About AQWA - The Aquarium of Western Australia

AQWA is our State's premiere marine attraction, a boutique aquarium located at Hillarys Boat Harbour on the shores of the magnificent Indian Ocean.

Opening as Underwater World Perth in 1988 with just a single aquarium, today AQWA proudly houses over 45 unique exhibits which showcase only native Western Australian marine life, the majority of which is so rare it cannot be found anywhere else in the world. Visitors will witness marine life from the icy waters of the southern ocean to those from the far north of the state- over 12,000km of richly diverse coastline. Australia’s largest single aquarium, AQWA’s ‘Shipwreck Coast’, holds three million litres of flowing sea water and hosts the near 100 metre Underwater Tunnel where visitors can journey beneath the sea.

Construction of Underwater Tunnel

Construction of Underwater Tunnel and upper floors

Underwater Tunnel completed, staff & stakeholders gather before the filling

Hillarys Boat Harbour, 1990's

Visitors lining up for the Grand Opening of Underwater World Perth

Mascots at celebration of the expansion of Underwater World

Dolphins arrive to ocean pen, surrendered from the defunct Atlantis Marine Park

Australian Sea Lion breeding program commences

The ever-popular Shipwreck Coast

Mermaids first appear at AQWA

About Coral World

Coral World International are world-renowned marine experts, bringing the oceans to millions of people across the globe through their unique and exquisite ocean parks and aquariums.

AQWA is owned and operated by Coral World International, a privately run company boasting a range of specialised ocean parks and aquariums around the world. The Coral World family are passionate about marine education, rehabilitation and conservation, and are dedicated to generating wonder and respect for all marine life. Coral World’s core values are; Put Oceans First; Create Wonder; Be Your Gateway & Foster Joy. Discover more about us and our aquariums below.

The Spark
Coral World has its origins in the 1970’s when founder Morris Kahn, an avid ocean enthusiast and SCUBA diver, was diving with his family in the Red Sea. During a dive, Morris judged that his young son Benjamin (Benjie) was ascending too quickly. In his attempt to stop him, Morris went after him and suffered the same injury he sought to prevent for Benjie – a burst eardrum that rendered him unable to dive for a time.

Morris came to appreciate that for most people, the secrets and beauty of the sea remained firmly beyond their grasp. His entrepreneurial nature was piqued and Morris became impassioned to create an underwater observatory. His vision came to life in Eilat, on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba, where his state of the art concept enabled non-divers to descend beneath the surface and gaze at the wonders of the sea!

Khan’s concepts proved successful and over time the company expanded to include marine parks across the globe. In 1991 Underwater World Perth was put up for sale by the State. Morris visited the facility, saw that the spirit of those working in it was similar to his own and that the ocean of Western Australia was a greatly underestimated and underappreciated wonder, and subsequently purchased the facility. Rather than having an underwater observatory at its heart, this facility’s unique immersion experience was an underwater tunnel submerged in a 3 million litre capacity tank. This innovation was to play a significant role in the evolution of future Coral World parks and is still to this day a jewel in the Coral World crown, being the 10th largest single aquarium in the world and the largest in Australasia.

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For commonly asked questions about AQWA and all the logistical information you need, visit FAQ

FAQs