Monterey Bay Aquarium

Today we took a couple of hours off to visit one of my favorite places on earth, the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  The aquarium inspires more awe in two hours than any other place I can think of to visit when it comes to viewing sea life.  They have added an additional section on jellyfish (or at least we did not see it last year.)  It is an interactive section that is appealing to both kids and adults alike and draws you further into the life and environment of a jellyfish as you wander through the display.  I could spend hours in either of the displays on jellyfish just watching them cruise through the water.

 

The waterfront aquarium’s keystone attraction-the 28-foot, three-story kelp forest remains as one of the stalwart features of the aquarium displaying California coastal marine life.  The water in its 333,000-gallon tank appears to be rising and falling with the outside bay’s incoming waves.  Piped in from Monterey Bay, the water sources are actually connected.  The live kelp and fish within the glass saltwater tank behave as if they were in the very ocean itself.  The close-up view of them as you look up from the lowest level of the tank or down from the top gives you a feeling of being suspended along with the occupants in their watery environment.

The sea otters were playing with colored ice this year.  They have learned to breakup the larger chunks of green or pink ice against their aquarium’s glass or rock walls to obtain smaller pieces to eat or for play.  Ever moving, these creatures are the most popular entertainers of the aquarium and could delight visitors for hours on end.  It is possible to watch them under the water or above the surface as they roll and dive in the water or float upon its surface.  They must be genetically related to clowns.

There were nautilus and octopus to see.  There is also a huge “Open Sea” tank in the aquarium that displays yellow fin tuna, sharks and ocean sunfish to name just a few of its inhabitants.  This tank has one of the world’s largest single-paned windows and is the largest tank in the aquarium at 1,200,000-U.S. gallons!  We did not see the tank’s sea turtle this year.  Perhaps it has rejoined its compatriots in the real ocean.

Ah, it is sad to leave this beautiful place.  Two hours a year is hardly enough.  If I lived in Monterey, I’d go down to Cannery Row and visit the aquarium on a regular basis.  Those who are lucky enough to live here can hardly appreciate what a wonder they have right in their own backyard!