Learn from our experts
You'll find friendly and helpful staff and volunteers throughout the Aquarium who are happy to answer your questions and help you learn more about our many amazing animals and habitats. Just look for the folks in blue!
Today's presentations
Join Aquarium staff for presentations happening throughout the Aquarium!
Presentation times are subject to change.
10am, 11:45am, 12:15pm, 1:15pm, 3pm
10am, 11:45am, 4pm
10:30am, 2:15pm, 5:15pm
10:45 AM
11:15am, 3:15pm, 4:30pm
11:30 AM
12:45pm, 1:15pm, 2:45pm
2:15 PM
3:45 PM
4:45 PM
Pier 59 activities
Undersea Explorer
Deepen your connection to marine animals in an exciting new way thanks to virtual reality technology! Using state-of-the-art motion seats and VR dive goggles that provide a full 360° view, you’ll feel like you’re really below the surface. Come marvel at the majesty of a pod of humpback whales near Tonga or swim alongside the threatened manta rays of Mozambique.
Check ticket availability when you arrive for your Aquarium visit! Space for these virtual reality experiences is limited, with sessions offered every 15 minutes. Seats and goggles are cleaned between sessions.
Did you know that open-ocean shark and ray populations have declined by over 70% since 1970, due almost entirely to overfishing? Or that about 7,000 humpback whales died from 2012–2021 during a marine heat wave known as “The Blob?”
After your “swim” with these incredible animals, you can help them out by voting for politicians who support climate-friendly policies, like robust fisheries management measures and marine protected areas. Learn more on our Act for the Ocean page.
Tickets
$7 per person for Aquarium members; $9 per person for non-members.
Available from the Guest Services counter at Pier 59’s main entrance and in the VR Lounge.
Hours
Open 10am–5:15pm daily.
Last session at 5:15pm.
Hours subject to change.
Location
Pier 59
Near the Caring Cove playspace.
Please note: Guests must be at least 42 inches tall to participate. The experience is not recommended for guests who have photosensitive epilepsy, back and neck problems, heart conditions, high blood pressure, broken limbs or those who are pregnant. Teacher approval and direct supervision are required for school groups to participate in our virtual reality experience.
Virtual Reality Experience—Now showing
Swimming with Humpbacks
Take a dive with gentle giants in “Swimming with Humpbacks.” You’ll get up close and personal with a pod of humpbacks as you watch a whale calf grow. Learn all about their behavior and family structure in a perfect mix of education and entertainment.
Flight of the Mantas
In “Flight of the Mantas,” your guide is Dr. Andrea Marshall, the first person in the world to complete a Ph.D. on manta rays. This immersive, six-minute experience provides a beautiful—and rare—glimpse of these amazing animals.
Catastrophe by the Sea
Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays
10:30am, 11am and 1:45pm
In the Ackerley Foundation Puget Sound Hall
Come join Catastrophe the cat’s misadventure through the intertidal flats: Sing along to the groovy tunes of the Barnacle Band, dance to the rhythmic harmonizing of Anemone and more during our fun, 20-minute puppet show!
Catastrophe by the Sea is based on the children’s book of the same name, which was written by Brenda Peterson and illustrated by Ed Young, and developed in partnership to support our work on empathy for wildlife.
Caring Cove
Children and their caregivers are invited to come play with and learn about some of our ocean’s wondrous inhabitants and how to care for them!
Discover Caring Cove, an open play space where kids can deepen their connections to marine animals and their habitats by play-acting a variety of animal care activities. Caring Cove features six different areas—many stocked with toy instruments based on the equipment used by our animal care staff—that encourage and support imaginative play for toddlers through children ages 8–10.
Ocean Pavilion activities
One Ocean Hall
Explore the waters of the Coral Triangle and the Salish Sea like never before! Powerful imagery projected in 360º across the floor and walls of the Ocean Pavilion’s main atrium will transport you into the homes of marine creatures from here to across the Pacific. While surrounded by coral, kelp and more, you’ll hear the stories of these beautiful ecosystems and learn how these waters connect us all.
Coral Reef Encounter
Younger guests can enjoy this crawl-through space where they’ll come face-to-face with reproductions and digital versions of reef inhabitants. With a fantastically colorful interior, this exploration space will give kids a fish-eye view of a reef!
Be on the lookout for...
Animals
Get to know the amazing fish, invertebrates, birds and mammals that live at the Aquarium! As you explore our campus, you may have the opportunity to see animal feedings or even animals being trained to voluntarily participate in their own health care. And our friendly staff and volunteers are always at the ready to answer questions and help you learn more.
Life on the Edge tide pools
Step up, lean over and reach in! Staff and volunteers are always nearby to identify the animals in the tide pools, answer questions and deepen your knowledge about Puget Sound. Even if you opt not to get your hands wet, you’ll still be enriched by the beautiful sights, smells and sounds of this habitat.
Scuba divers
Our scuba divers take to the water at different times throughout the day in our Window on Washington Waters habitat!
Wearing specialized masks, the divers are able to talk back and forth with Aquarium interpreters on the outside (or “dry side”) of the habitat and answer your questions. You'll have the chance to learn more about the various fish that you can find in our habitats during these unique encounters.
