Underwater Observatory Park, Eilat – Visitors Guide with Coupons

Underwater Observatory Park in Eilat is a great attraction where you can see sharks, rare fish, the Red Sea reef, and much more.

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Note: for additional info about animals and wildlife, check out Zoos and Aquariums in Israel‎.

Map

Underwater Observatory Marine Park is located at Coral Beach in Eilat. You will see it on the left while driving on road #90 towards the Taba border crossing (Israel – Egypt).

Directions for drivers: Link to Waze and Link to Google Maps
Directions for public transport: Link to Moovit

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Interactive map of the area:

Offers:

  • Hotels, hostels, and apartments in this area:
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Map of Underwater Observatory Park
Map of Underwater Observatory Park

Note: you can click on the image above to enlarge it.

Directions

You can park for free near the park. You can also take bus #15 from Eilat city center. Here is a link to Moovit, where you can update your starting point and get updated directions. And the last option would be to take a taxi from Eilat.

Opening Hours

Daily: 09.00 – 16.00

Entrance Fee

There are several ticket combos. The regular ticket allows seeing most of the park, but it can be upgraded in several ways. For example, you can purchase shark diving or visit at Aquadome (360-degree visual experience).

You can buy tickets on the official website.

Ticket typePrice (NIS)
Child – regular entrance85
Child – regular + Aquadome105
Child – regular + Aquadome + Shark Diving599
Adult – regular entrance105
Adult – regular + Aquadome125
Adult – regular + Aquadome + Shark Diving599

Notes:

  • Children under 3 enter for free. Also, children under three cannot enter Aquadome.
  • Coral 2000 is not sailing on Sundays. If you are ordering tickets with the Coral 2000 sail, you need to call 08-6364219 beforehand and verify there is a sail.
  • The oceanarium can be closed for private events. You can see the exact dates when ordering tickets on the official site.
  • Opening hours and ticket prices were updated in December 2022. In any case, recheck the official site before visiting.

Coupons

The downside of Coral World is the expensive tickets. Thus, many people are searching for coupons. Here are the available coupons:

  • Groo – 95 NIS per child and 115 NIS per adult per entrance (including Aquadome). And there are various packages.
  • cpnclub – similar discounts to Groo.
  • MAX – tickets starting from 66 NIS.
  • htzone– tickets starting from 58 NIS.
  • Teachers association – 48 NIS per child and 65 NIS per adult. There are also tickets with Aquadome.

Feeding Times

I wanted to get to shark feeding at 10:00. We arrived at the entry fifteen minutes before 11:00. The lines were long (though it was December, meaning off-season) and barely moving. Since I had pre-ordered tickets, I needed only to print them, but there were no self-service stands, and we had to wait.

Of course, we missed the feeding, but there is another one at 14:30. Here is the timetable for the feedings.

Feeding Times at Underwater Observatory Park
Feeding Times at Underwater Observatory Park

Note: you can click on the image above to enlarge it.

Here are the activity times from the photo:

  • Shark and fish feeding with a diver in the shark pool: 11:00 and 14:30
  • Feeding the marine animals in the rare fish aquarium: 11:30
  • Feeding fish in the Red Sea aquarium: 12:00
  • Turtle and stingray feeding: 12:30
  • Pearl opening show: 13:00
  • Feeding in the Amazon hut: 13:30
  • Young turtle feeding: 15:00

Keep in mind that feeding times can change. Thus if you are interested in a particular activity, recheck the official site.

About Coral World Underwater Park

Underwater Observatory Marine Park is probably the most well-known attraction in Eilat. Here is background information from the official website:

Eilat is blessed with the most amazing and unique coral reef globally, with an underwater marine observatory situated in the heart of the reef. The park offers its visitors a rare opportunity to enter the Red Sea’s natural and abundant marine kingdom – an unforgettable experience for both young and old.

The park has a spectacular display (over 800 species) of fish, coral, sharks, mollusks, stingrays, turtles, and many other animals from the Gulf of Eilat. And, the most impressive place of all – the Underwater Marine Observatory, the only one of its kind in the world! The observatory is a tower situated in the middle of the sea, without any fences or cages, offering a rare view of the Red Sea, with its bright colors, tones, and the marine life in the Gulf of Eilat. The tower is comprised of two display halls. These halls are submerged at a depth of 12 meters under the sea, offering visitors a natural view of the coral reef’s spectacular beauty through huge plate glass windows.

Note: all quotes, unless stated otherwise, were taken from the official site.

The last time we visited the Underwater Observatory Marine Park was around five years ago, and since then, the shark aquarium was significantly improved. Moreover, my daughter (a toddler then) did not remember anything from our previous visit. Thus we decided to revisit this attraction.

Sharks World

Since I was interested in the upgraded sharks’ world, we started there.

Sharks world at Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat, Israel
Sharks World

It has been 40 years since the opening of the Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat. A new attraction has just been opened, following an investment of 26 million shekels: Shark World – the biggest shark pool of its kind in the Middle East, covering an area of 1000m2. It offers a rare opportunity and an exceptional experience to have the Red Sea sharks at your fingertips and get the feel of what it’s like to meet them.

The water pumped into the pool undergoes a complicated process as it is drawn up from a depth of 40 meters. The 575 square meters pool is 6 meters high, contains three million liters of water, and is located right at the center of the complex.

