Monterey Bay Aquarium & "The Jellyfish Experience"

While in California this past April, we knew that the Monterey Bay Aquarium was a must see. I am fortunate that my husband not only tolerates my requirement of seeing every zoo and aquarium available wherever we go, but he enjoys them as well.  Our perspectives are often quite different, but just because I have a marine science background and also have spend innumerable hours in classrooms both at the front and in the seats it does not mean he isn't embracing the experience as well. Quite often it is this outside point of view that keeps me light and happy instead of locked into the left brain that interrupts fun with quips of how this might be inaccurate or that might not be how I would have expressed information. Whatever, dude!  Sometimes just enjoying the beauty and retaining that open excitement is what makes for the best memories and even better stories later in life.

 When we arrived there were some major factors to be considered on this trip:

1) We were traveling with a 2 year old who requires naps in order to avoid becoming a whining terror.

and

2) We were traveling with Grandma and Grandpa who aren't necessarily as enthusiastic about all things aquatic like myself.

These might seem like simple speed bumps to the single and those without children, but to anyone who has truly tackled family trips across the country will understand my dilemmas.

So we managed to find the perfect way to experience the Monterey Bay Aquarium even with the previously mentioned hurdles.  We stayed in a lovely resort that had a concierge and a package deal - get your tickets through the hotel and receive 2 days for the price of 1!! This means that on the first day we were not running around like maniacs trying to experience every little detail of the facility, and not having to rush around is a priceless perk rarely enjoyed when a toddler is involved.  This particular blog entry is chocked full of photos, so take your time and enjoy the captions!

For better details on the actual size and structure of the Monterey Bay Aquarium exhibits, check out their website: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
because, seriously, I could drag on for days about the details I did witness and weeks about speculations on animal husbandry, staff interactions, and exhibit design.  Instead I choose to focus on the experience itself, particularly for a marine biologist and mom who just thrilled to check a box off on the overall bucket list. I must add that this checked box now has an *asterisk next to it to ensure that someday I return. (my list never seems to shrink...)

The first 2 photographs were taken of the same exhibit, a live kelp forest. It was one of the most spectacular of the day(s). Being an Atlantic coast baby, algae is so incredibly different in my local ocean world, and having worked with aquaria including live marine plants and algae, I was absolutely stunned by the magnitude of these 20' strands of slow waving habitat. The Kelp Forest has 2 different viewing levels, and just like virtually every exhibit in the place, an interactive component to help identify the fish and other animals living inside. This computer program passed the toddler test for entertainment/education as well!

The newest exhibit at the Monterey Bay Aquarium (MBA) is "The Jellies Experience", which opened on March 31st, 2012.  We visited the Wednesday after opening weekend and were extremely privileged to be some of the first visitors to take it all in. The following are some highlights of the "Experience" for us.

Cassiopeia, the upside-down jellyfish, is my personal favorite

The upside-down jellyfish is precisely that - they swim right side up (which means the bell of the animal pulses to produce a small bit of forward thrust) but settle on the bottom with the tentacles reaching up to the surface.  This is because there is symbiotic algae growing on the tentacles! The green strands on the jellies pictured above are clumps of that algae.  These jellies can still sting, but are not as severe as the more famous stinging nettles, etc.

Jace sitting on the "bell" of a harmless jelly

The Jelly Experience is a very dark space but filled with black lights and glowing displays.  While I personally didn't care for the psychedelic theme of the overall experience, each individual aquarium and educational exhibit was remarkable. Even the large jellies that children (and adults) could climb and sit upon was a fun and different way to sit and enjoy the animals.

fascinated by the few black jellies sprinkled throughout this tank

The tanks were all shapes and sizes from tiny and planktonic, filled with baby jellies, to huge and bulbous, giving wonderful 3D views of them swimming.  After speaking with a variety of professional aquarist, the jellyfish exhibits are some of the hardest to maintain since the animals are so delicate - but one would never get that impression from the scope and scale of MBA's jelly world. I also appreciated the special walk-thru light up "combs" in the area focusing comb jelly. Since comb jellies aren't a true jellyfish (neither is the man-o-war, by the way) I was pleasantly surprised to find them there anyway.

