest aquarium in the world, namely South East Asia Aquarium which also called SEA Aquarium. The water tank can hold up to 4,8 million gallons of water which became a home for about 50,000 fish of 80 different species .

Damn crowded like Jakarta during rush hours

This eagle ray passing by a few times

Jadi, meskipun turun di aquarium, bertemu banyak sekali ikan adalah jaminan, mulai dari eagle ray, puluhan batfish, hingga big manta dan napoleon wrasse. Meski perlu beberapa lama untuk membiasakan pandangan di dalam helm dan berjalan dengan tambahan beban 6 kilogram, berada di dalam SEA Aquarium sangat menyenangkan. Ikan ikan ini seakan menyambut saat kami masuk ke dalam aquarium. Pari manta beberapa kali melewati kami, hingga ikan besar Goliath yang muncur dari bawah secara tiba tiba.

Although you're only inside the aquarium, meeting a lot of fish is a total guarantee here. From eagle ray, dozens of batfish and even big manta rays and napoleon wrasse. It will take you a moment to get used to walk with the extra load of 13 pounds but being in this aquarium is a great feeling. Those fishes seems like welcoming us from the moment we walked into the water. Manta rays passing by a few times, a lot of fishes swimming through you and also the big Goliath which suddenly came from below.

See how big is the Goliath

Whoopsy, friendly ray is coming right at you!

Sea Trek sangat saya anjurkan untuk yang belum pernah diving karena tanpa sertifikasi anda dapat menikmati berada di tengah hiruk pikuknya makhluk laut. Cara yang sangat mudah dan aman tentunya membuat aktivitas ini tidak sulit dicoba. 

I really suggest trying Sea Trek for those haven't try diving before. Without any dive certificate you can enjoy being in the middle of crowded marine life. An easy and safe way without any difficulties to try.

Will be a greater feeling when you dive, you can get even down below

Namun bagi yang sudah menyelam, tentu saja anda tahu, diving is way better,  perhaps you wanna dive in this aquarium too :)

But for those who've been diving , of course you know, diving is way better, perhaps you wanna dive in this aquarium too :)

@marischkaprue - simply a lucky diver

NOTES:

• Cerita tentang Sea Trek Adventure juga ada di blog Ariev Rahman, disini
• Story about Sea Trek Adventure is also on my friend's blog, Ariev Rahman, see here
• Harga tiket untuk satu sesi Sea Trek Adventure 238 SGD (Dolar Singapura) dengan durasi total 60 menit (termasuk briefing, sight seeing SEA Aquarium dari area pengunjung biasa. 
• Admission price to experience Sea Trek Adventure is 238 SGD (Singapore Dollar) for 60 minutes (include briefing and sight seeing SEA Aquarium.
• Hanya ada satu sesi Sea Trek Adventure setiap harinya pada pukul 14.00 waktu setempat dan maksimal hanya 5 peserta di setiap sesi.
• There is only one Sea Trek Adventure session per day, at 14.00 local time and 5 person maximum on each session.
• Harga tiket masuk Adventure Cove Waterpark saat non peak (Senin hingga Jumat): 29 SGD (dewasa), 20 SGD (anak anak dan di atas 60 tahun); during peak: 33 SGD (dewasa), 23 SGD (anak anak dan di atas 60 tahun)
• Admission price to enter Adventure Cove Waterpark during non peak (Monday to Friday):
  29 SGD (adult), 20 SGD (child 4-12 years old and above 60 years old); during peak: 33 SGD (adult), 23 SGD (child 4-12 years old and above 60 years old)
• Kontak Resort World Sentosa: +65778888
• Resort World Sentosa, Contact: +65778888

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Friends with Stingray at Ray Bay

Sebagian orang mengenal stingray atau ikan pari sebagai pembunuh Steve Irwin, sang penakluk binatang binatang liar dan berbahaya yang ironisnya meninggal akibat kecelakaan disaat ia berupaya memegang ikan pari. 

