Located off the southern coast of mainland Singapore, Sentosa (Isle of Tranquillity) was initially known as Pulau Blakang Mati (Island Behind Death). Starting from the 1880s, the island was an important British military base with a number of forts built on it to protect the southern shipping lanes. In 1970, the island was renamed Sentosa following a naming contest organised by the Singapore Tourist Promotion Board (STPB). The development of the island into a tourist and recreation resort came under the management of the Sentosa Development Corporation (SDC), which was formed in 1972.One of the projects under the development plan for Sentosa was an aquarium and marine park. The government established a holding company, Singapore Aquarama, to manage the project, which was meant to draw tourists and increase the country’s standing in the ornamental fish industry. However, the company was wound up in 1973 and the project put on hold. Talk of restarting the project surfaced in the early 1980s and included a suggestion for the Van Kleef Aquarium on the mainland to be relocated on Sentosa.The project was eventually revived in 1987 when a contract was awarded to New Zealand’s Marinescape Corporation to develop the Sentosa Underwater World oceanarium. Opened in 1991, the highlight of the attraction was a 100-metre transparent underwater tunnel that allowed visitors to view the marine life in two large aquariums without getting wet.