Jacen's finger painted jelly goes for a swim on the interactive wall of jellies

From light shows to tunnels, there was a striking amount of fun things for a toddler to do! Above is a unique interactive exhibit that had several consoles where anyone could use their fingers to create a personal jellyfish that literally swims across the screen / tank for all to see! Once you get the "big" kids to share it was pretty cool. This ended up being a great lesson for Jace in "waiting your turn".

Lots and lots of Touch Tanks!

The Touch Tank is such a part of my history as an environmental educator, that there is no way we are passing up the chance to interact with some cool critters. From large decorator crabs to knobby sea stars, our 2 year old was ready to meet them all!  I lost count at the number of touch tanks found in several different locations throughout the Aquarium.  They were all well manned and OPEN!  The volunteers and staff from the scheduled talks to the gift shop had something very interesting in common - a GREAT ATTITUDE!  There were people everywhere and speaking all languages, yet each member of the MBA crew remained pleasant and information while keeping a wonderfully relaxed demeanor.  The impression that everyone actually wanted to be there is vital to the presentation of the entire center.

Another cool aspect of the MBA is that the facility was an old cannery, so the architectural lay out of the facility is not in a traditional style. I sincerely wish our camera batteries hadn't died while visiting because some of the original equipment was still in place to commemorate the history of the Monterey Bay and its interactions with the humans that rely upon it. Alas, I do not have those photos.

Love the intensity of my little pirate scouting the horizon

One the second day of our adventure, we explored the even more toddler friendly areas that included floating play-type interactions about tidal shifts and a wondrous viewing area of the Monterey Bay itself.

Jacen's reaction when we told him we were going back to the Aquarium the next day. The quote: "Holy Cow!" he says.

I was so relieved about day 2 partly because we had skipped the entire wing of the seahorse area in order to avoid skipping nap time.  Maybe I simply have a soft spot for those delicate creatures of the undersea grasslands, but it there were much more than sea dragons in this place!

Just as expansive and thorough as The Jellyfish Experience, we found the sea horses to be fascinating. Still dark in many areas, there was plenty of room to walk around and look at displays without feeling crowded.  A significant feat for any busy aquarium.  I liked that so many aquaria were low enough to the ground that a toddler could look at the animals without having to climb an adult or part of the exhibit.

As part of the interactive play, Jace and I took on the role of a sea horse hiding from predatory fish by changing our color or hiding in the colorful habitat.

Having large scale sea horses to interact with created far more than a great photo-op, it allowed for a personal interaction with a creature that is far to sensitive to live in a Touch Tank.

How do I get one of these for my ceiling at home?

 From the variety of whale and shark species (replicas, don't worry) hanging from the ceilings to the open atmosphere and giant windows viewing the Monterey Bay, this Aquarium not only met the very high expectations that had been building in my mind since I was a child, but surpassed it and left us more than grateful that a second day was available for us to continue our explorations.

So, if you do plan on exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium, show up early for multiple reasons: parking is tricky if you don't know the area or aren't staying within walking distance.  Take your entire party into consideration; when traveling with those who will struggle with a long walk or need a nap after a few hours, you might need to take a second day if the plan is to actually see and experience everything.  If you want to spend an hour with the otters, plan for that too - it is easy to spend a entire day in this exceptional place.

While I know you wouldn't skip something on your bucket list when the opportunity arises, but be sure to give adequate time to fully embrace that experience too. Don't always cut corners when it comes to yourself!
-Callie

Kayaking Monterey Bay

I would not consider myself a novice kayaker.  While I am not yet prepared to kayak whitewater in the Smoky Mountains, I would not hesitate to jump in a small self propelled craft on my own or with a partner.  Please do not confuse canoeing with kayaking - a canoe is deeper, slower, and harder to roll over. It is also far more difficult to flip a canoe back over once it has gone belly up, and I recommend simply dragging it ashore to dump the water. When looking for speed, stealth, and a low draft that makes for easier times in shallow water, the kayak is by far the better choice.
This particular kayaking adventure was another new experience for me. Prior to the beautiful west coast of California (I still generally think of the west coast as Sarasota or Naples, FL), I had kayaked both inland waters and the Florida Keys so I understood the importance of tides, wind, currents, boat wakes, and wildlife. Whitewater rafting prepared my husband and me for the 55°F water, and we gladly donned the less than flattering splash gear. The plastic-like jacket and pants are not lined or particularly comfortable and don't breathe like the popular gym clothing so readily available these days, but don't try and tough it out bare skinned! These clothes WILL keep you dry and much warmer than any sweatshirt or rain jacket. Bring/borrow water shoes too. Trust me.

