Jim and I visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium on Mother’s Day and in the process I achieved one of my “bucket list” items. Years ago when the aquarium was built, I read an article about it in some publication and the three story kelp forest aquarium tank they built as part of several aquarium displays within the multistory building sounded fascinating. It is indeed as intriguing as I had imagined. Isn’t it lovely when something on your “list” exceeds your expectations?
Mother’s Day drew a huge crowd to the aquarium. The kids were having a wonderful time with the interactive displays and for the most part carefully followed the staff’s guidance in the “touching zone” where they could feel the smooth surface of sea rays and the imagined “fingers” of sea urchins. I must admit even at my age it is fun to participate in this type of
opportunity.
We had lunch in the aquarium’s restaurant overlooking Monterey Bay and its beach along Cannery Row. People were everywhere and the seagulls were attempting to make them a source of a snack here and there, but to very little avail. One thing that amazes me is the clarity of the water in the bay. The efforts to make this a pristine environment have proven to be achievable. While still remaining compatible with the fishing trade that is abundant (but controlled) here, preserving the environment and its creatures is an ongoing success story in Monterey Bay.
There are two other areas of the aquarium that I could spend hours within. One is the jellyfish display. The jellyfish are the most relaxing section of the aquarium with jellyfish gently floating up and down in their tanks as soft music plays in the background. I found it to be mesmerizing. The jelly fish came in a multitude of shapes, colors and sizes. Some tanks displayed orange colored creatures. Others were inhabited by clear, ghost-like forms that mostly float motionlessly. Most amazing were what appeared to be flower shaped jellyfish with the appearance of tiny “electric lights” flowing through them. (That will be a subject for research later when I get caught up on my blog stories after a week and a half of virtually no internet service!)
The other area I could watch for hours is the sea otter tank. There are several otters who inhabit this part of the aquarium and the joy they exhibit in their surroundings and for their caretakers is phenomenal. They play with ice cubes or roll around in tubs of water or dive down into the tank to swim hardly taking a moment to be still. These rescued and rehabilitated animals who can no longer live in the wild nurture other rescued sea otters until they can be released even teaching them the nuances of dealing with food sources they will find in the wild if they are youngsters. The tank is two stories tall and you can see the otters above and below the surface of the water.
If you ever find yourself in Monterey on Cannery Row don’t miss this aquarium. It is worth every penny to get in.
Sea urchins are pictured above and to the left is a tank that looks like a painting to me. For a link to the aquarium for more information click here:
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