Monterey Bay Aquarium Pics

[PinBrian]

Hello all,

Here are a bunch of pics I took during a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a few weekends ago. I have NO digital camera skills, so some of the photos turned out pretty badly (especially in the Outer Bay exhibit) Anyways, I really hope y'all enjoy them!

First off is the Kelp Forest Tank:











The machinery above the tank that creates the current in the Kelp Forest tank:



A few shots of the Monterey Bay from one of the outdoor spots in the aquarium:





An above shot of a tide tank. The huge windows to the left of the tank have water that pours over tham, simulating the tide coming in.



3 inside shots of the above tank, where the water flows over the window:

Myself:


Co-worker Andrew:




More outdoor shots:







Jellyfish! I really like how the Jelly exhibit is set up. These pictures do NO justice at all to just how beautiful these creatures really are.













I really like the use of a picture frame around the tank:


Out of all the shots I took, this is the one I wished turned out. The jelly tank has mirrors on all the walls, so it has the infinity look when you walk in the room. VERY awesome.









I will post more pics on another post. Still to come: Sea Otters, the Outer Bay Tank, and some more! Hope you enjoy these.

[PrincessY]

Me wants to see sea otters!!

[PinBrian]

Part 2!

These next shots are from the Outer Bay exhibit. This is probably my favorite area in the entire aquarium. There are 3 different viewing areas for this very large tank, so you can see all of the different animals in the tank, which includes a 6 foot Great White shark (Very neat to see if you have never seen one in the wild!)

Some Sunfish pics:







A really lousy (but still the best shot I got) of the Great White:



Another shot of the Great White, taken from the lower level looking up:



Otters! The first two pics are of river otters, and the rest are Sea Otters.





The sea otters seem to be the most popular exhibit there. It is really neat to see them, and then be able to step outside, use the free telescopes, and see them in the wild.


Andrew watching an otter we spotted. They are easy to find, look for birds that seem to be following something on the water


The Sea Otters:


















A nice planted freshwater tank. Bad photographer



Some more outdoor shots:

My buddy Rob:


myself:









A few shots of the tidal tank and window from the first set:

No water:


In comes the tide!





I still have a few more to post!

[PinBrian]

Here are the last shots from the trip:

A rainbow trout tank that is also outside via a small passage:







A ray and some sort of flat fish that I do not know the name of:






A wave machine in action:



Feeding time and cleaning time in one of the tanks. This would be so much fun!



More Misc tank shots:




These pics I am going to attempt to stitch together into a panorama shot as soon as I can find the software to do it:








Myself again in front of Bubba Gumps




Last shot!

[SusieP.]

Sunfish are so weird, they're so prehistoric looking, like they weren't quite finished being built.

Great pictures! I haven't been up there in years, it may be time to take my son there soon.

[Hakuna Makarla]

Awsome!!!!!! thank you so much !! I love the sun fish, man there big! looks like a very cool place, I wish I could go there and see all this. thank you for sharing your day!!

[BFJen]

Great pics! One day I will visit this place! Isn't the flat fish with the ray a flounder?

[lazyboy97O]

Great pics! I loved living in Monterey and the pictures bring back many memories.

[Dr. StrangePork]

The Sun Fish is such a strange looking creature....it's plotting something i just know it

[seenoevil]

Very nice pics. The Aquarium is a wonderful place. I thought they couldn't keep Great Whites in captivity?

[Princess626]

It's a little bitter sweet looking at these wonderful photos. I grew up in Aptos, which is about a 40 minute drive north of Monterey. Basically across the bay. You did a great TR.

[PinBrian]

Originally Posted by seenoevil

Very nice pics. The Aquarium is a wonderful place. I thought they couldn't keep Great Whites in captivity?

The shark they have now is the second one they have had. The first one got too big, and had to be released, which I am sure will happen with this one as well.

Monterey has figured out how to do it, at least until they get to big/aggressive. The current one is about 6ft or so, and not terribly big. I am really interested in how they keep in fed enough to not endanger the other fish in the tank.

The Steinhart had a great white for a week or so when I was very young, somewhere around 1980-1982, and I remember seeing it very well.

However, a 6 footer is NOTHING compared to the huge ones I have seen while surfing or out at the Farralon Islands. Still, they are truly a sight to see!

[sir clinksalot]

Awesome pictures. Thanks so much for sharing. We'll have to make the aquarium a priority on our next trip up north.

[Dustysage]

Fantastic thread and pictures. I LOVE aquariums and this is one of the best. Thank you!

-Dusty

[penguinsoda]

Really beautiful pictures! Its been at least 5 years since I've been the the Monterey Bay Aquarium, glad to see they still have a fantatic jelly fish exhibit! And you got some wonderful shots of them too! Thanks for sharing!