After our Zoobic Safari escapade, our tour bus headed on towards the bay to take us on a different kind of adventure.
Subic Bay is an great destination for families with kids. A little way off the West Ilanan Forest Area where Zoobic Safari is located, lies Camayan Wharf, housing another gem to spark your child's curiosity - Ocean Adventure.
I have heard about Ocean Adventure from a friend before, her daughter LOVES dolphins. They arranged for a dolphin encounter for her birthday surprise. Having visited Manila Ocean Park, my family was thinking it would be a similar experience, but seeing the marine blue waters of Subic bay and the vast premises of the park, it was a little bit different, more relaxing feel of a vacation "slash" discovery.
I took only a few photos as I tried to enjoy as much as I can with my little ones and only videos of our fave parts of the many shows to explore at Ocean Adventure.
Wild World Show
We arrived past lunch and just in time to catch the 12:30 pm show about wild animals. The whole place was packed because of the tour so the show started immediately upon our arrival. I was an interactive show, calling on selected audience members to touch the Reticulated Python and we had a video of the White Bellied Sea Eagle making seagull-like sounds. A Bearcat, an Owl and a Civet also made an appearance, enhancing the children's knowledge about wild animals and why they need to be rescued.
Dolphin Tales
My son and I watched this standing at the sidelines and we got a unobstructed view of the dolphin stunts which I got on video. The bottle-nosed dolphins could propel themselves and their human partners into the air! Watch the video to get a full picture of the amazing stunts these wonderful creatures are capable of.
Seaside Show - Aman Sinaya, Legend of the Ocean
While waiting for the show, we weren't sure what to expect. We got popcorn and cold drinks to beat the warmth in the air from the sunny atmosphere. A crowd was already at the stadium so we got seats at the sides, a bit nearer the stage, to get a nice view of the play.
Aman Sinaya was part musical, part play and taught the children about the Legend of the Sea, how Aman Sinaya was a friend to all creatures, even the shy Pipo, the Pawikan. It was filled with dancing and acrobatics as seen in the video above. Below is an excerpt of the Philippine mythology of Aman Sinaya which sheds light onto this musical and its importance in Philippine culture.
Aman Sinaya is the maiden goddess who ruled over the ocean and guides local fisherfolk to grant them a bounty of fishes when out at sea. You will know she is angered when death waves appear in the calm blue sea. Bathala and Aman Sinaya in the midst of a quarrel caused lightning and tornadoes. In the chaos, Bathala hurled a mountain at Aman Sinaya, thus forming the archipelago you now know to be the Philippines. [Source]
The afternoon felt a little bit long but since we were enjoying our visit, we wanted more! We took a walk to the attractions before going on to the next show.
The beautiful view at the stadium while watching the Aman Sinaya musical
Shark SeaTrek
Little boy are very interested in, you guessed it - Sharks.
The Research Station had an interesting entrance and my son watched the Black Tip Reef Shark dance around in its aquarium. I tried reading him the description and facts about sharks. He didn't listen, he only wanted to watch the shark. There was some difficulty getting a photo because they both moved a lot and the station was dimmed.
Sea Lion Marine Patrol
The last part of our visit was the super enjoyable Sea Lion show. There was a part about sea lions imitating humans and a funny act about a patient sea lion. Most of the video are clips from the show actually because the audio was really good and I was able to take more videos after getting a seat in the middle with my family. As anticipated, don't sit too close because there will be water splashing about!
Guide for the confused
Great end to the afternoon, the sea lion show!
We opted out of the Sea Lion Meet and Feed and just watched, but it was pretty late and we had little time left. Some in the group stopped at the underwater viewing of the Sea Lion for some selfies and a few more oohs and ahhs.
Ocean HeART 3D Wall Art
Upon leaving Ocean Adventure, we queued at the exit of the Sea Lion are and passed by the restrooms near the 3D Wall Art. The little ones we scared of the life like wall murals and only agreed for photos after much persuasion that the whale and shark will NOT jump out of the wall.
Hiding from the whale
Ohno a Shark!
Schedule, Snacks, Map and Rates
Our visit was part of a tour but here are the rates for Admission to the Ocean Adventure Park which is open from 9AM to 6PM daily.
I will definitely go back with my family either for a dive or an encounter when the kiddos are a bit older.
We brought lunch and ate at the bus before arriving at Ocean Adventure. We bought snacks at the snack stand which is right in the middle of the park near the Wild World show. If going on a tour, best bring your own food or eat beforehand at Subic near the Duty Free Stores because the schedule of the shows are pretty tight and you will spend the minutes in between them finding a seat, settling down and what not.
Click on the image below for directions on how to go to Ocean Adventure. As you can see it's very near Zoobic Safari and it would be nice to stay overnight n the area and explore both in 2 days while shopping on the side in Subic.
For more information on getting there see the Ocean adventure site here.
Hope you liked our Ocean Adventure story as much as we enjoyed our visit!
Source: http://www.oceanadventure.ph
Also posted on luvabi.com.
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