Which animals and habitats should you prioritize?
Living Ocean tunnel
Habitat: Open-ocean tunnel
This is the signature Aquaria KLCC moment: a 90m underwater tunnel with sharks, rays, turtles, and large fish moving above and around you. It’s worth slowing down for because the species mix changes as you move through, and the moving walkway can make people forget to stop and look upward at the wider tank life beyond eye level.
Where to find it: Mid-to-late in the visitor route, directly after the Aquatheatre viewing area.
Sand tiger sharks
Species: Sand tiger shark
These are the animals most visitors come for, and they look especially dramatic in the tunnel and during feeding sessions. What people often miss is how slowly and deliberately they move compared with the faster schooling fish around them, which makes them easier to watch if you pause instead of walking with the crowd.
Where to find it: Best seen in the Living Ocean tunnel and Aquatheatre tank.
Arapaima in Flooded Forest
Species: Arapaima gigas
The arapaima is one of the world’s largest freshwater fish, and seeing one here changes the feel of the visit because it breaks the idea that the biggest animals are all in the saltwater section. Most visitors hurry through this zone on the way to the tunnel, but if you wait a moment near the surface, you may see the fish rise to gulp air.
Where to find it: Flooded Forest zone, before the main tunnel section.
Touch pool species
Species: Starfish, horseshoe crabs, and other supervised touch-pool animals
This is one of the few parts of the aquarium where children aren’t just looking through glass, and that tactile element makes it far more memorable than another photo stop. What many adults skip is the short staff briefing, but that’s what helps you understand how to interact gently and why these species matter.
Where to find it: Early in the route, before the major open-ocean displays.
Jellyfish and oddities in Weird & Wonderful
Habitat: Specialized marine micro-habitats
The dimly lit final galleries are some of the most visually striking in the aquarium, especially the jellyfish displays under changing light. They’re easy to miss because crowd flow thins out after the tunnel, but that’s exactly why this section rewards a slower pass — you’ll finally get space to notice smaller, stranger species.
Where to find it: Near the end of the route, after the tunnel and main shark displays.
Green sea turtles and giant stingrays
Species: Marine reptiles and rays
These are often the most graceful animals in the tunnel, and they change the mood from ‘thrilling’ to genuinely immersive. Children tend to spot the sharks first, but the turtles and rays linger longest in memory because of how close and unhurried they feel. A small trick: watch the upper arc of the tunnel glass, where the rays pass overhead and briefly fill your whole field of view.
Where to find it: In the Living Ocean tunnel, especially toward the middle and upper viewing arc.
