Indoor aquarium sea walking with kids in Gujwa, Jeju: Underwater Play

For this Jeju trip we wanted to try something a little different, so we booked Underwater Play's sea walking, one of Jeju's more unusual experiences. It's a chance to actually walk on the seafloor in Jeju, and since you can breathe comfortably underwater, my kid was super excited. We got hustled into arriving a bit earlier than our reservation at Underwater Play in Kimnyeong Fishing Village. (Just a heads up — you need to arrive at least 15 minutes before your reserved time!)

What age can children start sea walking at Underwater Play?

For Underwater Play sea walking, kids age 7 and under or under 120cm tall get a VIP ticket with careful 1:1 support, while those age 7 and up or 120cm and taller sign up for the general experience. My husband and kid went with the general experience.

As soon as we arrived, my kid studied the photo above super closely, amazed that even younger kids had done this. Just the idea of breathing underwater seemed unbelievable to a child. This kind of unusual Jeju experience is apparently trending right now precisely because anyone — little kids, elderly folks, anyone — can do it. Lots of young kids were trying it too.

We also looked over the names of the fish you can meet underwater — being able to meet so many different species in one go is a genuinely fun part of it.

Safety training before you get in the water

At Underwater Play, you don't just head straight into the water. Safety training is mandatory. They explain how to move underwater and what to watch out for through a video, and it's simple enough that first-timers can go in without any pressure. Since we were doing this with our kid, safety was our top priority, so getting trained before starting put our minds at ease.

What to bring and what the add-ons cost

If you bring clothes, shoes, and a towel you don't mind getting wet, you can do the whole experience without renting anything extra. What I liked was that they text you in advance so you can prepare exactly what you need. Extra services are only offered if you actually want them — they let you know beforehand. I tend to pack ahead, so I saved on extra costs. But if you're the spontaneous, no-plan type, no worries at all!!

• Towel rental ₩2,000
• Wetsuit rental ₩10,000
• Fish feeding ₩4,000
• Personal underwater photography ₩10,000

Everything can be rented on the spot.

Time to spare? The sea in front of Gimnyeong Port

We arrived early and had some time to spare, so we played in the water right in front of Underwater Play. The water color on the Gujwa side is genuinely different — so pretty it felt like being overseas.

There were fish, there were sea snails. Apparently this spot isn't normally for swimming, so I was so grateful they let us use it for a bit 🥹 The owner is honestly the best.

Why we swapped the ocean experience for the indoor one

When it was almost time, we headed back to the office, where the owner showed us underwater photos and asked if we'd be okay with them coming out a bit hazy. What we'd originally hoped for was walking through Jeju's ocean, seeing fish, and getting pretty underwater photos to keep. Looking at the photos myself, they did look hazy, so I asked my kid and we switched from the ocean experience to the indoor one. Being in the actual ocean is special in itself, but since this was an experience with our child, we really wanted nice photos to remember it by. As it turned out, this ended up being the better choice for us — we even got to meet a shark and a stingray-shark.

Ocean site or indoor site: how to choose on the day

Isn't it great that this option exists? Jeju's ocean conditions change day to day depending on weather, waves, and underwater visibility, and sometimes access gets restricted entirely. Walking directly through Jeju's sea is special, but if weather or ocean conditions become an issue, choosing the indoor experience isn't a bad option at all. Especially with a kid, it seems smarter to decide based on the day's conditions rather than insisting on the ocean experience no matter what.

Where is the indoor site? Aquarium Sea Walking in the Tom N Toms building

Underwater Play's indoor site turned out to be Aquarium Sea Walking, located in a Tom N Toms building 5 minutes from the ocean site. It's an ocean-view café, so even waiting there alone felt relaxing. And being able to watch my husband and kid do the experience up close was a bonus. Personal photography is banned in the ocean, but indoors, whoever's waiting outside can shoot photos like this — such a nice perk.

So many different fish, all different colors and shapes, and best of all there was an actual shark — so wild. My kid flinched a little seeing the shark, but they reassured us it was a friendly shark, nothing to worry about.

Walking underwater in a helmet, with your face still dry

What makes sea walking so fun is that it's completely different from regular swimming or snorkeling. You wear a helmet, go underwater, and actually walk along the floor — and the most appealing part is that your face doesn't get wet at all. Wearing glasses? No problem! Wearing makeup? No problem! At first they moved awkwardly, one step at a time, but soon enough they were walking around pretty naturally. Watching from the side, I thought, 'huh, this is better than I expected.' Even beginners can follow along easily just by listening to the guides.

They also did the shrimp fish-feeding experience, and swarms of fish came rushing in so thick you could barely see my husband and kid. My kid said having the fish brush against their hand felt really strange.

And this one, apparently, is a stingray-shark. I thought it was just a regular stingray, but this aquarium really has every kind of shark you could imagine.

Seeing sharks and rays up close

According to my kid, walking underwater was fascinating, but watching the fish was even better. Getting to be right in the water and watch fish move around comfortably at eye level, up close, is something kids will definitely find exciting.

Underwater photos: original files from the guide

If you sign up for Underwater Play's photography service, they send you the raw files straight from the shoot. Getting both photos and video sent over made the whole experience even more satisfying.

And indoors there was even that famous dol hareubang (stone grandfather statue) photo zone, so we got to take pictures there too. So Jeju, right? They even captured a video with our whole family in it — such thoughtful touches, it genuinely moved me 🫣

Is sea walking worth it as an unusual thing to do in Jeju?

Above all, my kid and husband came out saying it was so fun they wanted to do it again next time. This unusual Jeju sea walking experience seems like it would be great not just for families but for couples or friends doing it together. If you want to add one experience to your Jeju trip that's a bit different from the usual water play, this is definitely worth trying. On this trip, my husband and kid walked underwater and made another fun memory — and my kid says this was the most memorable thing they did in Jeju.