Me about to head out on a very windy day (note the splash guard clothing).

Whenever you are on the water, wear your sunglasses and sunscreen even if it is chilly or overcast. Sunburns still happen on cloudy days, and peering down into the water beneath you is easier with polarized lenses.  We traveled to Monterey Bay in April, and the weather had been too windy for any whale watching vessels or to kayak outside of the bay into open waters.  The skin seering wind and cold, and the fact that this was a first time experience for us both is why our 2 yr old son did not join us this time around.  Even after the experience, this is likely one adventure we shall save for when he is a bit older and can easily swim safely back to the kayak if dumped - probably closer to 6 or 7 years old.
Now for the cool stuff!
One of the best things about this mini-expedition was the plethora of local wildlife, and I'm not just talking sea gulls. In addition to gulls and pigeons, there were plenty of sea otters, harbor seals, California sea lions, other bird species I do not pretend to know, and even a few large geese. Here comes the educational part of today's blog:

Seals vs Sea Lions

Identification Tip:

Do not confuse seals and sea lions, it offends the locals in the same way as it annoys people who drink Dunkin Donuts coffee vs. Starbucks. So take a moment to get a the short cut on identifying these awesome pinnipeds.  These photos taken while in Monterey Bay should help:

Harbor seal sitting on rocks just below the surface of the water

Seals don't really have a neck. They move around in a very awkward undulating motion when on land, and do not have the long, flexible pectoral flippers that sea lions do. Their tails are shorter than a seal's as well, and they do not have pronounced ear flaps.

Sea lions - ear flaps & long flippers are easy to spot

Sea lions are far more common on television and in animal shows because they move around on land far easier than seals do, and from what I understand have a much better attitude toward their human trainers too.  This is the animal you picture as balancing a ball on its nose and raising its tail in the air. They have extremely flexible necks and distinctively long flippers.

A very good shortcut to understanding this better is http://www.dolphinencounters.com/education-sealionvsseal.php. I was very happy to have written my descriptors prior to fact checking, and still be accurate (yay!). This particular site also credits their information to Sea World and National Geographic, so we are all on the same page.

Just for fun, here is the angry pair of geese that were not at all pleased about our exploration of Monterey Bay. The male is particularly irritated as my husband gleefully crept the kayak near "their" rocks. As I was in the front of the kayak... not cool, man.

Finally we did maneuver our way around both the New and Old Fisherman's Wharfs.  I now clearly understand the meanings of terms like Cannery Row, wharfs, and other familiars that get tossed around small oceanside towns regularly. Below is a photo of the REAL Fisherman's Wharf at Monterey. This is not a public attraction so much as a location for commercial fisherman and charters to drop off their haul for processing.  The number of sea lions using the lower structures of the wharf was astounding! The photos, unfortunately, were not.  The animals were shrouded in shadows and we dared not venture too close for a myriad of safety reasons that included the choppy waves, unfamiliar currents, and oh yeah, potentially aggressive bulls.

The REAL Fisherman's Wharf in Monterey Bay

The historical wharf is now covered in shops and local vendors and some of the most amazing clam chowder ever. The chowder was just another surprise to me; residing on the west coast of the US gave me the impression the only clam chowder worth eating had to come from New England. Chock it up to another first and another lesson learned!

As just one of many adventures had on this California trip, we covered far more territory that will be coming soon to this medium. Upcoming is a look at the Monterey Bay Aquarium and its new jellyfish exhibit, Big Sur, and the redwoods of Pfeiffer, waterfall included.  If you want to share this particular adventure yourself, I can highly recommend the organization we worked with, Adventures by the Sea.  They also had bicycle rentals and other fun options in addition to kayaks. Very cool and relaxed staff despite the fact that we were just another pair of tourists, and we were treated respectfully like locals and talked about local waters and wildlife.  Feel free to check them out!
http://adventuresbythesea.com/

Stay tuned! And regardless of the cold or rain, just remember it's only water!!
-Callie