Diving with Sharks at Busan Aquarium: Our Family’s Honest Experience

Since coming to South Korea, we have been hearing from a lot of people that Busan is one of the best areas to go to if you want to enjoy some nice beaches. So when we finally could go to Busan, we did, which was very spur of the moment. So much so in fact, that we were late for the KTX train, and there were no more going out that day. After David was done being too upset to talk, and or think, we just made our way back home. Everyone was so disappointed that I tried looking up flights to Busan and not really expecting to find one. Wonder of wonders! I did, and I was very happy to see that it was cheaper and faster than the train! Busan, here we come.

Busan Aquarium

One of the things David really wanted to do was go to the aquarium in this area because he had learned that you could swim in the main tank with the sharks. He also told me these were nurse sharks. Silly me, I should have done more research about this whole event before saying ok so that I would not panic. In my mind I thought nurse sharks wouldn’t be all that big, or scary looking with a mouthful of teeth. Everything was great from the time we suited up, got close to the sea turtles and then dove down to the bottom.

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I have to be completely honest with you, I was TERRIFIED! I was directly behind the guide who helped us walk on the bottom of the aquarium and pointed out these large, scary looking animals to me. They were HUGE! I honestly tried to make myself look as small as possible, and stay as close to the guide as possible while peeking at these amazing animals. This dive was about 30 minutes long, and for me pretty scary. I look back now though, and realize that I had more fun than I thought I did. Besides swimming with them, the other amazing experiences was being able to collect shark teeth at the bottom of the tank to keep as souvenirs, and sea turtles crowding me when we came to the surface at the end of tank dive. I really wish I could have taken some pictures with those guys. The very BEST part of this whole experience was that it wasn’t all that expensive. Depending on the exchange rate, it cost us about $150/person.

I recommend this experience to everyone if you ever come down to Busan. You should make your reservations for this dive in advance though, rather than hoping to do it last minute. I have added links to the Busan aquarium, as well as to the page with pertinent information about this dive.

Shark Diving Fees

 Shark Diving Fee + SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium admission fee + Certification Photos 150,000 Won (Including Tax)

https://www.busanaquarium.com/en/

https://www.busanaquarium.com/en/Aquarium/Experiences03.aspx

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About the SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium Shark Dive

The SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium (formerly Busan Aquarium) operates one of the very few tank-walking dive experiences in Asia where the public can dive with sharks. The main tank holds nurse sharks, sea turtles, rays, and a large variety of fish, and the walking dive takes participants through the bottom of the tank on a guided 30-minute experience. You do not need to be a certified diver — the dive is a helmet or wet suit walk along the tank floor, not a standard scuba dive. The guide walks ahead, pointing out animals and keeping the group together.

The total cost at the time of our visit was 150,000 won per person (approximately $130 USD at that exchange rate), which included aquarium admission and certification photos. Reservations are strongly recommended as daily slots are limited.

What Nurse Sharks Are Actually Like

Before the dive, I told myself nurse sharks were small and harmless. I was half right. Nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) are bottom-dwelling sharks that are generally docile and non-aggressive toward humans. They have a blunt snout and tend to rest on the tank floor or move slowly in wide circles. The “harmless” part is real — they are not interested in attacking divers. The “small” part I had wrong. In a tank, up close, with no glass between us, they were considerably bigger than expected. Some were easily two to three meters long. Even knowing they were non-aggressive, the rational part of my brain had significant words with the rest of me for the first five minutes.

By the halfway point of the dive, the fear had converted into genuine fascination. Watching them move — slow, unhurried, completely unbothered by our presence — in their natural habitat (or as close as an aquarium gets) is arresting. The sea turtles that surfaced near us at the end of the dive were an unexpected bonus. They were curious and got very close, which was a warmer feeling than the sharks managed despite being equally large.

Busan: One of Korea’s Best Weekend Trips

We had booked the KTX to Busan and nearly missed it, ultimately flying instead (which turned out to be faster and cheaper). Busan is about an hour by air from Gimpo Airport or a 2-hour 15-minute KTX ride from Seoul Station. Either way it is very accessible as a weekend trip, and we wish we had gone sooner.

Haeundae Beach is the most famous beach in Korea and the main reason most Koreans visit Busan in summer. It is gorgeous and extremely crowded in July and August. Gwangalli Beach a few kilometers away is slightly less hectic and has a better view of the Gwangan Bridge illuminated at night. For temple visitors, Haedong Yonggungsa Temple on the northeastern coast (we did this on the same trip) is one of the most spectacular in the country. For food lovers, Busan’s Jagalchi fish market is worth the early morning visit — you pick your fish, they cook it. The dwaeji gukbap (pork rice soup) is a Busan institution, eaten for breakfast by locals, and the best version we had was at a no-frills restaurant near the market.

