Chapter 2:
After walking through the main entrance area, take a left and continue walking to the “Oceans edge” wing of the aquarium. Before passing under the sign that says “Oceans Edge” you should see a room on the right called “Mission to the Deep.” One of the most impressive aspects of the Monterey Bay aquarium, and one that I did not expect to see, is the interactive displays throughout the exhibits. In addition to the typical word displays that are located in front of each exhibit, there are many electronic displays and interactive computers that give information about the animals, the ocean, and the effect of pollution and fishing on certain species. These displays are a great way to create an increased desire for children and adults to learn about the aquarium using modern technology.
The “Mission to the Deep” exhibit is a large room with seats where people can pretend to be an ocean scientist by controlling a deep sea exploration craft that hovers over the bottom of the ocean. While using this interactive display, large TV’s show an educational video explaining how deep-sea exploration works.
Mission to the deep board. Image taken by me.
If you walk past the “Mission of the Deep” exhibit you can see the beginning of the “Oceans Edge” area. This section, located on the Eastern side of the first floor, is made up of Monterey Bay Habitats that reflect the different environments that make up parts of the Pacific Ocean. Before entering the habitats area, you will first be in the Kelp Forest. You should be able to see a monstrous multi-floor tank directly in front of you as you walk in. This is the centerpiece of the “Ocean’s Edge Wing” and consists of a 33-foot high, 333,000-gallon tank that allows visitors to view California coastal marine life on both the first and second floor and from under and over the water. It is the first tank in the world to grow live California Giant Kelp. Giant kelp grow as fast as 2 feet per day and can reach lengths of 45 feet. It exists in dense strands know as kelp forests, which are home to many marine animals that depend on the algae for food or shelter.
If you walk directly to the left of the Kelp Forest center tank, you will enter the first Monterey Habitat Area called “The Deep Reef.” This dimly lit area has approximately 5 smaller tanks surrounded by fake rock formations that make you feel submerged in a deep reef. As you walk into this area you will see two giant octopi in separate tanks. On the wall across from these tanks you will see a 2 foot wide 4 foot tall video board that has informative commentary on the life of giant octopi. You will continue to see video boards such as this one throughout the aquarium, and I suggest listening to them if you want to learn more about the animals living in these displays. Unlike the interactive displays that actively engage you through user responses, these video boards replay educational videos regarding the exhibit you are in and distract you less, which allows the information to be digested.
Interactive video board. Image taken by me.
The second Monterey Habitat Area you will encounter as you continue to walk is the “Sandy Seafloor.” You will know you are entering each new habitat when you see a sign hanging from the ceiling that says which one you are going to. In addition there are interactive video boards below each sign. Each video board has a looped video of the habitat you are entering. For example “The Wharf” habitat that you will come across soon has a video of people walking on a wooden boardwalk that transitions into the sea life under the people walking. While walking around the “Sandy Seafloor” you should notice the large floor-to-ceiling windows of a tank on the right that contains 4-5 ft long sharks, salmon, and other fish. Across from this large tank are smaller displays, where more delicate marine life live.
After passing through the “Sandy Seafloor” area, continue on to “Shale Reef.” This exhibit has the greatest amount of hands–on displays in the Monterey Habitat Area. You will find one of these immediately on the left as you walk under the sign notifying that you have entered “Shale Reef.” This open water tank has no glass cover. Floating magnifying glasses floating on top and allow people to move them around and see greater details of the marine life in the display. Some of the animals you will see are orange puffball sponges, strawberry anemone, orange cup coral, and red tube worms, just to mention a few.
“The Wharf” is the final habitat that you will walk through in this wing before exiting the Monterey Bay Habitats area and before entering the Aviary exhibit. At the end of “The Wharf” you will see a room on the right that looks like a kitchen. Here you can sit down at a fake seafood restaurant that has tablets in front of every seat with fake menu displays. Every 10 minutes, a plasma screen located on the back wall turns on and three people (a chef, a waitress, and a restaurant worker) walk on screen and begin talking to you about how choices regarding what seafood you eat directly affect the populations of these animals around the world. This room is another example of how Monterey Bay Aquarium is very up-to-date on interactive learning, especially learning associated with technology, and I suggest visiting this room because it is the best combination of interactive media and educational material without other distracting aspects.