Sea & Me
Opening Memorial Day Weekend, May 26 and 27, 2012
For the 2012 changing exhibit, the Oregon Coast Aquarium will unveil a children’s interactive exhibit called Sea & Me that is fun, playful and imaginative. Based on the model used by children’s museums, this exhibit will offer play experiences that are developmentally appropriate for kids ages 4 to 10 years old. Featuring animals that invite curiosity, Sea & Me will promote interactions within groups, including families, friends and peers while encouraging discovery, inquiry and a fresh understanding of the habitats of marine and freshwater animals.
Help us build the Sea & Me by making your donation online today!
Submarine Sea Lab: Explore the Darkened Depths
The Submarine Sea Lab is now open as a Sea & Me Preview Area! Stop by and let us know what you think! The entire exhibit opens in May 2012.
Learn to be a deep water scientist! Young visitors can climb aboard our mini submarine and descend into a coral reef through interactive displays and the power of their own imaginations. The submarine will feature a working periscope, simulated ocean views using live animals, modern technology, with plenty of things to push, flip, turn and twist!
A Fisherman’s Life For Me!
Can you imagine working on the waves and enjoying the bounty of the sea? The highlight of our Fishing Gallery is a kid-sized fishing boat outfitted with a child-friendly wheelhouse and fishing gear. Young explorers can slip on rubber bibs and experience life as a fisherman in coastal waters while they learn where our seafood comes from and how we catch it.
Create Your Own Ocean Experience
One of the largest features in Sea & Me will include the transformation of our theater into a free-play area where children will engage in a variety of unstructured activities. This will include exploring discovery boxes filled with ocean “biofacts” like shark jaws and whale baleen; or enjoying a good ocean-themed book with their parents or siblings. To stimulate imagination and creativity, the theater will also offer a variety of marine and animal-themed costumes and a stage area where young visitors can act out their own ocean adventure.
Touch A Shark, Touch A Ray
Sea & Me extends the interactive experience by offering a new touch pool for our visitors. You’ll have the chance to interact directly with sharks and rays. See our “Meet the Animals” feature below to learn more about these marine species. And, our regular touch pool featuring invertebrates from Oregon tide pools is always open in our Rocky Shores gallery.
Connect to Nature and Culture
Culture and nature intertwine at our small cichlid pond as you observe and experience a bit of nature indoors. Inspired by Lake Malawi in Africa, the pond will enable you to learn how children half a world away experience and think about nature.
Animals, Animals, Animals
The animals shown below are just a few of the species you can expect to see in the Sea & Me exhibit. Additional species will be added as the exhibit's opening draws closer.
Meet the Animals
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Blue Tang
If this fish looks familiar, you probably saw it in the 2003 Pixar animated film, Finding Nemo. (Remember, Dory?) Although popularized through the movies, the Bl... more
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Chocolate Chip Sea Star
From first glance, it is obvious why this animal is called a Chocolate Chip Sea Star. The thick body and five arms are covered along the upper surface with dark ... more
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Common Snook
Common Snook are sometimes known as “sergeant fish” or “robalo.” These large, carnivorous fish can be found all along the Gulf of Mexico region, from Florida to B... more
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Emperor Angelfish
This fish’s brilliant colors and vibrant pattern make it a favorite of photographers, artists, naturalists and aquarists the world over. The adult Emperor Angelf... more
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Firefish Goby
The Firefish Goby is a common reef fish found in the south Pacific. It is striking both for its coloration and unique body shape with an exceptionally long dorsa... more
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Flame Hawkfish
The reason behind this fish’s name is apparent at first glance. The animal’s entire body is a brilliant crimson red with dark half-moon shapes around the eyes an... more
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French Angelfish
One of multiple species of angelfish, the French Angelfish is common throughout the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. Like many of its kind, the French Angelfish... more
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Gray Angelfish
These eye-catching fish are common to the Atlantic Ocean, from New England south to Brazil. The Gray Angelfish is one of eighty-six species, many of which are wi... more
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Horseshoe Crab
These unusual-looking creatures have an ancient lineage. Fossils of prehistoric Horseshoe Crabs can be found dating back almost 500 million years – and the animal... more
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Lined Seahorse
The intriguing seahorse is part of the Family Syngnathidae which includes pipefish. These are atypical fish that have bodies encased by bony rings, tubular snout... more
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Moorish Idol
Although they may look similar to Angelfish or Butterflyfish, the Moorish Idol is actually a member of the Surgeonfish family which include Tangs and Unicornfish.... more
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Porkfish
This brilliant tropical fish is also known as the Atlantic Porkfish. It can be identified by its deep body, blunted snout and large lips. The coloring of the fis... more
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Slippery Dick Wrasse
This aggressive and carnivorous fish resides primarily in the shallow coral and rocky reefs along the Gulf of Mexico and throughout the Caribbean. Adults are easi... more
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Spanish Hogfish
The Spanish Hogfish is a tropical species commonly found around coral reefs in the western Atlantic Ocean. Adults inhabit rocky or coral reefs where they feed on... more
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Yellowhead Jawfish
The Yellowhead Jawfish’s long, narrow body is perfect for burrowing. Most of its time is spent vertically, floating above or partially buried in the sandy sea bo... more
