By Todd Flora
I’m proud to be a volunteer with Heal the Bay, the region’s leading environmental organization dedicated to making our coastal waters and beaches healthy and safe for people and marine life. I was therefore pleased when my friends in the organization asked me to join a new advisory committee being formed for the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium.
But stop right there. Did you KNOW that there even exists a Santa Monica Pier Aquarium? And now that you do, would you like to know more?
In March of last year, Heal the Bay became the new manager of the aquarium, formerly known as the Ocean Discovery Center and run by UCLA. The facility is located on the Ocean Avenue side of the pier, below the carousel on the ground level. Whether you’re yet aware of the site or not, weekday field trips have brought roughly 20,000 students each school year to the aquarium, with an additional 20,000 yearly visitors coming through the aquarium during public visiting hours.
While it hasn’t yet developed into the Monterey Aquarium or Long Beach’s Aquarium of the Pacific, the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium is an important educational and entertaining resource tailor made for the pier, and for Santa Monica. Heal the Bay has established some ambitious goals in their efforts to use the aquarium as an extension of their efforts to promote responsible environmental stewardship and raise awareness of the ocean environment. Parents with young children should take note that the aquarium has launched a new preschool program for aspiring young marine biologists.
The family feel of the aquarium is what I like the most. The site is tailor made for children to play and learn side-by-side with siblings and parents during public visiting hours. The facility is equipped with “touch tanks” filled with marine life found in tide pools, exhibits, and interactive display stations. Families can also enjoy the new kid’s corner, a comfortable, inviting, interactive space full of books, games and puzzles centered on a marine theme. For those with an active imagination, the aquarium’s kids’ corner also features puppets for those who would like to choreograph their own aquatic story. Those who venture into the Santa Monica Bay room will find short educational features that are run throughout the day for visiting families. A computer lab provides just one more outlet for children of all ages to come alive and develop and appreciation for the marine environment.
But it’s also “party time” at the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. The facility offers itself as a unique, exciting and educational way to celebrate a birthday. At a competitive cost (compared to most public birthday party sites these days), families will enjoy exclusive use of the entire aquarium to celebrate birthdays and other special events. Call for details. The aquarium’s public hours and general admission policies are as follows: A $5 suggested donation, with a $1 minimum to enter. Children 12 and under are free, but must be accompanied by an adult.
Monday — closed to the public (open for school programs) Tuesday-Friday — 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. (school programs run from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.) Saturday–Sunday — 12:30 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Phone: (310) 393-6149 I’m excited to be a part of the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium’s new history under Heal the Bay’s management. But more importantly — I hope YOU, the Santa Monica public, will take note of the incredible resource in your own backyard. Come on out and make a family Saturday or Sunday out of it. After all, the pier and its resources are for residents, too. (Todd Flora is a seven-year resident of Santa Monica, and has been active with Heal the Bay nearly all of that time. Todd encourages readers to visit www.healthe-bay.org to learn more about the organization and the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. To comment or reach Todd, e-mail him at:)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 16, 2004. Read the original PDF.