Experience Underwater

by LAUREN LABELLE | photos by SHERRY ROBERTS and MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM

If you've never treated yourself to a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, you're long overdue.  Much more than a local family attraction, the aquarium is recognized globally for its studies of marine life. At your fingertips are expert answers to the mysterious world just off-shore and under the surface.

Planning a day-trip to the aquarium can seem daunting, as there are enough attractions within to keep visitors occupied for a week, not to mention the worth-roaming Cannery Row district, which surrounds the aquarium. Don’t be scared off by the enormity of all there is to see and do—the eleven main exhibits of the aquarium feed into one another seamlessly, ensuring that each family member will get to visit their preferred must-see exhibit. (It will help visitors to look at the Monterey Bay Aquarium website at www.montereybayaquarium.org to begin mapping out an itinerary. Here, guests will find tips, policies, directions, and parking information as well as aquarium news, live streaming video of the animals, and special online-only exhibits.)

The Monterey Bay Aquarium sits appropriately oceanside, just inside the entrance of Cannery Row. Its exterior blends with the salty feel of the old canning district, made famous by the John Steinbeck novel it was mentioned in and named for. Once inside, the ticket line at the entrance can be lengthy, but unquestionably worth the wait. (Spend less time in line, and more time swimming with the fishes by buying tickets beforehand on the website.)

The eleven main exhibits of the Monterey Bay Aquarium span the geography of the ocean, from the sandy shores to the darkest depths. The first sea life that visitors encounter as they enter the main body of the aquarium is the playful sea otters, appealing to all ages with their antics. The view from the first floor is of these friendly ocean-dwelling mammals playing underwater, while they can be seen spending time on the water’s surface from the second story of the exhibit. Also near the entryway, the aquarium’s newest exhibit, “Mission to the Deep,” allows visitors to explore the largest habitat on earth and all its life forms, by photographing the unique creatures with a remote-controlled submarine, mapping the ocean floor, and looking in on a sunken whale carcass. The main entry area is also equipped with two gift stores (two other gift and book stores are located in other parts of the aquarium), an auditorium, and the Portola Café and Restaurant, which gives guests an option of dining in an upscale restaurant or ordering from the more casual café menu. The tables in the dining area are all equipped with complimentary binoculars for spying sea otters, seals, and perhaps even a whale in the expanse of ocean that can be seen from the restaurant windows.

To the left of the main entryway, visitors will find the hands-on touch pools one of the aquarium’s highlights. The exhibit is kid-friendly, and the staff is on-hand to answer questions and talk about the sea life living here. Also in this area, a tunnel allows guests to sit in a dry protected area as the glass surrounding them gets battered with pounding waves that run off into surrounding tide pools, simulating the experience of ocean waves. The aviary, where sea birds come and go, and the Kelp Forest exhibit, which is one of the tallest aquarium exhibits in the world, are not to be missed.

The aquarium’s Giant Octopus, who belongs to a species that can grow up to thirty feet long, also calls this side of the aquarium home. Other impressive fish live in the Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit, which is over ninety feet long and displays over five different habitats naturally found in the area.

To the right of the main entryway, the Outer Bay wing of the aquarium features the largest permanent collection of jellyfish anywhere in the world. In the dimly lit area dedicated to these boneless creatures, guests can take artistic photos of their own silhouettes against a backdrop of mysterious jellies. The different species found here range from familiar to bizarre and beautiful, and are all specially lit to accentuate their color and graceful movement. The other, and perhaps most-loved, exhibit here is the one million-gallon Outer Bay exhibit, which features the “largest community of open-ocean animals to be found in any aquarium.” Giant blue fin tuna, hammerhead sharks, and sea turtles are just a few examples of the deep sea marine life on display here. (The Monterey Bay Aquarium periodically has Great White sharks in the exhibit, and is the only aquarium in the world to hold one for over sixteen days.) In any given week, the impressive animals of the Outer Bay exhibit consume around one thousand pounds of squid, smelt, and vitamin-supplemented gelatin. This exhibit, like the Kelp Forest, spans two floors.

A skywalk brings visitors from the top floor of the Outer Bay wing to the Penguin and Splash Zone exhibits, the latter designed to teach families about the animals in the aquarium with activities appropriate even for infants. Both Spanish and English activities are available here, as well as a kelp touch pool and kelp walkthrough tunnel. Another entirely family-friendly endeavor in this section of the aquarium is the live penguin area, where kids and adults will both be delighted to watch the birds interact with one another by moving their heads and flapping their wings.

Depending on the weather and season, the aquarium also offers other hands-on activities such as scuba diving, sailing, and outdoor amphitheater presentations.

At the end of your aquarium visit, if you still have the ambition for shopping and dining, a stroll through historic Cannery Row is a relaxing way to end the day. Lined with unique souvenir shops and over thirty restaurants, the streets of the historic sardine canning district were once home to workers of Chinese, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese descent who were all brought to life in John Steinbeck’s classic read, Cannery Row. For fans of the author, this leg of the journey should get top billing on the day’s itinerary.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium lets every visitor feel like a tireless scientist intent on discovering all the ocean’s bounties. The animals on display will amaze, the aquarium facilities will impress, and the experience will captivate the entire family—expect many future car ride and bedtime discussions from the kids, curious for more.    SJKIDS

For more information:
Monterey Bay Aquarium
886 Cannery Row, Monterey
(831) 648-4800, www.montereybayaquarium.org

Cannery Row, Monterey
www.canneryrow.com