Regular Hours
10 a.m.–6 p.m. Daily
Closed Dec. 25
Summer (May 26–Sept. 1)
9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
Summer Weekends
(July 5–Sept. 1) Sat. & Sun.
9:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Holidays
9:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
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What's New
Promotions & Events
July 5-August 31 (Sat. and Sun.)
6 p.m.-8 p.m.
This summer join us for an evening by the bay! The Aquarium will stay open until 8 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday from July 5 through August 31. In addition to all your favorite exhibits, enjoy dinner with an ocean view in the Portola Restaurant, and live music featuring outstanding student musicians from the Monterey Jazz Festival’s Jazz Education Program.
July 12-13 (Sat.-Sun.)
6:30 p.m.
Paul Dolan of the Mendocino Wine Co. has been named the "King of Green" for his commitment to producing wines of distinction while making a positive impact on the environment and the community. At this special Evenings by the Bay event, Paul will talk about his commitment to sustainable wine making, and you’ll have a chance to sample Parducci and Paul Dolan Vineyards varietals.
July 19 (Sat.)
The Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute opens its doors to the public for a celebration of ocean exploration and research. Meet MBARI scientists and engineers, see deep-sea robotic vehicles and research vessels, and learn about their missions to the ocean’s depths.
Become a marine scientist for a day and work alongside Aquarium guides, or enjoy a spectacular sunset sail with wine and cheese. You’ll get a unique view of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary aboard the Derek M Baylis, a 65-foot sailboat designed for ocean research.
Get an insider’s view of the Aquarium. Each 50-minute tour will give you a chance to interact with our staff, discover the hidden life of animals and learn about our ocean research. Cost is $10 per person plus admission.
June 14-Sept. 1
Summer fun starts at the Aquarium on June 14 with the new live musical Watt a Waste, and the return of the popular "acto" ¡Basta Basura!. We’ve got all your favorite feeding shows and activities as well.
Exhibit Updates
A Juvenile Wolf-eel on the Move
A juvenile wolf-eel was recently moved from Splash Zone to the Deep Reef gallery and is now happily hanging out in the left side of the wolf-eel exhibit. During the past year and a half, this little eel has grown from 4 inches in length to 24 inches and it’s still got some growing to do. An adult wolf-eel can measure 80 inches and weigh up to 41 pounds. Some divers claim that these fierce-faced fish can bite a broomstick in half, but in reality, wolf-eels are not dangerous unless provoked.
Jellies of the Month:
Giant Bell Jellies
Stop by Jellies: Living Art, and you’ll find our new Exhibit of the Month, giant bell jellies. These unusual looking jellies have large transparent bells that can grow to nearly four inches long and reveal frilly insides. Giant bell jellies have hundreds of long, white tentacles, and smaller tentacles that are red at the base. The red area is where the eyespots, also known as ocelli, are!
The popular, award-winning special exhibition Jellies: Living Art is closing on September 1. During its six-year run, the exhibition has dazzled millions of visitors with a unique blend of stunning jellies and the artwork they inspired. Don’t miss this last chance to immerse yourself in the world of jellies.
A New Sevengill Shark on Exhibit
Look closely and you’ll see a new sevengill shark cruising around our Monterey Bay Habitats exhibit. Big and beautiful, she’s the second-largest sevengill shark ever exhibited at the Aquarium, measuring 9-feet, 3-inches in length and weighing 237 pounds. The shark was collected in San Francisco Bay. Sevengill sharks, also called cowsharks, have been found in waters off the Pacific Coast from British Columbia to Southern California, and in the Southern Hemisphere.
Take Action for the Oceans
Get the inside scoop on what seafood to savor and what fish to forgo in this archived edition video webcast. Portola Cafe Executive Chef Dory Ford and Seafood Watch manager Sheila Bowman share tips for choosing and preparing sustainable seafood dishes.
See what it takes to tag bluefin tuna and the rarest of sea turtles, the Pacific leatherback, in an online video from the KQED Quest show featuring one of our partners, the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program.
From over 200 photo entries, the winner of our Ocean Action Team's second annual World Ocean Day Photo Contest is Becky Kelly with her photo of "Hawksbill in Cozumel, MX 2008." Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest.
Aquarium News
In early June, Seafood Watch was featured in a national NBC news story about sustainable seafood on the Nightly News. The story focused on overfishing and what people can do to make a difference. You can watch an archived version of the story online.
The Aquarium's online Gift & Bookstore catalog offers a selection of special items relating to the Aquarium's exhibits and history, as well as the Monterey Bay area. Items featured in the catalog are available for purchase by phone.
Beginning Earth Day, April 22, our Portola Cafe and Restaurant will participate in a national campaign to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and help guests do the same. The Low Carbon Diet, led by Portola’s parent company, Bon Appétit Management Company, will include sourcing ingredients locally or domestically, reducing food waste and disposables, and eliminating air-freighted seafood. In addition, Bon Appétit will introduce the Low Carbon Diet Calculator—a fun, interactive tool to help people learn how their food choices affect climate change.
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"Penguins have had a good run in the popular media over the past few years, from March of the Penguins to Madagascar to Happy Feet. Outside of movie theaters, the story's not as great. Penguins in temperate regions already faced..."
July 03, 2008
There’s no place like home: Meet the Pacific spiny lumpsucker (Part 2) (4.9 mins)
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