When you visit the Seattle Aquarium, you’re more likely to hear screaming from sea otter Mishka demanding food (again) than the wailing of unhappy spirits. However, this time of year, we can’t help but feel a chill in the air. Whether that’s from the incoming Big Dark or something stranger is up to you.
THE POLTERGEIST OF PIER 59
Pier 59 has been around for over 100 years. It was originally a fishing warehouse before its current life as the site of some of our most popular habitats, including Window on Washington Waters and Life on the Edge.
It makes sense that such an old building might have some spirits hanging around their former haunts. And apparently, they don’t like neckwear.
I was taking the Pier 59 elevator down to the first floor. The second I stepped out, I heard a ‘CRACK!’ I looked down and saw the badge and charms on my lanyard had snapped off and fallen to the floor. It happened so fast it was almost like they were yanked off my neck, and it was so loud that guests were looking in my direction. (I later tried dropping the charms from the same height when there were no guests around, and the sound was not nearly as loud.) I mentioned what happened to a coworker, who told me that her lanyard had randomly snapped off her neck at the top of the stairs earlier that same day! Lanyard wearers beware: There’s a lanyard-despising ghost hanging out around the Café stairwell.
OFF-SITE SPIRITS
One of the most hopping spots for potential haunts is our off-site Animal Care Center. Located a few miles from the Aquarium’s campus, the center provides extra space for animal care and conservation projects, including our species recovery work.
It also may house the spirit of a playful ghost.
Here at our Animal Care Center, I have had many late nights, often alone. On a routine round, I noticed a little boy running around the systems of our new arrivals. This little boy kept showing up every evening. We often see him peeking out from our smaller systems and you can also see him from the water quality area. I am not the only one on our team who has seen this spirit, and he often makes an appearance in the evenings.
He is a very non-threatening presence. I would see him darting across a specific area in the corner of my eye. He just ran back and forth with his arms behind his back, very playfully like a kid. He's wearing old-timey clothes, kind of like a train conductor. I'm a scientist who does not believe in ghosts and cannot make sense of it, but I accept that. He's just my little Animal Care Center nighttime buddy.
The Animal Care Center is something of a hot spot for potential ghostly activity. Staff members have reported seeing another ghost near the pinto abalone habitat, seeing unexplained figures and hearing disembodied voices.
I was working at the Animal Care Center with two other female team members. It was toward the end of the day, and we knew the three of us were the only ones in the building. We heard a man's voice say a few words in a row. Some of us were separated at the time, but we gathered to confirm we all heard it. Then the voice spoke again. It sounded like it was in the building because it was not the muffled sound of someone yelling through a wall. That building has solid concrete walls, so sound does not penetrate through and there is so much ambient pump noise you cannot normally hear external sounds.
SWEET RELIEF
Nighttime on the piers can feel a little haunting, even if what seems scary in the moment ends up having an easy explanation. Staff who used to work on the Relief team, which looks out for Aquarium animals overnight, shared some of their close encounters.
During my rounds when I walked through the Family Activity Center, I would often be startled by Chiidax the fur seal watching me through the window, his eyes reflecting the red light of the flashlight I used. Very spooky!
Nighttime at the Aquarium is already very dark and spooky with the pump sounds and movement of water through the buildings. I was doing rounds in the old Pacific Coral Reef tunnel on Pier 59 using just a flashlight. I came around a corner and swear I felt a presence. As I made my way through the tunnel, I screamed and jumped about 3 feet in the air. It was just a scarecrow and a pile of hay. I didn't realize the Events team had decorated the entire pier with fall harvest decor. It sure gave me a startle and an immediate laugh. The real Aquarium spirits probably got a kick out of it.
If you’re brave enough to visit the Aquarium on Halloween you’ll find no tricks, just treats, including candy and other prizes, an x-ray scavenger hunt, giant pumpkin art, underwater pumpkin carving and more.
For adults 21+, the Halloween fun starts a few days early. Join us at After Hours Premier: Halloween on the evening of October 29 for a costume contest, ghost stories, fortune tellers, special animal talks, food and drinks and more.
While we can’t guarantee a ghostly encounter when you visit the Aquarium, we can say for sure you’ll meet lovable marine wildlife like sharks, rays, fishes, birds, seals and maybe a screaming sea otter or two.