Most people know stingray as animal which killed Steve Irwin , the wildlife expert who ironically died from an accident when he attempted to hold a stingray.

Ikan pari sebenarnya adalah binatang yang tidak agresif. Mereka hanya menyerang untuk membela diri di saat merasa terancam. Mesti menyakitkan, racun semacam duri yang muncul di bagian ekor stingray tidak menyebabkan kematian, kecuali bagian yang terkena adalah dada atau bagian abdomen seperti yang terjadi pada Steve Irwin

Stingray is actually a non-aggressive animals which only attack in self-defense when threatened. The attack of a stingray is painful, the poison spines that appears at the stingray's tail mostly do not cause death, except when the affected area is part of the chest or abdomen as happened to Steve Irwin  

Met this stingray during dive in Siaba Besar, Komodo, Flores

Di saat diving melihat stingray selalu menarik, meski hanya dapat memperhatikan tanpa boleh memegang. Saat bermain di pesisir pantai pun ada beberapa lokasi yang dihindari karena seringkali ada stingray bersembunyi di pasir, menginjak binatang ini dapat menyebabkan mereka kaget dan mengeluarkan "duri" tersembunyi di ekor mereka.

Seeing these creatures during diving is always interesting, but I can only see and not touching them at all. Also when you enjoy your time at the beach, there are some locations which are often avoided since a lot of stingray hide in the sand, stomping these animals can make them shocked and inject their "thorn" which hidden in their tails.

Yes, you can feed them :)

Namun di Marine Life Park, Sentosa di Singapura ada area dimana anda dapat berinteraksi dengan pari laut tanpa perlu takut terkena sengat mereka. Ray Bay adalah semacam kolam besar di Adventure Cove Waterpark dimana ada 65 ikan pari dari 10 spesies yang berbeda yang dapat anda sentuh dan bahkan dapat diberi makan langsung dari tangan anda.

 
But at the Marine Life Park , Sentosa in Singapore there are areas where you can interact with stingrays without fear of being stung by them. Ray Bay is a place at Adventure Cove Waterpark with large pond filled with 65 rays of 10 different species that you can touch and also you can feed them directly from your hand.

Saya memasuki kolam dengan kedalaman sekitar 75 sentimeter sambil melihat ikan pari berkeliaran. Mulai dari blue spotted ray, coachwhip ray, cownose ray hingga spotted eagle ray berkeliaran di dekat kaki saya tanpa takut. "Disini racun mereka sudah dibuang karena mereka tidak perlu perlindungan dari predator asli, jadi berinteraksi dengan ikan pari disini sangat aman," ujar salah satu Ray Bay officer yang menemani kami.

 
I entered the pool with a depth of about 75 centimeters while watching stingrays milling around my feet. From blue spotted ray, coachwhip ray, cownose ray and spotted eagle ray wandering up near us without fear. "Here they don't need protection from their native predators so we took the sting from their body and it's completely safe to interact with them," said one Ray Bay officer who accompany us.

The black ray is as smooth as velvet!

Selain aman rupanya ikan pari yang ada disini sangat bersemangat saat kami masuk ke dalam kolam. Bagi mereka manusia adalah pemberi makanan enak menu makan mereka yaitu potongan ikan dan cumi cumi. Ikan pari ini langsung mengambil potongan ikan dari tangan dan anda akan merasakan halusnya tubuh mereka, bahkan ada ikan pari berwarna hitam yang bagian tubuhnya sangat halus seperti beludru.

 
Beside its completely safe to step in the pond, the stingray here are even more excited than me when we get into the water. For them human are those giving their tasty food like fish and squids. These rays immediately took the food from our hands and you'll feel how smooth their skins are. Even the black ray have skin which felt like velvet when you touch them.

The cownose ray

Salah satu ikan pari yang paling bersemangat adalah cownose ray yang beberapa kali langsung mendatangi kami sambil membuka mulutnya lebar lebar minta disuapi makanan, super cute!

