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 and activities
Join Aquarium staff for presentations and activities happening throughout the Aquarium!
Presentation times are subject to change.
10am, 11:45am, 12:15pm, 1:15pm, 3pm
Location: Window on Washington Waters, Pier 59
Come experience the Window on Washington Waters habitat, devoted to marine life found in our local waters. You’ll meet the inhabitants of the rocky reef and kelp forest ecosystem found in the Salish Sea.
10:30am, 12:45pm, 1:45pm, 3:30pm
Location: The Overlook, Ocean Pavilion
Come experience the upper area of our largest tropical habitat, The Reef. Meet the marine inhabitants of the Indo-Pacific and learn how we care for such a diverse array of animals.
10:45am
Location: Harbor seal habitat, Pier 60
Get to know the harbor seals that call Seattle Aquarium home! Learn how we care for them, and hear amazing facts about the most common marine mammals in the Salish Sea.
11:15am, 4:30pm
Location: The Archipelago, Ocean Pavilion
Join us for an introduction to our mangrove forest and coral lagoon. Get to know more about these iconic habitats and the plants and animals that create them.
11:30am
Location: Marine mammal habitats, Pier 60
Join us for a feeding at one of our marine mammal habitats: harbor seals, sea otters or northern fur seals. The location changes daily—ask a Seattle Aquarium representative about which animals are scheduled to be fed when you arrive for your visit.
12pm
Location: One Ocean Hall, Ocean Pavilion
Join us in the Ocean Pavilion’s central gathering space for an immersive, multimedia experience. Explore the stories of the Coral Triangle and the Salish Sea like never before!
1:15pm, 3pm, 5:15pm
Location: Window on The Reef, Ocean Pavilion
Come experience the lower depths of our largest tropical habitat, The Reef. Meet animals found in the Coral Triangle, an area of extraordinary marine biodiversity.
2:15pm, 4:45pm
Location: Sea otter habitat, Pier 60
2:15pm: Join us for an introduction to our sea otters! Get to know more about this iconic endangered species and learn how we care for the individuals that call the Seattle Aquarium home.
4:45pm: Join Mishka and Sekiu, our delightful sea otter duo, for an evening feed.
3:45pm
Location: Northern fur seal habitat, Pier 60
Come learn more about Chiidax and Flaherty, the northern fur seals living at the Seattle Aquarium.
Pier 59 activities
Undersea Explorer
10am–5:15pm daily (hours subject to change)
Pier 59, near the Caring Cove playspace
$9 per person ($7 for Aquarium members)
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! Tickets are available from the Guest Services counter at Pier 59's main entrance and in the VR Lounge. Space for these virtual reality experiences is limited, with sessions offered every 15 minutes. Seats and goggles are cleaned between sessions.
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
Presentation times are subject to change.
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.
Discovery Lab
Check out the Discovery Lab on the second floor of the Ocean Pavilion, where Aquarium staff will lead you through hands-on educational activities. From remotely operated vehicles to sharks and rays around the world to fascinating connections between the different parts of the ocean, there’s always more to learn! The schedule varies, so be sure to ask an Aquarium staff member about the schedule when you visit or swing by yourself.
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!