Practical Tips for the Busan Aquarium Shark Dive

• Book in advance. The dive sells out, especially on weekends and Korean holidays. Check the English-language page on the SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium website and secure your slot ahead of time.
• No dive certification needed. This is a guided walk along the tank floor, not a scuba dive. The aquarium provides all equipment and a guide handles everything.
• The total experience takes about 2 hours including suiting up, briefing, the 30-minute dive, photos, and getting changed.
• The photos are worth buying. A certified photo of you walking next to a nurse shark is not something you capture any other way.
• Combine with Haedong Yonggungsa Temple. The aquarium is near the beach areas and the temple is a taxi ride away. A full day covers both comfortably.

Would I do it again? Absolutely, and I would go in less terrified knowing what I know now. The shark dive at Busan Aquarium is one of the most genuinely unique experiences we have had as a family in South Korea. For anyone living in Korea or visiting, add it to your list before it adds itself.

The Sea Turtles Were the Surprise

Everyone goes to the Busan shark dive expecting the sharks to be the highlight. For me, it was the sea turtles. After 30 minutes of walking alongside nurse sharks and successfully talking my panic into something manageable, we surfaced near the edge of the tank and three sea turtles came directly toward us. Curious, slow-moving, and absolutely enormous up close. One of them circled me twice. I have seen sea turtles while snorkeling before but never like that — unprompted, at eye level, in no hurry at all. That is the part I still think about most.

The shark teeth collection at the bottom of the tank is another detail worth mentioning. Nurse sharks lose teeth regularly and they settle on the tank floor. The guide lets you pick a few up to keep as souvenirs. Holding a real shark tooth while standing next to a live shark is a very specific kind of surreal. We still have ours.

If you are living in South Korea and looking for the kind of experience that is worth planning a whole weekend around, the Busan aquarium shark dive is it. Go in scared. Come out with a story and probably a shark tooth. That is a good weekend.

Other Things to Know About Busan

Busan is significantly less crowded and less expensive than Seoul, with better beaches, better seafood, and in our opinion a slightly more relaxed energy. It is easy to spend a long weekend there with no sense that you have run out of things to do. Haeundae Beach in July is one of the most densely packed beaches in the world — a Korean summer institution that you should experience once and then schedule around for future trips.

The Gamcheon Culture Village, a hillside neighborhood in Saha-gu painted in bright colors with steep alley staircases and art installations, is a nice half-day walk. The Gukje Market downtown is good for street food and browsing. And if you make it to Busan in October, the Busan International Film Festival transforms the city into something even more energetic and cosmopolitan than usual. For anyone based in Seoul, Busan is the best weekend trip in Korea. Full stop.

Getting to Busan: Train vs Flight

We learned on this trip that the flight from Gimpo Airport to Busan can be cheaper and faster than the KTX, especially if you book at least a week in advance. Budget airlines like Jeju Air and T’way Air run frequent routes. The total door-to-door time is about the same as the train once you factor in getting to Seoul Station and the 2:15 journey. The train is more relaxing and drops you in central Busan rather than the airport; the flight wins on price for advance bookings. Both are comfortable options. Just do not be late for either one, as we nearly were for the train on this trip.

Busan deserves a full weekend at minimum. One day for the aquarium and Haedong Yonggungsa, one day for a beach and the Jagalchi market, and you will leave wishing you had booked a third day. It is one of the best cities in South Korea to visit as a family and consistently underrated compared to Seoul.

One practical note for families: the shark dive itself has no strict minimum age, but comfort in water and the ability to follow a guide calmly is important. David did the dive on this trip; the kids and I watched from the viewing area. The dive is an adult-focused experience. For kids, the SEA LIFE Busan Aquarium itself has excellent public exhibits and the general admission is well worth the time regardless of whether you do the dive. The combination of the aquarium visit, a walk through Haedong Yonggungsa Temple, and dinner at Gwangalli Beach makes for one of the best family days we have had in South Korea.

The Busan aquarium shark dive is on a short list of experiences that changed how we think about what is possible on a weekend trip. Forty-eight hours in Busan — a flight that cost less than the train, a hotel near the beach, an afternoon underwater with sharks, a morning at a clifftop temple — and we came home with stories that lasted years. That is the whole point of surviving adventures.

If you have any questions about planning your visit or want to know more about what we experienced, leave a comment below. We read everything and are happy to help with specifics — hotels, timing, what to skip, what not to miss. That is what this blog is for.