BANGKOK (THAILAND) – Visitors to an aquarium in Thailand were in for a surprise this week when Santa Claus swam by, carrying a sack full of food and surrounded by shoals of curious fish.
Complete with fins, oxygen tank and a dive mask, Father Christmas swam about in the basement aquarium in the Bangkok shopping mall.
Children were mesmerised by a Santa in a floppy red hat waving while floating above the coral and circled by angelfish.
“She been running all the way down here to see the diving Santa,” Frenchman Jean Baptise Richard said of his 4-year-old daughter, Maya, a frequent visitor to the aquarium.
“Normally, she never stays here more than 30 seconds, so today it’s already five minutes,” he said.
Santa, fed fish from his hand, interacted with visitors and posed for pictures from the other side of the glass.
Nichakarn Sariwong, an employee of the marine life centre, was the person beneath the Santa outfit. Her job is normally to look after the fish and clean and maintain the aquarium. “It’s Christmas time, so I dress as a Santa for about three or four days to feed fish. The kids love the show so much,” said Nichakarn