Monterey Bay Aquarium

We ventured down to Cannery Row, of John Steinbeck fame, in Monterey to seek out the world famous Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Henry and I love aquariums and as a keen fisherman, Kim is always happy to learn more about fish varieties and the ever changing environment they need to survive and flourish.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is the very best aquarium we have ever visited.

Perched on the picturesque shores of California's Monterey Bay, it is a global leader in ocean conservation. It even featured in the movie "Finding Dory" where it was depicted as the Monterey Marine Life Institute. 

Since opening in 1984, it has established itself as a well respected institution, a beacon of marine education and research that captivates visitors and fosters a deep sense of connection with marine plants and animals in a modern, spacious, spectacularly beautiful facility that feels like a world class art exhibition.

In particular, the ethereal boneless beauty of the varieties of jelly fish; the Moon jellies with silvery pulsating bodies, the rich orange Pacific Sea Nettle jellies with impossibly long ribbons and locks floating elegantly behind and underneath them, casting secret spells, the illumined teeny tiny Bell jellies like little Edison light bulbs. The jellies become startling and utterly mesmerizing against the Monterey Blue background canvases in rounded tanks that make you feel as though you are peering through the windows of a submarine while it is trolling the depths of the ocean. During the Covid lockdown, Kim and I would pull up the live feed from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Jelly Web Cam on the telly as we found it to be soul soothing. You can check it out here.

Of course we found Nemo and Dory. We loved the bobbing penguins, the antics of the puffins and the adorable sea otters that we could see inside the Aquarium and also right outside in the Bay. The fairy tale kelp forest exhibit, colorful coral reefs and the variety of fish from enormous sharks and rays to the almost invisible plankton were all captivating in the way they emphatically declared the vibrancy of marine life. My favorite of the day was the most magnificent giant octopus who seemed to be feeling his way towards our hearts. Wow!

The Monterey Bay Aquarium once again inspired me to be a champion of the ocean and to renew our family efforts to reduce plastic and pollution to protect the wonders of the worlds oceans.