Monstrous crabs, naughty seals and a bouquet of sea-horses

I’m currently staying in the city of Vladivostok, located on the Pacific coast of Russia not far from the border with China and North Korea. It’s often referred as «Russian Eastern capital». One of the most prominent places here is the aquarium opened in 2016, and this is where I’ve been today. I’ve seen a lot of tourists, mainly from Asian countries, and they surely made a right choice. The aquarium alone is worth coming to the city.

I will advise this place to everyone who has kids and to everyone who love educating themselves while on vacation. It is beautifully situated on the island Russky («Russian») - a university center and a natural resort where the locals and the tourists go hiking and swimming. The spacious building is surrounded by a thick forest from three sides and a small bay from the forth one. Near the bay there is a block of flats for the scientists who work here.

Moreover, the designers invested a lot of their fantasy and skill to decorate the area. I was excited by all these creatures, looking so alive. I wouldn’t even be surprised if they had placed a pack of Zergs on these artificial rocks.

The interior will impress you as well. It's perhaps the best I've ever seen in a place like this.

The aquarium opens at 10 AM. The beginning of the exposition is largely dedicated to natural history and evolution. One has an opportunity to learn much about sea life, from microscopic plants and animals which make part of plankton to big species of fish and sea mammals. The feeling of immersion into another world is very strong. And the nature miracles you meet there will make you feel like a child, opened to the new knowledge.

Besides living water animals, you can meet beasts of the past. Some of them are even cute.

Ever imagined a park inside an aquarium? The place possesses a three-level rainforest area with an artificial waterfall, vast collection of orchids and other tropical plants. It’s hard to believe all these colorful flowers are living. But they are. Some of them are poisonous, by the way.

Nerpa, the Baikal freshwater seal. Has the look and the manners of a cheerful water dog. Loves people and is always eager to play, even separated from the viewers by glass. It was them to whom we dedicated most of our time here. Hard to believe these cute creatures used to be hunted for their fur. If you rush along the glass wall, they will follow you, swimming.

Never knew sea stars could climb. But they actually can!

Seaweeds. They can reach dozens of meters in length!

There is a cinema-like hall where you can sprawl on a sofa and endlessly meditate on the largest tank and the slow flight of rays inside it.

There are much more pictures and short videos I could show you, so if you like the post, feel free to upvote and comment so that I could see you're interested and make another post about it!