Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea — Attraction in Sidney

While the submarine entrance seems simple, it appealed to kids of all ages. For some reason, it really appealed to our children and they loved the whole thing. I am convinced they thought we were submerging under water. Once in the aquarium, the staff are very helpful and engaging. They will answer all of your questions and have additional models to help with their explanations.

All the marine life is local to the area, so you are able to get good insight into what exists in the Salish Sea and allows for an experience that is unique and local. The exhibits are well done, including one which allows you to put your head into an inverted bowl and look around at the fish from a sea floor level view.

There is also an area at the end where you are able to touch some of the sea life creatures, and the staff are knowledgeable and able to answer your questions about the different creatures.

The experience takes about an hour to go through at a leisurely pace. You are able to re-enter as many times as you want, just in case you (well, your children) want to continually go through the submarine experience over and over again.

Well worth the price of admission and the trip from Victoria. If you don’t have a rental car, the local transit system will take you there and it does not take much longer...

It was our family’s first visit here and we had a lovely time. The submarine entrance was a nice added touch for the kids. We spent our time looking at everything, enjoying the touch pool and learning from the educators about the Salish Sea. We felt very welcomed, especially with the humour and kindness from the education staff. It really shows how much fun they are, too.

The octopus had finished lunch when we arrived so she was very active, moving from one side to the other. Compared to other aquariums we’ve been to, she’s a standout! We came on a weekday, which is typically less busy, and it gave us the chance to take our time to really look at everything. The wolf eel even made an appearance, which an educator pointed out and it gave our visit a more interactive approach that we appreciated.

Jamie, one of the educators at the centre was stellar. He was warm, welcoming and patient with my kids’ questions and comments. At one point during our visit, he walked through the centre to invite guests to a pollinator trivia activity. My kids really enjoyed learning from him. Thank you Jamie!

Yes, it is a smaller centre, features a more locally focused cast of marine life, yet it offers a much more chill and interactive experience that our family...

Checked out this hidden gem of Pacific NW aquariums and totally impressed.

It’s simple entrance belies a very well thought out and put together habitat space sharing the many marine species big and small that call the Salish Sea region home

The entrance via “Submarine” and “Welcome to the Salish sea intro signage sets up the journey that the aquarium wants its guests to take. Opens into a well laid out space that is not overwhelming and easy to browse thru. I noted that larger aquariums in the NW I have visited somewhat lack in this area of the guest experience and “Setting up the journey” for the guest experience.

Volunteers also made it a wonderful interactive experience and even pointed out some tidepool creatures I have never heard of before.

Between the major aquariums in the PNW that specialize in NW marine life, this hidden gem is the best of them. I believe the bigger aquariums in the NW could take some cues from this one to improve their guest experience. Will definitely be back...