Monterey Bay Aquarium

I hope to go back down the Monterey some time next year and go scuba diving after walking through the Monterey Bay Aquarium. We got a chance to have dinner in the Outer Bay wing with the large 40 ft tank full of bluefin tuna, hammerhead sharks, a sea turtle, and what one person described, "if there is a god, this is proof that god has a sense of humor".

There's nothing like watching fish swim that brings me to such relaxed euphoria. I can't really describe it. Maybe I was a fish in a past life, because I feel like I belong there.

In addition, the aquarium has a jelly fish exhibit that contrasts art with the actual jellyfish. Check out the contrasting pictures below.

The real jelly:


The art:


The real jelly:


The art:


The dinner was delicious and of course followed the Seafood Watch program, to pick fish populations to keep the oceans healthy.

Afterwards a group of us were downstairs waiting for the bus to take us back to the hotel. I had yet to see the Sunfish and didn't know what it looked like. My friends kept telling me, oh when you see it you'll know, it's the most bizarre looking thing. But the one they have now is a small one. They recently took out one that grew to 880 lbs and nearly broke the crane used to haul it out. They essentially have no predators due to their size except when they are small.

We watched the fish play games with each other. The sting ray sneaking underneath the turtle then whapping it with its tail. The sea turtle sneaking behind the sunfish then nudging it forward so it hits into the wall. Like a game of sea tag. Once in a while a few of the fish would dart through the water, like cats through a living room. Meanwhile a school of sardines or smelt amassed at the bottom, which the larger fish would swim through to break them up. I looked at the tuna and realized tuna are gigantic fish! Made me think about how large Charlie the Tuna really is.

A fellow from Seattle kept looking for the sunfish, hoping it would show itself before the bus came. And as if it heard him, the sunfish came by, not just once, but passed in front of the lower window 4 times. Once, it looked like it winked at us. I wonder what the fish saw when they passed our window, these odd fish that hardly move, that stand and stare with bright flashes.

If you've got fast internet, check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium web cams. I guess I'll have to get by on the web cams til I plan that scuba diving trip.