People enjoying a dive show in front of the 20' x 40' Window On Washington Waters exhibit as an interpreter narrates.

This mammoth, 120,000-gallon exhibit greets you as you take your first steps into the Seattle Aquarium. Filled with more than 800 fish and invertebrates indigenous to the Pacific Northwest’s local waters, it is designed to replicate the seascape around Neah Bay, a richly populated marine environment located at the northwest tip of Washington State.

The exhibit’s main viewing window is a breathtaking 20x40 feet, allowing you to experience a one-of-a-kind glimpse into life under the surface of Puget Sound. Step closer and you may begin to feel as if you are part of the exhibit itself! That’s because it’s cantilevered to angle gradually forward and overhangs eight feet at the top.

Inside, the water surges rhythmically just as it does in the wild, causing the kelp blades to gently sway. Multitudes of fish — salmon, rockfish, lingcod, wolf eels and more — swim in and out of the exhibit’s large rock formations, which also serve as homes for anemones, sea stars, sea urchins and corals.

Divers take to the water three times a day in this exhibit: at 10am, 11:30am and 12:15pm. Wearing specialized masks, they are able to talk back and forth with Aquarium interpreters on the outside of the exhibit, and answer questions from the audience.

Around the corner is Sound Surround, an alcove viewing window that provides a different and beautifully immersive perspective on the exhibit — be sure to stop by for a look as you proceed further into the Aquarium!