Odysea Aquarium: An Oasis in the Arizona Desert
The Odysea Aquarium opened its doors Saturday, September 3, in Arizona off of Via De Ventura and Loop 101. The Odysea is a large aquarium containing more than 2 million gallons of water and over 30,000 animals. The Odysea plans to provide unique experiences for its customers, such as going into enclosure with diving helmets on that don’t require diving certification, a large escalator leading into the aquarium to make customers feel like they’re going into the depths of the ocean and even a 37-foot touch pool full of sea cucumbers, hermit crabs and more. The aquarium started construction in August 2014, and was originally scheduled to be ready by December 2015.
The aquarium includes many animal attractions such as penguins, otters, sharks, fish, sea turtles, piranhas and even octopi. Many customers have enjoyed the different attractions, and many have noted how interesting the restrooms are as they have shark tanks for part of the walls. Many have also enjoyed the new arrival of some otter pups, named Gizmo, Peanut and Pepper.
Odysea also has an attraction called Polar Play, a below freezing playground for kids and adults. It includes an indoor ice bar for both adults and children. It also has ice sculptures carved by hand, or chainsaw, in the attraction.
Although the aquarium attracts a lot of families looking for a great experience for their children, it has also attracted the attention of protestors. The protestors arrived on Saturday during The Odysea’s opening to protest Dolphinaris, a facility where customers can pay to swim with dolphins. The protest was held by the group Dolphin Free Az, and they already have a petition with over 150,000 signatures.
The protestors believe that bringing dolphins to the desert as an attraction is cruel. Odysea has addressed the protestors concerns saying that Dolphinaris is not affiliated with the aquarium, and that their attractions do not include any whales or dolphins of any sort. The protestors are still upset about Dolphinaris, and some have even written letters stating the irony of having an aquarium in a desert that is going through a drought.
Since it’s opening the Odysea has only had one incidence where Salt River Pima-Maricopa Fire Department had to respond to reports of smoke in the building. Everyone was safe and the building did not need to be evacuated. The cause of smoke ended up being an air conditioning unit with electrical issues. Since then, the Odysea has been running smoothly.
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