Jellyfish and Penguins

Idyllic weather

It was idyllic weather the whole 14 days we were on the West Coast recently except for one day when the rain was so heavy our feet were drenched within a block of leaving the hotel.  There was only one sensible thing to do and that was to head to our favourite indoor spot, the Vancouver Aquarium.

A few facts about the aquarium:

They run an important marine mammal rescue centre, rescuing and rehabilitating over 100 animals a year for release back into the wild.
They conduct research that helps protect killer whales and amongst other thing, they run a conservation program called Ocean Wise™ that is all about educating consumers to make sustainable choices when it comes to seafood. Working directly with restaurants, etc… ensuring that they are properly informed to make the right choices.

The 4D experience

On the day we visited, the main exhibit was about jellyfish, I (Nat) don’t know about you but I think they’re beautiful and can stare at them for hours.



We learned about the sea life of Pacific Canada, animals of the Amazon Rainforest and Canada’s Arctic amongst what seemed like thousands of children, screaming and crying.  After a few hours we had toured the whole place and were on our way out when I spotted a sign that read “4D movie, next viewing at 1:15pm”.  I looked at my iPhone and it was 1:13pm.  I yelled out to Tim and asked whether he was into it.  We went in, were handed 3D glasses and found a seat.

We were soon informed to put our electronics away, electronics don’t like water.  We laughed thinking it was a joke.  The movie started, featuring Sponge Bob Square Pants and jellyfish.  It was cute and funny and then a jellyfish appeared and I felt something whipping the back of my legs, we were sprayed with water and soap bubbles filled the room, we couldn’t stop laughing and had a great time!  When the lights came on we inspected the chairs and saw that little whipper snipper units were installed underneath the seats to give the stinging effect.  It was definitely a unique experience and one we highly recommend.

The Vancouver Aquarium is open 365 days a year. Have you ever been?