KEY POINTS:
One sea creature intrigued us most, once we heard of the misdemeanours his type could commit.
Olivia McKenna, business development executive at UnderWater World in Mooloolaba, stood in the darkened central exhibition area and quietly told us of an amazing hunt.
Crustaceans were slowly vanishing from a tank
and no one knew who the culprit was.
One night, staff stayed at the marine tourist attraction to identify the perpetrator.
To their surprise when the lights went down, the resident octopus silently slithered through a small opening in the top of his tank.
He glided across the floor and into his prey's tank, delighting in his feast, then returned home.
This didn't happen in Mooloolaba, where we were, but in an American aquarium. But we still couldn't help gazing in wonder at the octopus in front of us and wondering what it might get up to when the visitors went home.
UnderWater World on the Sunshine Coast has a 2.5 million-litre display for more than 25,000 creatures in what it claims is Queensland's largest oceanarium and aquarium.
It has 18 shows a day, a 400-seat stadium where visitors watch seal shows three times a day and 80m of clear tunnels.
And talking of those tunnels, visiting UnderWater World has a sort of deja vu for Kiwis.
The underwater walkway at the Mooloolaba tourist exhibition is the same design as the perspex tunnels at Kelly Tarlton's Underwater World and Antarctic Encounter in Auckland.
The Mooloolaba adventure has a moving walkway similar to Auckland's, enabling visitors to clearly view sharks, stingrays, moray eels, giant gropers, brilliant coral and tropical fish.
But the adventure begins above ground at Stingray Reef, which staff said the Irwin family had visited a few weeks after Steve's death.
A rocky shore touch-tank pool encourages visitors to handle marine life and get a feel for the creatures that live under the sea.
Then billabongs, coral reefs and rock pools are displayed.
A Fish Called Honda is a car transformed into a fish tank.
The interior fittings have been waterproofed and the vehicle is sealed and lit with an eerie light.
Colourful fish glide behind the windscreen, around the steering wheel, into the back seat, drifting towards the clutch then back up towards the roof.
Seals Behaving Badly is staged three times a day in the stadium, and for A$76 ($86) on top of the entrance price, tourists buy Real Seal Deals, allowing them a 15-minute swim with the seals and a kiss from one.
The more adventurous can dive with the sharks in the underground tanks.
Otter Encounter displays playful Asian small-clawed otters.
Theatre of the Sea shows documentaries throughout the day.
But it was the octopus which grabbed our interest most.
No more night antics for his American counterpart.
That tank in the US has been tightly sealed, drawing an end to any nocturnal feasting.
Checklist
UnderWater world
* Where: UnderWater world is in Parkyn Parade, Mooloolaba, Queensland, an hour north of Brisbane.
* Cost: It is open daily 9am-6pm and the prices are adults A$31.50, children A$21, family pass for two adults and two children A$85.
* Further Information: Phone 0061 7 5444 8488
www.underwaterworld.com.au
