During our tour of the Georgia Aquarium, where visitors can come within inches of hammerheads, manta rays and majestic whale sharks, we have already enjoyed racing crevalles and the graceful ballet of jellies.
My initial reluctant outlook was quickly replaced by excitement.
I never put my video camera back in my purse from the moment I entered the Aquarium. Every single corner brought more delights for the obsessive artist and photo/videographer in me. Frilly anemones, complete with their fanciful clownfish boarders; splendid garden eels (that’s their name – cute little bright-eyed creatures) peeking coyly from their sand burrows; fantastic, intricately patterned sea-horse relatives called weedy sea-dragons; eerie glowing anemones cohabiting with huge long-limbed Japanese spider-crabs.
I especially enjoyed the decorative Kelp Forest exhibit, with big, colorful red and orange fish patiently awaiting a meal.
Unlike other public aquariums, each wing (or hub) of the Georgia Aquarium is self-contained, so you can pick your own route. Choose Georgia Explorer (native species and habitats), Tropical Diver, River Scout, Coldwater Quest, penguins or otters, the touch-pools, the Deepo 4D kids’ movie or the gift shops, or Ocean Voyager.
Kids love this place. It’s geared to teach and instill respect for the planet’s oceans and diverse life forms. Click the links for glimpses of River Scout and the Giant Kelp forest.
This stop during my tour of the Tropical Diver hub is the massive coral reef exhibit, complete with symphonic music and waves sweeping dramatically overhead. Here is the largest reef maintained in captivity, with donated living corals growing in amongst the artificial framework. Hundreds of diverse creatures live here, from colorful coral denizens to passing, open water predators such as sharks.
Take a moment to view my HD video of the action.
During the next part of our tour we’ll be viewing River Scout and Georgia Explorer, after which we’ll get to experience the touch pools and the monumental Ocean Voyager.
All footage by author, using Kodak Zi8 HD Pocketcam.
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