Last Saturday we went to the Vancouver Aquarium. I had wanted to go for a while, as it's a popular local attraction and a great winter's day activity.
Last weekend was a particularly good time to go, as it was their annual Divers' Weekend. This involved display stands and information talks from various BC dive companies, dive resorts, and dive gear shops. I'm keen to get my PADI certification this year (Ben already has his), so it was a good way to gather some information - as well as realise just how many popular dive locations are within a few hours' drive of us!
We spent about 4 hours at the Aquarium, enjoying the incredible variety of underwater creatures and taking lots of photos and videos so that we could share the experience with you.
My favourite creatures were...
The archer fish, which look for insects resting on trees or grass above the water line, then spit a stream of water into the air to hit the insect and knock it into the water, where the archer fish then devours it! The archer fish we saw weren't doing this while we were there, but there was a slow-mo video of archer fish dinnertime next to the tank. Awesome!
The seals and sea lions - enduring favourites of mine. We didn't see any of the shows featuring them, but they are just so cute while swimming around and poking their whiskered noses out of the water. Love them!
Daisy the porpoise. She was rescued off Vancouver Island when she was only 1 month old, which means she hasn't got enough experience to ever be released back into the wild, so she lives at the Aquarium as "an ambassador for her species". This adorable creature is SUCH a poser... After we saw her posing for a photo with some other people, I got up to the tank's window for my turn. As she swam back over, she went to the panel beside me, probably because it had three people crowded against it whereas I was by myself. However, as she swam past me, I saw her eye looking at us, and she evidently saw Ben standing behind me with the camera (the people in the next panel didn't have a camera)... so she instantly turned and came over to my window, where she posed until we'd taken half a dozen photos!! Talk about gorgeous. See photos below!
The seahorses. I don't remember ever seeing one of these in person before, and I sure didn't know how they propel themselves about. These funny little critters have a small fin on their back and two where their ears would be, and they drift around with these fins fluttering so fast they are almost invisible (the fins, not the seahorses!). It reminds me more of an outboard motor than a fish! See end of video below.
I also loved the information about wolf eels, which are frequently seen by divers around here. Wolf eels mate for life and are devoted parents. When they have eggs, the mother coils her body around the pile of eggs, and the father coils his body around the mother. What a beautiful picture!
Assorted photos Ben took...
And here's a compilation of the videos I took. You might want to view this full screen (four arrows button at bottom right) with the sound turned up...
