When most people think of a trip to Penghu, their minds immediately go to the archipelago's crystal-blue waters, pristine white sandy beaches, the cross-sea bridge on Penghu's main island, the twin-heart stone weir on Qimei Island, and cactus ice cream. After cruising across the cross-sea bridge on a scooter and heading along County Road 203 on the northern loop of Penghu, visitors passing through Qitou Village in Baisha Township often miss a special attraction tucked away down a side road — the Penghu Aquarium — which is quite a shame.
About Penghu Aquarium
Penghu Aquarium opened in 1998, making it more than 20 years old. As one of Taiwan's earliest operational aquariums, it has faced challenges including a public lacking in ocean environmental education and increasingly aging facilities. After changing ownership several times, it reopened in 2019. Now facing competition from rising stars such as the National Museum of Marine Biology & Aquarium, the National Museum of Marine Science & Technology, and Taoyuan's XPark, this historic local aquarium is preparing a unique curatorial approach to draw visitors through its doors.
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The entrance to Penghu Aquarium looks very different from today's sleek modern aquariums — unpretentious, but well worth stepping inside
Is Penghu Aquarium Worth Visiting?
Unlike other large aquariums in Taiwan, Penghu Aquarium has no animal performances, flashy bioluminescence light shows, or headline-grabbing star species designed to wow crowds. Instead, it takes a deeply local approach, showcasing the marine species that can actually be found in the waters surrounding Penghu — which was the aquarium's founding philosophy: to give the general public a richer, more diverse way to understand these marine creatures.
The lobby of Penghu Aquarium features a soaring high ceiling; on a clear and sunny day, the open skylight combined with the painted murals on the walls makes you feel as though you're underwater
The ground floor of Penghu Aquarium is divided into a coastal shoreline exhibit, a coral reef exhibit, and an open-ocean exhibit, giving visitors a window into the creatures found in each of Penghu's distinct aquatic habitats. The coral reef exhibit showcases a variety of coral reef fish, and at feeding time, staff lower a head of cabbage into the tank from above. Yes — cabbage! According to the aquarium, cabbage provides the nutrition that algae-eating reef fish need, while its fish-gathering effect keeps visitors transfixed, reluctant to walk away.
A wide variety of coral reef fish can be spotted in the coral reef exhibit
Along the walkway toward the open-ocean tank, additional display tanks introduce visitors to all sorts of creatures — from the familiar pufferfish and scorpionfish to flatfish and more. If you're lucky, you might catch the staff feeding these animals right then and there, treated to an impromptu feeding show on the spot!
An adorable pufferfish bumping into the glass — completely oblivious (big heart)
The oddly striking Japanese wobbegong — actually a species of bottom-dwelling shark
The undisputed highlight of Penghu Aquarium is its curved transparent tunnel in the open-ocean exhibit — 2.8 metres in diameter and 14 metres long — which carries visitors through 8 metres below the water's surface for an up-close encounter with all manner of marine life. Here you can see Nurse Sharks, bowmouth guitarfish (a type of Stingray), Hammerhead Sharks, and various other rays. The open-ocean tank is also home to three giant saddle groupers — locally known as 龍膽 (Giant Grouper) — and don't let their round, dopey-looking faces fool you: they are apex predators of the deep.
A Giant Grouper, fixing visitors with its big, goofy eyes
Penghu Aquarium's curved transparent tunnel — 2.8 m in diameter and 14 m long — lets you observe the animals up close
The Feeding Show That Claims to Be the Most Energetic in Taiwan
No visit to Penghu Aquarium is complete without catching the incredibly lively feeding show! What sets it apart from other aquariums is that the keepers don't just feed their hungry charges — they also use a special underwater communicator to speak in real time with a guide on the exhibit floor, adjusting the performance based on the audience's reactions. Think underwater handstands, underwater singing, underwater dancing, and other wonderfully unexpected acts.
But the keepers' job is far more than entertainment. They must maintain an extraordinary memory to track which animals have already been fed, and they also perform a kind of hands-on "physical examination" through massage — feeling directly whether each animal is in good spirits and whether there are any signs of illness or abnormality. Keepers are therefore a vital front-line resource for the aquarium in monitoring animal health. Next time you see them at work, don't forget to give them a wave!
The Penghu Aquarium feeding show is an absolute must-see highlight
Head up the walkway to the second floor and you'll find the touch pool, a perennial favourite with children. Here visitors can directly handle all sorts of creatures, including sea urchins, sea stars, and even the rarely encountered tri-spine horseshoe crab — animals that, remarkably, live in the waters surrounding Penghu.
The touch pool experience brings visitors one step closer to the animals
While touching, take a moment to feel the unique physical structures of these remarkable creatures
As we mentioned at the outset, Penghu Aquarium's early founding date means its physical infrastructure and space simply cannot match the large modern aquariums that have opened on Taiwan's main island in recent years. So how does it capture the public's imagination with a fresh curatorial angle? Simple: give visitors the chance to dive alongside these magnificent giants themselves!