My daughter is checking out the fish:

Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel

There are explanations in Hebrew, English, Arabic, and Russian.

At Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel

Sharks world has a glass corridor with fish around you. It seems terrific in promotional photographs, but here is how it looks in reality.

At Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel

This is the clearest shot (with the fewer people) I got. So, if you want to take a similar photograph, come either at the opening or towards the marine park’s closure.

In the second part of Sharks World, we saw digital and regular stands with explanations. We skipped some of them since it was packed. And here are some fascinating truths about sharks. The fact that sharks have no bones to break makes them sturdy and resistant to other predators and rough ocean storms.

Red Sea Reef

Since we had time for our Oceanarium show, we headed to the Red Sea Reef hall (#2 on the map).

Red Sea Reef at Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel
Red Sea Reef

We made it just in time for the noon fish feeding. But first, the diver lit “candles since it was Hanukkah.” And then, the diver fed vegetarian fish and omnivorous ones.

Oceanarium Show

Note: This show is no longer available. And instead, you can visit the Aquadome (360-degree visual experience).

The Oceanarium is a huge simulator. In a spacious, air-conditioned hall containing 140 seats, a film is screened on three huge high-quality HD screens, and the visitor takes part in a journey through the depths of the Sea.
The visitors sit on sophisticated platforms that move in every direction following the movement of the film.

Oceanarium Show at Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel
Oceanarium Show

The Oceanarium movie lasted 30 minutes and told the story of scientists researching and protecting sharks. The film was in Hebrew. It is a regular movie (not 3D), and the platform you are sitting on is moving with the film. The movements are not swift and suitable for all (these are not roller coasters). Nonetheless, there are also several non-moving platforms.

We enjoyed the show and continued with our visit.

Underwater Observatory Marine Park in Eilat, Israel

The Underwater Observatory

Our next stop was the Underwater Observatory.

The Underwater Observatory
The Underwater Observatory

The tower of the Underwater Observatory is twenty-three meters high. And six meters below sea level, there are two observation halls. We headed to the underwater observation rooms.

At Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel

From the underwater galleries, we climbed to the top of the tower.

There are spiral stairs inside the tower. I think there is a lift, but it only goes to the underwater observation halls.

At Coral World Underwater Observatory in Eilat, Israel

Amazon and Rare Fish Aquarium

From the Underwater Observatory, we continued to the Amazon (#10 on the map) and Rare Fish Aquarium (#9 on the diagram).

You can find unique and beautiful living creatures there.

Can you see the “stone fish”? It took me some time before I noticed it 🙂

Shark Feeding

We returned to the shark pool for the second feeding.

Shark Feeding
Shark Feeding

Inside the aquarium, there was a diver and an instructor outside. She gave brief explanations about sharks in Hebrew, English, and Russian.

Shark Feeding

Sharks in nature do not eat every day. But here, they are fed twice a day. Therefore, each time the divers give them small amounts of food. And sharks are not hungry, so they do not hunt and eat other fish. But sharks will attack if one of the fish in the aquarium gets sick.

Turtle Feeding

Following the 14:30 shark feeding, we headed to the 15:00 turtle feeding.

Turtle Feeding
Turtle Feeding

The guide told us a little about these turtles. The turtles were wounded and could not be returned to the sea. As it turns out, the turtle’s favorite treat is jellyfish. Plastic bags in the water look like jellyfish. Many turtles try to eat them and die or get injured. Thus, the guide asked us never to leave plastic bags on the beaches, and if you see them, pick them up and throw them away.

Afterward, the turtles ate some fish, and it was time to end our visit.

Note: did you know that there are Nile softshell turtles in Israel? See Turtle Bridge at Alexander River for additional details.

Coral 2000

Though we sailed on another glass-bottom boat, I wanted to bring some info about Coral 2000 so that you will have the complete picture.

Coral 2000 is deep, glass-bottom boat. Guests sit in the bottom portion and look through private windows into the depths of the Sea to the Coral Reef.

The Coral has 48 windows situated 1.5 meters under sea level so that it is possible to look to the sides of the boat and not just down, as is customary with glass-bottom boats – this way, you can enjoy a vast field of vision.

The boat has 45 seats and sails along the coral reserve and the Japanese Gardens. The boat departs from the Coral Pier located on the bridge leading to the Observation Tower. The journey lasts for 20 minutes.

How Much Time Does a Visit to the Park Take?

The actual duration depends on your kids` age (if you are coming with children), your interests, the activities you participate in, and the ticket type you purchase. Some people, after an hour, will have enough, while others will spend there the whole day. But if we want some statistics, then according to Google: “people typically spend up to 2.5 hours here”.

As to our visits, we usually spent about four hours at Underwater Observatory Marine Park and loved it.

Summary

Underwater Observatory Marine Park is not a very large site, but there are plenty of things to see. And with an average rating of 4.5 on TripAdvisor, it seems that most people enjoy their visit.

The only downside is the entry fee. But the bottom line is: if you love aquariums, I suggest visiting this one. And since they renovate the park, we usually return every five years.

Note: if you love aquariums, check out Israel Aquarium in Jerusalem.

Have you ever been to Underwater Observatory Marine Park? Tell us about your experience in the comments below.

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:  
Are you looking for additional information? Leave a comment below, and I will do my best to answer your questions.

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