Ocean Park Aquarium

On Wednesday, my wife and I went to Ocean Park.  We have not been there for many years, even though we can go there for free now  To me, there are only two things there that are really interesting: the big aquarium and the cable car ride.  The cable car takes one across Brick Hill 南朗山, to reach the southern part of the park.  We called the hill 雞公峰 when I was at Aberdeen Technical School.  We would climb straight up to the top of the hill, over where the Seahorse Logo is, and watch the horizon to the south.  The hill was really quite steep.  We often have to sit on our bottom and essentially slid down the slope.  We were too young to realise the risk we were taking.  There is no way I can do that now. 

This day we only have time for the aquarium.  The present one seem smaller than the original.  Which I remember as a multi-storey giant glass tank which you can walk around in a spiral, where you can see it at different levels and angles. I also miss some of the big fish such as giant groupers.   Today there is a big tank, and many small ones.  

There is still many interesting fish to look at.  Such as big and small puffer fish, of different kinds. 

They are some of most curious, often coming up to the class to look at the people looking at them.  I wonder what they think of us.

The porcupine puffer does have sharp spines.  Other than that it looks a bit like a box fish. 

Box fish does look like a box.  I understand fish would flex its body to move around.  The box fish looks so rigid. Does it rely only on its small fins?

The Humpnose Unicornfish has a prominent protruding forehead.  What it is for?

The Napoleon wrasse is beautiful, with very fine, blue green wriggling stripes all over, particularly on the head.  The bump on its forehead gets bigger with age.  So it takes a long time to look like Napoleon’s hat, and we should respect that survival skill, or luck.  I used to watch people chop up giant ones in Sai Kung.  Their scales were like 2-inches across.  Now you don’t see them anymore.  

The pinecone fish has an intricate pattern that looks like a fish net. 

The butterflyfish is beautiful.  Sometimes one can find them in the wet market, usually the yellow ones.  They are supposed to be fatty and tasty.  

The lionfish seem to know that people find them good looking, and deadly.  It moves around slowly, seemingly very proud and without fear. 

The surgeon fish has sharp scalpels near and on both sides of its tail.  They are beautiful, and can defend themselves. 

The stingray is either smiling at, or mocking the people who watch them.  They like to flash their bellies. 

The milkfish seem to find safety in a crowd.  Do they really enjoy swimming in a circle, compelled by the circulating water in the vertical column?  

I could have stayed longer.  But we had to go to lunch.  We will be back some other time.