One of the most eagerly stingray is cownose ray which came straight at us a few times and opened their mouth wide asking for food, super cute!

He's the Ray Bay officer so he didn't have to wear gloves

Prosedur memberi makanan di Ray Bay pun tidak rumit, anda hanya perlu memakai sarung tangan dan booties agar tidak melukai tubuh stingray, ingat kuku jari kita bisa saja tajam dan melukai mereka. Selain itu pada saat masuk ke kolam yang beralaskan pasir kita perlu sedikit menggerak gerakkan kaki di tempat agar ikan pari ini dapat mengetahui keberadaan kita dan tidak terinjak. Cukup mengingat dua hal ini dan anda dapat menikmati interaksi langsung dengan ikan pari. Favorit saya adalah spotted eagle ray yang tampak seperti burung sedang terbang di air, serta cownose ray yang sangat jinak.

  

The procedures of stingray feeding in Ray Bay isn't complicated at all, you just need to wear gloves and booties so you won't hurt the stingray, remember our fingernails could be sharp and hurt them. Also when you dip into the pond we need to shuffle our feet a bit so that the stingray will know we are coming so we won't step on them. Just remember these two things and you can enjoy interacting with these animals. My favorite is the spotted eagle ray which looked like birds flying underwater, also the cownose ray which is very "friendly"

Satu lagi, di kolam Ray Bay ini rupanya ada ikan pari yang sedang hamil! Saya bertanya kepada petugas kenapa ada bagian yang dipisahkan jaring, ternyata di dalamnya ada ikan pari berukuran kecil yang lahir di kolam ini, serta satu ikan pari yang sedang hamil. Sepertinya beberapa bulan ke depan kolam ini akan semakin ramai dengan penghuni baru.. :)

 
One more, apparently one ray in Ray Bay pond is pregnant! I asked the officer why there are parts that are separated by nets, it turned out they separate the pregnant ray from the other rays. Looks like in the next few months there will be new residents in Ray Bay :)

@marischkaprue - rays are friends, not food

NOTES:

• Ray Bay berada di Adventure Cove Waterpark, Marine Life Park, Resort World Sentosa, Singapura.
• Ray Bay located in Adventure Cove Waterpark, Marine Life Park, Resort World Sentosa, Singapore. 
• Untuk tahu lebih banyak tentang apa yang ada di Adventure Cove Waterpark, bisa cek di blog Ariev Rahman disini
• To know more about what's inside Adventure Cove Waterpark, check out on my friend blog, Ariev Rahman, here  
• Biaya untuk berinteraksi dengan ikan pari di Ray Bay adalah 38 SGD (Singapore Dollar) dan tidak termasuk tiket masuk Adventure Cove Waterpark
• Admission price to interact with rays in Ray Bay is 38 SGD (Singapore Dollar), not included the tickets to enter Adventure Cove Waterpark.
• Harga tiket masuk Adventure Cove Waterpark saat non peak (Senin hingga Jumat): 29 SGD (dewasa), 20 SGD (anak anak dan di atas 60 tahun); during peak: 33 SGD (dewasa), 23 SGD (anak anak dan di atas 60 tahun)
• Admission price to enter Adventure Cove Waterpark during non peak (Monday to Friday):
  29 SGD (adult), 20 SGD (child 4-12 years old and above 60 years old); during peak: 33 SGD (adult), 23 SGD (child 4-12 years old and above 60 years old)
• Ada 4 sesi interaksi Ray Bay setiap hari di pukul 10.45, 12.45, 14.45 dan 16.45 dengan maksimal 6 peserta setiap sesi.
• There are 4 Ray Bay interaction sessions every day during 10.45, 12.45, 14.45 and 16.45 with maximum 6 person per session. 
• Kontak Resort World Sentosa: +65778888
• Resort World Sentosa, Contact: +65778888

RELATED STORIES:

• Snorkeling without going to the Sea
• Sea Trek Adventure, Berjalan di Dalam Aquarium Terbesar

Read Full Story...