Dubai Mall aquarium re-opens to public after leakage fix

Dubai: Shoppers once again thronged the façade of the aquarium at Dubai Mall this weekend, with only a lower water level visible as a tell-tale sign of the leak that occurred on Thursday.

However, cage diving into the aquarium has been cancelled for the moment but access to the tunnel and aquarium was once again accessible to the public on Saturday.

The 10 million litre aquarium inside the mall sprung a leak on Thursday. Water was seen gushing out near the 270-degree acrylic walkthrough tunnel but was sealed quickly.
 

The leakage was noticed at one of the acrylic panel joints of the huge tank which now also houses hammerhead sharks, and was immediately fixed by the aquarium's maintenance team, according to a statement from Emaar, the mall's developer.

"The leakage did not impact the aquarium environment or the safety of the aquatic animals," Emaar said.

Aquatic experts and observers who did not wish to be named said despite the water level being slightly lower, the overall impact to wildlife is minimal.

"The fish are still being fed, and the temperature is the same," said one expert. "The water level is slightly lower as they lost a lot of water but a part from that it looks like nothing happened," said one observer.

"There is a big difference between saying it is a 'crack' and 'leak'. This was a leak, it cannot crack because it is acrylic and they fixed it very quickly," said a marine specialist.

A receptionist at Al Boom Diving, the dive centre operation organising dives into the shark-filled aquarium, said cage diving was temporarily cancelled due to the recent leak. It is unknown when it is likely to resume.