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Aquarium
Monteray Bay Aquarium
During our Trip on the hwy1 (2012) in California, February 2012.
Worldwide famous, the aquarium of Monterey has a vast collection of oceanic fauna and flora, and one of its tank is supposedly the largest in the world. It is big enough so that a diver can hand-feed the sharks in there. Pinguins and puffins are of special interest, in particular the latter as you can contemplate how they swim: they literally fly underwater. The lobster tank has gigantic types. As they are extremely territorial, they restlessly chase each other in their small tank. The jellyfishes are another breathtaking attraction: you can admire their dance of light and motion, suspended in time and water. The one which literally glow light by phosphorescence provide one of the most fantastic natural show one can imagine. Among countless curiosities, we were particularly marked by jumping fishes (leaping blennies), spaceship-looking stationary molluscs aspiring hermit crabs, the formations of small-fishes producing macroscopic patterns in the big tank or the endless swim of sardines tricked in a circular motion, probably thinking they're crossing an ocean when they're just circling round a room of the old cannery. The scales of the collection is also mind boggling: you get in touch with various specimens from magnified microscopic plankton to giant tuna fishes and sea turtles (with their faithful escort post by their belly). The plethora of different breeds of seahorses gives a hint of the number of variations there can be in the animal kingdom... It was difficult to make pictures as the light was dim and most fishes are moving. Below we show shots which came out relatively neat, although they don't include some of the most striking sightings, including turtles, big sharks with their nasty looking expressions or the gigantic lobsters fighting each other.
The Monterey bay aquarium.
You get to marvel at a wealth of open-sea animals from a close distance.
So close you feel you could touch them. The most clever ones of them seem to feel like that too.
Exotic fishes are fun to take pictures of, and most of the Monterey collection, we had never seen before.
This one for instance was literally a cuboid.
Birds, like puffins or, here, penguins, were the most interesting, but didn't make for the best pictures.
Jellyfishes were more photogenic.
Although our pictures don't make them justice.
They were fascinating to see at such a close distance.
Jellyfishes were Elena's favorite. Fabrice preferred the sharks, but they were too fast to make good picture in the dim, bluish lights of the aquariums.
Seahorses were in plentiful variety (of sizes, colours, shapes...) They are special in almost all aspects you can imagine.
Some tanks were so big, you would hardly notice one of the big fishes was actually a diver feeding them.
Blackpool's Aquarium
During our week-end visit to Blackpool, August 2019.
Sea Life is Blackpool's aquarium and the first that Julia visited (on 25 August (2019)).
The tank of the sharks is the main attraction.
The Ocean Tunnel affords great views of sharks, but also turtles, stingrays and other big fishes.
Less impressive but more colourful.
This little one was very ugly but very playful (or upset).
Stingrays and sharks are the most gracious underwater (they are related species).
In this tank, you can just wait for them to visit you.
Portsmouth's Aquarium
During our MOT trip in April 2022.
First-time visit to an aquarium.
And not too sure what to make of it.
Encounter of the Third Kind.
They would actually get out of the water from above.
Maybe they got the chain food backward.
So many fishes even in a mere aquarium.
Other types in another tank.
A favorite that is now found in all aquariums: the water tunnel.
A nasty looking one.
A lot of action going on although it's only going round.
Luz's interest remained maximum throughout, even when there was only water bulging out.
We told her this one looked like mémé.
