Singapore Oceanarium on Sentosa has launched an experience for complete beginners to snorkel above manta rays, sharks and schools of fish for S$109. The new PADI Discover Snorkelling programme is open to anyone aged 10 and above, and you don’t need to have swum, snorkelled or dived before.
RWS says the programme is designed for beginners, families and ocean lovers.
What the 90 Minutes Look Like
Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) announced PADI Discover Snorkelling on 21 October 2026. Its official programme listing shows sessions starting on 1 November 2026. PADI stands for the Professional Association of Diving Instructors, the international body that trains and certifies recreational divers. Here, that means a PADI instructor guides each session.
The 90-minute session takes place at the surface of the oceanarium’s Open Ocean Habitat, home to manta rays, sharks and schools of fish. You stay at the surface the whole time, so there are no tanks and no scuba. Participants pick up basic snorkelling skills and learn about marine ecosystems and ocean conservation while the animals move about below them.
The RWS listing puts sessions on Tuesday to Sunday, with up to eight participants each time.
RWS bills this as Singapore’s only snorkelling experience in an oceanarium setting. Adventure Cove Waterpark, also part of RWS, has Rainbow Reef, a snorkelling attraction with more than 20,000 tropical fish.
What S$109 Covers
The S$109 price is per person and includes a one-day admission ticket to Singapore Oceanarium. Once you’ve dried off, you can explore the rest of the place. It reopened in July 2025 as the successor to S.E.A. Aquarium, roughly three times its old size and spread across 22 themed zones.
Compare that with the oceanarium’s other programmes. PADI Discover Scuba Diving runs for two hours and takes beginners to depths of up to 12m. Open Ocean Dive and Shark Dive each run for 90 minutes, but both are only for certified divers. Shark Dive also requires a logged dive within the past six months.
Per the release, Open Ocean Dive and Shark Dive are for certified divers, while PADI Discover Scuba Diving is the introduction to scuba.
The Five-Star Badge Behind It
The programme launch comes with an accreditation. Singapore Oceanarium’s PADI Dive Centre is now a PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Dive Resort. In everyday terms, it can train divers from their first snorkel all the way to becoming instructors themselves.
At Singapore Oceanarium, that person is Zulfli Bin Mazlan, its Lead Dive Specialist and PADI Course Director. He said: “Through the PADI 5-Star Instructor Development Dive Resort at Singapore Oceanarium, participants can take their first steps with confidence and continue developing their skills under the guidance of experienced professionals in a safe, immersive experience, surrounded by real marine animals.”
Mark Hedger, PADI’s Regional Manager of Singapore, framed the goal beyond the tank. “Through these experiences, we hope to inspire more people not only to explore the ocean, but to play a part in protecting it,” he said.
Where You Go After the Surface
If the first session hooks you, there’s a clear path without leaving Sentosa. The PADI Open Water Diver Course works towards an internationally recognised certification. Once you’re certified, the PADI AWARE Shark Conservation Specialty Course combines diving with shark conservation lessons. PADI ReActivate is for lapsed divers who want to brush up before their next trip.
Open Ocean Dive and Shark Dive are guided habitat experiences for certified divers, in the Open Ocean and Shark Seas habitats.
Separately, Resorts World Sentosa is planning a Christmas programme for its RWS Season of Joy, with an underwater Santa dive among the Glowcean Wonderland activities from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027.
🗓️ Date: From 1 November 2026, Tuesday to Sunday (per RWS’s programme listing)
⏰ Time: 90 minutes
📍 Location: Open Ocean Habitat, Singapore Oceanarium, Resorts World Sentosa
💰 Price: S$109 per person, including one-day admission to Singapore Oceanarium
🧒 Age: 10 and above, no swimming, snorkelling or diving experience needed
👥 Group size: Up to eight participants per session
You can book PADI Discover Snorkelling and browse the oceanarium’s other dive programmes on the Singapore Oceanarium website.
Photos and Visuals courtesy of Singapore Oceanarium, Resorts World Sentosa.
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