The last time Rob and I were able to check out the Vancouver Aquarium was back in 2013 when we did a whirl-wind trip to Kelowna, Victoria, Vancouver and Kamloops that went into our April 2014 edition. We hadn’t realized they were going to be closing early for a major fundraiser, so we had less than a half an hour to run through and take as many photos as we could.

This time was a lot different. We had a special behind the scenes tour through the aquarium and some time for us to check things out by ourselves. Since our first visit they had done some renovations.

The Vancouver Aquarium is Canada’s largest, boasting over 58,000 different animals from around the world including reptiles, birds, marine mammals, sloths, amphibians and more, with a focus on research and conservation.

Our walk-through included seeing how things like brine shrimp – aka Sea Monkeys – are grown to become food for some of the marine life. We were able to visit the shark penthouse, which was located above one of the large aquariums, that homed the sea turtles too. I was really hoping to do a sea otter encounter, but that was not possible for the time slot we were allotted.

These behind the scenes tours and encounters are available to the public, but you need to book in advance as space is limited. Education is something that the aquarium strives for, so schools will bring down classes and even do sleepovers.

The Vancouver Aquarium is known for its Marine Mammal Rescue Program, which takes care of animals that have been injured, orphaned or are sick. If they can fully rehabilitate them, they are let back into their natural habitat, which they do for over 100 marine animals per year. If the animal cannot survive on its own, the aquarium will become its home.

Their current interactive exhibit is with string rays. They clip their stingers so you don’t get stung. One of the most interesting things to watch is the different jellyfish aquariums. It’s mesmerizing seeing how they move around and you can get stunning photos of them. It beats watching a lava lamp.

When traveling throughout British Columbia, you don’t realize what exactly is swimming around in the waters as you pass by or boat across them. There are multiple aquariums set up showing the different types of fish and marine life that exist in different coastal areas of BC with maps in information.

The aquarium also homes the Graham Amazon Gallery, with sloths hanging from trees, birds in the branches, and monkeys swinging. Educative information on the Amazon and its current destruction is displayed.

Several outdoor aquariums house the rescued marine animals like sea otters, sea lions and harbor seals. The sea otters are too adorable. I wore my favourite shirt that shows otters playing on it and says "Plays well with otters". Finally, I was able to wear it somewhere outside of the gay community where it was suited.

We know that the Vancouver Aquarium has had a lot of controversy behind it, just like the Calgary Zoo. A lot of the time people don’t understand exactly what is going on behind the scenes. I have been to the types of place where the animals are on display for entertainment, and they provide a watered-down approach to education. Vancouver Aquarium is not like that. Walking through the different areas, you can see that they do what they can to provide the best environment possible for rehabilitated animals that would not survive on their own in the wild. Sadly, a lot of those animals were injured by humans, directly or indirectly. I am happy that the Vancouver Aquarium is available to help them.

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Contributor Steve Polyak |

Locale British Columbia | Vancouver |

Topic Vancouver Aquarium | Travel |

Photo Gallery Vancouver, BC |