Coming in 2023: Divers Dive with the Star Animals!
Penghu Aquarium is planning to open the open-ocean tank to divers for dive-with experiences in the late spring of 2023. Why late spring specifically? There are two main reasons. First, Penghu sees fewer tourists in winter. Second, as mentioned at the start of this article, the aquarium's core mission is to showcase species common to the surrounding Penghu waters — and it draws its water directly from the nearby sea, putting it through only sedimentation and basic purification before pumping it into the tanks. Even with winter heating raising the temperature to 20°C, that's a water temperature very few recreational divers would find comfortable.
The moment we entered the water, a bowmouth guitarfish came straight over looking for food
Navigating a path to the open-ocean tank required some careful manoeuvring — terrified of stepping on these chubby VIPs (laughing~)
The planned program is envisioned as a full-day keeper experience, covering bait preparation, environmental education, and a dive in the open-ocean tank. The main feeding show, however, will still be carried out by the professional keepers — because the moment feeding time arrives, these massive VIPs transform from tranquil exhibit residents into something straight out of Night at the Museum, bursting to life with astonishing energy. The bowmouth guitarfish is the notorious head-butter of the tank: it will use its Roomba-like leading edge — paired with an expression of total innocence — to ram you squarely in the head. Trust me, it actually hurts!
The moment we entered the open-ocean tank, the VIPs were instantly drawn to the keeper
The underwater Roomba has arrived! Doesn't it look completely innocent~
During the dive in the open-ocean tank, you can not only observe these animals from an even closer vantage point, but also use camera equipment to finally fulfil your dream of photographing these star megafauna. For our dive and shoot, we brought along external lighting. Given the relatively compact size of Penghu Aquarium's tank, the current plan is to allow only four scuba divers per session, and participants will be required to hold at least an Advanced Open Water Diver (PADI cert) certification or equivalent. However, exact entry and photography rules will follow the aquarium's official announcement.
You can get incredibly close to the Nurse Sharks
Done Observing — Time to Help with the Physical Exam!
Once inside the open-ocean tank, most people will probably be just like the Editor — body stiff as a board, afraid to make any sudden movements, utterly frozen in the presence of these creatures stretching over 2 metres in length. But as you spend more time with these animals, you'll start to notice that they'll occasionally come over to "nudge" you — likely mistaking you for a keeper and trying to charm their way to an extra snack. You'll also notice that some animals have a particularly soulful quality about them: the Nurse Sharks, for instance, rarely feed during the main show, but they'll trot over to you just like a dog or cat would, looking for a good scratch. When that happens, don't hesitate — go ahead and give them a gentle rub!
Ahh~ I'm pretty sure I'm petting a cat right now
Beyond Up-Close Animal Encounters — Interacting with Visitors Is Half the Fun!
Another joy of being inside the open-ocean tank is interacting with the public from an entirely different perspective — an experience unlike anything else. You can drift behind the keeper and watch how they feed the animals, or swim over to the tunnel and wave at visitors — maybe even pose for a photo together. We're certain that one single scuba tank's worth of dive time will leave you wanting so much more!
Watching the feeding show from a completely different angle
Hmm~ now that's a unique angle
Hello~ Are you looking at me~
Through the tank glass, snap a rare group photo with the visitors on the other side!
Penghu Aquarium Is Also an Emergency Rescue Centre for Marine Life
Like many aquariums around the world, Penghu Aquarium is not just a venue for ocean environmental education — it also serves as an emergency rescue centre for marine life. When local Penghu fishermen accidentally catch animals with no commercial value (such as Stingrays, sharks, and similar species), they can notify the aquarium, which will take them in. Penghu Aquarium has also cared for sea turtles with severed flippers and Stingrays tangled in fishing nets. The aquarium's existence means that marine animals whose lives have been altered by human activity have a chance — beyond ending up on a dinner table or discarded as bycatch — to receive attentive, professional care.
BlueTrend Special: 《Penghu Aquarium · One-Day Open-Ocean Tank Diver》Interest Survey
Have you ever dreamed of a close encounter with giant rays? Now you have the chance to interact with marine life up close, just like the Editor! BlueTrend has secured an exclusive early-bird notification arrangement with Penghu Aquarium — simply fill out the form below, and when Penghu Aquarium launches its 2023 dream program 【Penghu Aquarium · One-Day Open-Ocean Tank Diver】, you'll be the first to receive all the details and exclusive early-bird offers. After all, you already know: limited spots are brutal!
According to Penghu Aquarium's plans, non-certified divers don't need to despair — visitors can enrol in a 【4-day, 3-night professional dive course】, and upon completion, join a dive in the aquarium's open-ocean tank. Friends eager to dive alongside these star animals — what are you waiting for? Register your interest now!
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