Monterey Bay Aquarium

Monterey Bay Aquarium  

Last week I took a quick vacation to the Monterey peninsula for some January California sun. Of course I had to visit the famous Aquarium, I haven't been there in several years and they have made some changes.

They had an exhibit of what they called 'Tentacles', just about anything with, you guessed, tentacles. There were several tanks with beautiful Jelly Fish, some very large and some very small. Bright colors and others nearly transparent. One tank housed very small round jellies that where almost invisible with no direct light, and wispy transparent ghost like shapes with a light on.

Two large Pacific Octopus had a large dark tank, their dark purple skin and white suction cups on their tentacles looked eerie in the dark. These two guys moved back and forth looking at the people viewing them, maybe they were interested in us as much as we were interested in them. The dark tank made it a little hard to get a good photo of them, since no flash is allowed. But I really liked watching them move about and get the opportunity to see these amazing creatures.

Some more photos of the Jelly Fish. Really quite amazing to watch them slowly move in large circles, going up and down in mass. I am sure their stings are not nice, but they sure looked wonderful.

The exhibit is going to be replaced in the next few months so if you want to see those tentacles, go now! I have never scene so many Jelly Fish in an aquarium before..

Sand Dollars standing on edge in the tank, they will lay flat in strong water currents but go up on an edge in calm water. We usually find the dead one's shell on the beaches so to see them alive is interesting. They have a purple color and many very small feet on the bottoms of the shell.

 Of course the main tank in the main hall is quite wonderful. There are many native fish from the Monterey region in this large tank.

A large school of anchovies swim in a tight knot, they seem leery of the larger fish around them. Leopard sharks, bat rays, rock fish of many type all swim in the kelp just like they do right off the coast and in this case, right out the window since the facility is right on the water.

There are nice viewing platforms and immense windows to see the fish, feeding time is fun also, the fish swim around eating, the sharks are fun to watch during the feeding and I think they are the most interesting to watch.

If you SCUBA dive and have not dove the waters of the area, this tank shows you what you would see. When the aquarium opened 30 some years ago, this tank was something new. Most aquariums had only small tanks, but this one really showed what can be done.

The upper level give a different perspective on the tank life, don't forget to go up stairs for a look down into the tank. The anchovies stay at the top mostly and the rock fish at the bottom, but the sharks go everywhere.

In addition to the fish, there are penguins, shore birds, and of course the sea otters. This aquarium has a rescue program for the sea otters of the area and their three otters on display are actually used to raise and train otters to be released back into the wild. It is a very hard task and not always successful but it is very important to the survival of these otters.

Out on the decks, you can see seals and otters swim by and watch the tidal action in the tide pool area. If it is clear and sunny, you can see across the bay to Santa Cruz. You can also rent kayaks and paddle out and see otters and seals up close. The water is very clear and seeing fish is also easy to see. The water is cold so just be aware that swimming is only for the brave....

There are schedules for the feeding times for most of the animals on display and even over night stays for children. If you make it to the area, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must stop. It is a little pricey but I think it is worth it and for what they do to promote the protection of the environment and wildlife.