Amidst the swells of the tides, sea otters swim playfully in the surf, giant octopi and spider crabs troll the salty depths, and other-worldly moon jellyfish appear like ghosts out of the watery darkness. Blue damselfish and orange garibaldi flash their dazzling colors, zebra sharks stalk their prey, and sunset wrasse change from female to male as they mature to adulthood. What these fascinating creatures have in common is that they come from the planet's most diverse body of water, the Pacific Ocean. To see these animals up close, you and your family don't have to embark on a journey of epic proportions to cover the ocean's vast expanse. Instead you can visit the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific in southern California, where can see--and sometimes even touch--more than 12,000 ocean animals representing over 550 different species.
The story of the largest ocean on Earth begins to unfold as soon as you approach the Aquarium. Inspired by the ocean's towering waves, the building's architecture was designed to mirror the water's fluid and dynamic nature. As you enter the Great Hall of the Pacific, a true-to-life model of a blue whale hangs overhead to give you a sense of just how awe-inspiring the scale of this ocean really is. Here, you will also get a tantalizing glimpse of the Aquarium's featured 17 major habitats and 30 smaller exhibits. Exhibits revolve around the Pacific Ocean's three major areas: Southern California and Baja, the northern Pacific, and tropical Pacific.
The Southern California/Baja Gallery provides an up-close look at marine life inhabiting temperate North American waters. It begins with an undersea kelp forest that fully surrounds you with its oceanic mystery. Through an acrylic tunnel, you can watch sea lions and harbor seals swim gracefully between indoors and outdoors. You can follow their progress to the outdoor arena, where you can watch their amusing antics as they frolic in the California sun and waves. Inside, over 400 predatory fish are displayed in an enormous tank that stretches nearly three stories high. It's easy to understand why formidable creatures such as the giant sea bass and sharp-toothed leopard shark are at the top of the food chain. In this gallery, you'll also be able to see hydrocoral, tunicates, and endangered sea turtles from Baja's Sea of Cortez.
Some of the exhibits in this gallery are especially geared towards families and children who would like a more hands-on interaction with some of the animals. In a "touch pool," you can feel the slippery texture of skates, rays, and other marine critters. The marine-themed Kids Cove playground utilizes fun and educational exhibits to demonstrate what the animals eat, where they live, and what types of family structures they have. Among the Cove's many activities, children can walk through gigantic whale bones and can even hunker down inside a bird's nest.
The next gallery showcases the animals that come from the icy, northern waters of Alaska, Russia, and Japan. This is where you'll see puffins and diving birds nesting, sea otters frolicking, and giant Pacific octopi peering out at you from rocky lairs. It will be hard to decide which is more intriguing---the large schools of fish swimming in unison towards an unseen purpose, or the dance-like movements of Japanese spider crabs, measuring up to nine feet wide.
The Aquarium's third major gallery contains marine life from the tropical Pacific, an underwater world of extensive reefs and coral lagoons that teem with creatures that don every color of the rainbow. With both above- and below-water viewing areas, you can see what goes in a Palauan rock-island habitat. To explore further, walk over to the coral lab for hands-on encounters and demonstrations. Over 1,000 fish reside in the tropical reef exhibit, the Aquarium's largest habitat. If you come at the right time, you might be able to see divers feed the fish and clean the habitat. They bring microphones along with them so that they can answer your questions from within the tank itself. Highlighting one of the marine world's most unusual phenomena, the sex-reversal exhibit showcases fish that change their sex from male to female as they mature, including clown coris, two-spotted wrasse, and several others.
In the Aquarium's newest exhibit, "Jellies: Phantoms of the Deep," over a dozen species of sea jellies drift like apparitions through the gallery's 25,000 square feet. Among the creatures that you'll see here are moon jellies, the tiny umbrella jelly, and the lion's mane jelly, which has undulating tentacles that can reach more than 100 feet in the wild. Who would have thought that these creatures with no eyes, brain, or heart could be so captivating and graceful?
In addition to its permanent exhibits, the Aquarium also hosts several special programs for children and families. Activities include "Aqua Tot" programs suitable for two- to three-year old children, "Turtle/Hatchling" programs for those ages four to six, and "Fintastic Family Fun" workshops for the whole family. Topics range from "Movin' and Groovin' Beneath the Sea" to "Magnificent Marine Mammals." Most programs last from one to two hours and adult/child interaction is encouraged.
By the end of your visit to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific, you'll not only know more about the Pacific Ocean and the creatures that dwell in it, but also about the importance of conservation. The Aquarium has spearheaded breeding programs for several endangered creatures. It also houses unreleasable rehabilitated seals, sea lions, and sea otters. By reminding visitors of the hazards of pollution, over-harvesting, and habitat destruction, those at the Aquarium hope that the story of the Pacific will not only entertain visitors, but will spur more conscientious protection of the world's most vast and populous ocean.•
