Underwater World Pattaya says they are the latest tourist attraction in Thailand with the largest and most modern ocean aquarium in Asia, boasting a 100-meter-long, 6.4-centimeter-thick acrylic pedestrian tunnel through an underwater environment filled with dozens of marine species.

Located just 200 meters south of Tesco Lotus in South Pattaya, the new theme park covers a total area of 12-rai and is housed in a structure similar to a large circus tent. This enables the place to have natural light that nurtures the algae, said Bruce Mackay from Underwater World Pattaya.

Besides being an attraction for visitors and tourists, the diversity of undersea life of the new Pattaya aquarium will also play an important role in education and marine conservation, said Darong Yingchon, a marine biologist with years of experience at public aquariums in Thailand.

Further expansion is already on the drawing board, with a possibility that dolphins, giant octopuses, manta rays and perhaps killer whales will be soon added to the Pattaya attraction.

Our estimate of 600,000 visitors a year is shy when compared to Sentosa underwater world aquarium, where they are welcoming 1.3 million each year. But we expect the Pattaya aquarium to grow in popularity, Khun Darong added.

The Pattaya aquarium houses more than 4,000 marine animals, comprising more than 200 different ethnic species from Thailand as well as some rare creatures from overseas, David Hong, the general manager of Pattaya's underwater world said. Hong stressed visitors must-see the very rare shovelnose ray fish, a hybrid between a shark and a stingray. We have three of them in the aquarium which we purchased from Thai fishermen, who normally kill them for consumption, Darong added.

The oceanarium is owned by Underwater World Pattaya Ltd and managed by Sovereign Marketing, a subsidiary of Singapore's Haw Par Group. Marinescape took 17 months to construct the 4,200-square-meter center.