New Ocean Pavilion Inspires Awe, Hope and Action for Families

Editor’s note: This article was sponsored by the Seattle Aquarium.

When Seattle Aquarium’s new Ocean Pavilion opened Aug. 29, visitors flocked to the impressive space, eager to see the results of a project that had been in the making for more than a decade. With the recent completion of the waterfront Overlook Walk, there’s never been a better time to visit Ocean Pavilion with kids and discover what this exciting new expansion is all about.

As with Seattle Aquarium’s Pier 59 and 60 habitats featuring local species, the Ocean Pavilion is designed to inspire conservation of our marine environment through awe-inspiring experiences for guests of all ages. As Seattle Aquarium’s chief conservation officer, Dr. Erin Meyer explains, “Our conservation mission is evident from the moment you approach the doors. Visitors can look up and get a view into The Reef. Or they can look down and see ‘Grandmother Rock,’ by local Lummi artist Daniel Friday.” It’s one component of “House of Welcome,” a multi-component art installation and an important chapter of the story Ocean Pavilion’s experiences aim to tell. While the habitats inside connect visitors to the Coral Triangle, “House of Welcome” centers and honors the Coast Salish lands upon which the building stands.

Meyer considers these exterior elements a gift to the community, a way for people to feel inspired, even if they’re just passing by or don’t have time to explore the new space yet.

Finding and creating global connections

When families and visitors pass through the doors, they will find an array of engaging, interactive habitats, intentionally designed to stand alone or serve as part of a broader narrative that spans Seattle Aquarium’s three-building campus.

The Ocean Pavilion habitats center around a region of the ocean called the Coral Triangle. Meyer explains the importance of highlighting a region that’s vastly different from our local waters. “We wanted to connect visitors to animals they might never otherwise meet without a passport and scuba training, and to share examples of how communities around the world depend on the ocean.” By doing so, visitors can better understand how threats such as climate change, overfishing and plastic pollution affect the ocean and our planet on a global scale.

Meyer, who collaborated with the design team, explains that each guest’s experience is different, but the intention is always the same. “Whether you are entering at Pier 59 or the Ocean Pavilion, we want our audiences to walk away with a sense of awe, a sense of interconnectedness that builds empathy and a sense of hope — that they can be a part of ensuring we have a resilient ocean for future generations.”

What better way to gain that sense of hope than by seeking out one of the many hope objects placed throughout the Ocean Pavilion, one of which — a wooden replica of a Sasi sign — is just inside the front doors. Fabricated using a series of photos sent from Raja Ampat in Indonesia, this multimedia component invites families to sit, ask questions and consider what they’re looking at. Each object connects Coral Triangle cultures with our local ones — in this case, pairing the story of master carver and Tlingit tribal member Stephanie Masterman and the Sasi sign makers of Indonesia.

Awe-inspiring experiences

Visitors of all ages can deepen their understanding by listening to or talking with one of the marine science interpreters who help activate the space. Scientists and educators themselves, they are trained to interpret the habitats and give multiple talks each day. Meyer encourages visitors to have a conversation with one of them. “Their passion is infectious, and understanding why each interpreter does what they do is inspiring.”

When it comes to standout habitats, Meyer doesn’t hesitate. “The fact that we have live mangrove trees is mind-blowing to me. These are trees that live only in the tropics, so if you don’t travel to the tropics, you will never see a mangrove.” She notes it’s even rare to have live mangroves in an aquarium.

These powerhouses of carbon sequestration fill Meyer with hope. “I think about the connections we have with organizations that are doing mangrove restoration work. Plus, mangroves can sequester up to 10 times more carbon than a typical terrestrial forest. If we want to think about return on investment for the planet, it’s mangroves.” Meyer’s favorite mangroves serve a similar function as local kelp forests do in the Pacific Northwest — as a refuge habitat for juvenile fishes. Having nearby kelp forests directly outside of the windows near the mangrove is one more example of the building’s intentional design that connects the Salish Sea to the Coral Triangle.

For Meyer’s kids, ages 7 and 9, there are more than a few spaces that draw them in and keep them coming back for more. “They always make a beeline to watch the Indo-Pacific leopard shark, who likes to rest on the sandy bottom in The Reef habitat, for at least the first 20 minutes of every visit.” The recent addition of the bowmouth guitarfish into that habitat has only made it more appealing for her kids. Meyer explains, “She’s spectacular. She looks like a dinosaur, a shark and a ray. My son, who loves dinosaurs, can’t get enough of watching her.”

At Home in the Ocean is the other spot her kids really love. She explains, “There’s a crawl through space that’s really meant for children — it’s kind of a choose your own adventure. They can pretend like they’re swimming in a coral reef. Before they go in, kids can stop at the touch screen and choose which animals they want to see on the screens inside. My kids will touch a couple, go in and play and come back out, and touch another one, and then go in and play some more. They love that ability to create their own environment.”

Expanding opportunity

It’s also important to note that the new Ocean Pavilion will allow more guests to visit the aquarium. Before the new building’s completion, Seattle Aquarium’s original buildings saw about 800,000 visitors per year. That number is projected to increase to over 1.2 million visitors thanks to the new space. Meyer notes, “It’s going to allow us to engage and inspire almost half a million more guests over the course of the year.”

Inspiring action

Beyond spreading education, empathy and hope, Meyer also hopes visitors will be inspired to take action after visiting Ocean Pavilion. Seattle Aquarium’s Act for the Ocean page is a great place to start.