OdySea Aquarium Another Aquarium Attraction Planned for Phoenix Metro Area

I don't think I would read anything into that though.....marketing fluff.
 
Five years ago there were no aquariums in Arizona. And now there are going to be three just in the Phoenix area??? I don't know how they think they can compete with Arizona Sealife, unless people go to this new one because there are so many other attractions in the same overall complex.

However, there is no timeline so I will believe this development when I see it. For the entire eighteen years I have lived in Arizona I have been hearing about new amuseument parks that are going up and even a drive-through zoo between Phoenix and Tucson, but none of them ever happened. We shall see...

Their site also looks like it was written by a foreigner who learned to speak very good English, but somehow you can tell it is not a native English speaker so it reads just a little off.
 
Giant Panda said:
In the absence of a more recent thread on the topic, the aquarium opens tomorrow (09/03). Anyone planning a visit?
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Although I live within driving distance, I have NO plans to visit (probably ever). Similarly I have never visited SeaLife in Tempe. This new one is most definitely not worth the $35 admission fee.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Although I live within driving distance, I have NO plans to visit (probably ever). Similarly I have never visited SeaLife in Tempe. This new one is most definitely not worth the $35 admission fee.
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Have you been out to the butterfly place and the aquarium next to it? Or is this new aquarium the one next to the butterfly place?
 
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Arizona Docent said:
Although I live within driving distance, I have NO plans to visit (probably ever). Similarly I have never visited SeaLife in Tempe. This new one is most definitely not worth the $35 admission fee.
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Is it a fair comparison to make between this and Sea Life Tempe? All the sources I'd read made out this aquarium to be quite sizable,and $35 isn't exactly a huge stretch,my nearest aquarium,the Aquarium of the Pacific,is at $30 now. Is there a specific reason you're opposed to this project?? (all genuine curiosity from someone who is fairly unfamiliar with the aquarium world)
 
Giant Panda said:
In the absence of a more recent thread on the topic, the aquarium opens tomorrow (09/03). Anyone planning a visit?

OdySea Aquarium opening this weekend - ABC15 Arizona
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this article says "The facility is 200,000 square feet and holds more than 2 million gallons of water." and there's a little news video attached which adds something along the lines of "which makes this aquarium one of the largest in the nation". I don't really follow American aquariums, so what's the response to that? Do they mean nation as in the United States or do they mean nation as in Arizona?

I think it looks pretty cool anyway.
 
DavidBrown said:
Have you been out to the butterfly place and the aquarium next to it? Or is this new aquarium the one next to the butterfly place?
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I think it is the new one because the article in post #6 by Giant Panda mentions the butterfly place.
 
Chlidonias said:
this article says "The facility is 200,000 square feet and holds more than 2 million gallons of water." and there's a little news video attached which adds something along the lines of "which makes this aquarium one of the largest in the nation". I don't really follow American aquariums, so what's the response to that? Do they mean nation as in the United States or do they mean nation as in Arizona?

I think it looks pretty cool anyway.
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I don't know how well it stacks up to aquariums like Shedd,Mystic,Monterey Bay,and the Aquarium of the Pacific,which were in the top 10 of many sites,however for future reference,nationwide will always mean the entirety of the United States,whereas statewide would refer to that specific state,be it Arizona or California or any others.
 
Shellheart said:
I don't know how well it stacks up to aquariums like Shedd,Mystic,Monterey Bay,and the Aquarium of the Pacific,which were in the top 10 of many sites,however for future reference,nationwide will always mean the entirety of the United States,whereas statewide would refer to that specific state,be it Arizona or California or any others.
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yeah I would assume it should only mean the United States, but it didn't seem a likely statement for the reporter to make in that regard. But I could be wrong.
 
Arizona Docent said:
Although I live within driving distance, I have NO plans to visit (probably ever). Similarly I have never visited SeaLife in Tempe. This new one is most definitely not worth the $35 admission fee.
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I'm inclined to agree with Shellheart. This development looks far more deserving of its admission fee than one of Merlin's "McQuariums". Plus, you'd be doing a service to ZooChat :D

DavidBrown said:
Have you been out to the butterfly place and the aquarium next to it? Or is this new aquarium the one next to the butterfly place?
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Yes, it's the same place. It's also the site of the new Dolphinaris attraction, due to open before the end of the year.

Chlidonias said:
this article says "The facility is 200,000 square feet and holds more than 2 million gallons of water." and there's a little news video attached which adds something along the lines of "which makes this aquarium one of the largest in the nation". I don't really follow American aquariums, so what's the response to that? Do they mean nation as in the United States or do they mean nation as in Arizona?

I think it looks pretty cool anyway.
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I didn't quote those figures because I wasn't sure they were true. If they are, however, it will certainly be a major (sorry, "important") player; 2 million gallons is roughly equivalent to Baltimore and Monterey Bay!
 
Giant Panda said:
I didn't quote those figures because I wasn't sure they were true. If they are, however, it will certainly be a major (sorry, "important") player; 2 million gallons is roughly equivalent to Baltimore and Monterey Bay!
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oh interesting. I was waiting for snowleopard to come on, because he will probably have a ready list of all the USA aquariums arranged by floor area and water volume.

But if the figures may not be accurately reported then that might not help.
 
from their website (in the About Us section):
Located in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, OdySea Aquarium is the largest aquarium in the Southwest, spanning 200,000 square feet. The two-level, state-of-the-art facility holds more than 2 million gallons of water and accommodates up to 10,000 visitors daily. With over 50 exhibits and 500 different species, there are more than 30,000 animals that call OdySea home.
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@Chlidonias: of course I have loads of statistics and facts at my fingertips. :)

If OdySea does indeed have 2 million gallons of water and 200,000 sq. ft. of space then it will easily be one of the largest aquatic facilities in all of North America. There are 130 aquariums just in the USA plus at least another 20 between Canada and Mexico to add up to a grand total of 150 aquariums on the continent. The quality of OdySea Aquarium will be determined once an experienced ZooChatter makes a visit but in terms of square footage the establishment will be in 7th place and in terms of gallons of water the facility will be tied 4th. This appears to be a MAJOR aquarium and at $35 it could possibly be one of the best values around. However, there could also be a lot of wasted space...time will tell.

Here are the top 8 North American aquariums in terms of square footage:

1- Georgia Aquarium – GA = 600,000 sq. ft., 10 million gallons
2- John G. Shedd Aquarium - IL = 480,500 sq. ft., 5 million gallons
3- Aquarium of the Pacific - CA = 354,000 sq. ft., 5 acre site, 1.1 million gallons
4- Monterey Bay Aquarium – CA = 322,000 sq. ft., 3.3 acre site; 1.8 million gallons
5- National Aquarium in Baltimore – MD = 250,000 sq. ft., 2.2 million gallons
6- The Florida Aquarium – FL = 250,000 sq. ft.
7- Adventure Aquarium – NJ = 200,000 sq. ft., 2 million gallons
8- Tennessee Aquarium – TN = 190,000 sq. ft., 1.1 million gallons
 
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