Pacific Undersea Gardens
Encyclopedia
Victoria Harbour (British Columbia)
Victoria Harbour is a harbour, seaport, and seaplane airport located in the Canadian city of Victoria, British Columbia. It serves as a cruise ship and ferry destination for tourists and visitors to the city and Vancouver Island. It is both a port of entry and an airport of entry for general...
in the heart of downtown Victoria. The Gardens is owned and operated by the Oak Bay Marine Group.
Features
The Pacific Undersea Gardens is a 150-foot vessel that was built on the waters of the Inner Harbour. People visiting the site have to walk down the stairs and descend to 15 feet beneath the ocean to look through the many viewing windows of the aquariums that surround the vessel and see the various marine life of coastal British ColumbiaBritish Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, in their natural and protected environment.
The Gardens also have a tidal pond full of Sea star
Sea star
Starfish or sea stars are echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. The names "starfish" and "sea star" essentially refer to members of the class Asteroidea...
s and Sea Anemones, which is intended to be a fun and educational experience where visitors are allowed to gently touch the animals.
Located at the end of the 150-foot vessel of the Undersea Gardens is the Undersea Theatre. In the theatre, seating is provided where visitors can sit down and watch the show from the viewing windows of the aquarium. In the actual show, a guide will welcome you and narrate the show to explain the different wildlife in the aquarium.
A diver is also in the show with an equipped full-face communication mask in the water to guide you, as well, and handle the different animals that are in the theatre aquarium such as Crabs, Sea Urchins, Sea stars, Sea Anemones, Cabezon
Cabezon
Cabezón is the Spanish word for "stubborn" or "big-headed". Cabezon or cabezón may refer to:In Chile, cabezon means intelligent.-Fish species:* Cabezone , a species of fish in the Cottidae family...
, Lingcod
Lingcod
The lingcod, Ophiodon elongatus, is a fish of the greenling family Hexagrammidae. It is the only extant member of the genus Ophiodon...
. However, the two main attractions of the theatre are the Wolf Eel
Wolf eel
The wolf eel is a member of the family Anarhichadidae together with the wolffishes of the genus Anarhichas. The wolf eel is monotypic within the genus Anarrhichthys. This superficially eel-like fish feeds on crustaceans, sea urchins, mussels, clams and some fishes, crushing them with its strong jaws...
s and a Giant Pacific Octopus named "Armstrong". The Undersea Theatre runs throughout the day and are 20 minutes long, making the daily total tour time to be around 45 to 60 minutes.
Marine Life and Exhibits
The Pacific Undersea Gardens houses more than 5,000 different species of British Columbia's marine life. The different marine life at the Gardens include different types of fishFish
Fish are a paraphyletic group of organisms that consist of all gill-bearing aquatic vertebrate animals that lack limbs with digits. Included in this definition are the living hagfish, lampreys, and cartilaginous and bony fish, as well as various extinct related groups...
, Crabs, Sea stars, Sea Anemones, Sea Urchins, Sea Cucumbers, Scallops, Wolf Eels and the Giant Pacific Octopus.
In one exhibit, fish, such as the Red Snapper
Red Snapper
Red Snapper may refer to:Fish:* Several species from the genus Lutjanus, for example the red snapper .* Several species from the genus Sebastes, for example the vermilion rockfish and yelloweye rockfish Red Snapper may refer to:Fish:* Several species from the genus Lutjanus, for example the red...
, Rock Fish, Cabezon, Lingcod, Greenlings, Sculpins, Perch and Halibut, swim through the kelp forest, as they are surrounded by different Sea stars, Anemones and Crabs.
In another exhibit, there is a school of about a thousand Pacific Salmon as they swim along the ruins of a sunken ship. In this exhibit the actual life cycle of the salmon takes place as they lay eggs and give birth to young.
In addition, there is another exhibit that is surrounded by a ghostly gardens of white and crimson Anemones. Amongst the surrounding anemones, there is the ferocious looking Wolf Eel as it lurks around the ocean and gliding through the reef is the Giant Pacific Octopus, which is the largest octopus in the world.
Events
Every year, the Pacific Undersea Gardens and their volunteers get organized to start their annual Clean-Up of Victoria's Inner Harbour. The volunteers include the Pacific Navy Fleet Diving Unit, the Coast Guard AuxiliaryCanadian Coast Guard Auxiliary
The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary or CCGA is a Canada-wide volunteer marine association dedicated to marine search and rescue and the promotion of boating safety, through association with the Canadian Coast Guard under the auspices of Canada's National Search and Rescue Program.-History:Coastal...
35 Unit and the area's local divers. This operation takes months to organize, but is usually done within two hours. During the diving expedition to clean up the harbour, divers once removed about a hundred pounds of garbage. Some of the garbage has included suitcases, pants
Trousers
Trousers are an item of clothing worn on the lower part of the body from the waist to the ankles, covering both legs separately...
, bicycles, tires, boat batteries, cell-phones
Mobile phone
A mobile phone is a device which can make and receive telephone calls over a radio link whilst moving around a wide geographic area. It does so by connecting to a cellular network provided by a mobile network operator...
, shoes and a toilet
Toilet
A toilet is a sanitation fixture used primarily for the disposal of human excrement, often found in a small room referred to as a toilet/bathroom/lavatory...
.