MANILA, Philippines - Nowhere to go this Holy Week?

Since it?s too late to book a flight to Boracay and you hate the long drive up north to the beach, why not drive down Manila with your family and discover the amazing marine life at the country?s first oceanarium?

The Manila Ocean Park behind the Quirino Grandstand in Manila is open to the public this Holy Week.

For P400 per adult and P350 per child, prepare to be dazzled by colorful fishes and invertebrates indigenous to the Philippines and Southeast Asia, as well as by the splendor of the reefs and the deep seas.

The family fun and journey begins with the section Agos (Flow), patterned after a rainforest with waterfalls, foliage and vines and a slight drizzle. This area hosts freshwater electric eel, giant arapaima and piranhas.

It?s double the fun at the Touch Pool where you can pet some of the friendly residents such as the blue-spotted stingrays, starfish and sea cucumber.

Bahura (Reef) has some of the most fascinating creatures found in Philippine coral reefs, namely, clownfish, fox-faced rabbit fish, seahorses, peppermint shrimps, parrot fish and butterfly fish.

In Laot (Fishing Ground), keep an eye out for the giant grouper (yes, think Sweet and Sour!), which can weigh up to 600 pounds. Dalagang bukid, assorted wrasse, parrot fish and breams are also found here.

Major attraction

Buhay ng Karagatan (Living Ocean) is no doubt the major attraction of Oceanarium. Human traffic is quite heavy on this part of the house because parents and kids experience the underwater life through a 25-meter-long tunnel that features various aquatic species.

Overhead lights bring out the breathtaking splendor of stingrays, guitar fish, leopard fish, smaller groupers, snappers, talakitok and shovel-nosed rays. The fierce barracudas and stingrays are placed in separate tanks.

After experiencing the aquatic life on the ground floor, families can go upstairs for a rare ?fish spa? experience. For an additional P100, sit by a pool and dip your feet in water teeming with doctor fish from Turkey, which gently tickle your feet.

The park is owned by China Oceanis Philippines Inc., a subsidiary of China Oceanis Inc., a Singaporean-registered firm that has operated four oceanariums in China and one in India.

Take lots of pictures, though flash photography is discouraged because the fish gets disoriented. Tapping of the glass is also a no-no, because it creates vibrations inside the tank that gets the sea creatures stressed. You wouldn?t like them when they get angry, would you?