Under The Sea

Story by Gareth Kelly
Photos courtesy of Central Coast Aquarium

Even though our local ocean can feel a little cold, it is teaming with life. One place people can go to see our local sea creatures and also learn more about this amazing habitat and what makes it tick is the Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach. The aquarium now in its 21st year is a non-profit dedicated to educating both children and adults from all over the area and specifically serves more than over fifty thousand children from SLO, Kern, Monterey, Santa Barbara and Tulare counties.
Sea “We are an education center for children, we use our aquarium exhibits as a teaching tool,” said Aquarium Executive Director Tara Malzone. “We have things set up to get kids thinking. We are growing plankton in here and get the kids to think about how everything gets eaten by something bigger, from the smallest plankton to the biggest mammal in the ocean, the Blue whale.”
With a couple of majestic giant pacific octopus on display as well as many touch tanks that enable visitors to feel sea stars, crabs and urchins that resemble the many tide pools that dot our local coastline, the aquarium provides a real hands on experience.
Other larger tanks include kelp forests, lobster, abalone, small sharks and eels. The aquarium also has a nursery that raises many different species of fish including a starry flounder and a leopard shark.
CC Dora “All our tanks are appropriately sized and as a catch and release facility the utmost attention is paid to caring for our animals. We make little homes for them with rocks and stuff to make them comfortable. What makes our aquarium special is our volunteers. Most are Cal Poly students or graduates and have depth of knowledge from a marine biology and science perspective and really communicate well with our visitors. We are cultivating a community that’s dedicated to ocean stewardship,” said Malzone.
The aquarium is mainly funded through donations and fundraising events including events such as ‘Sharks after Dark’ where a guest speaker will come in to talk to paying guests that can enjoy wine and light appetizers while exploring the aquarium.
Sea life “I want to be able to provide opportunities for the community to come into our building in a way that’s fun and exciting. Sometimes science can be intimidating to most people. I wanted to break down that stigma in an informal way,” Malzone said.
The facility can also host dinners and private events and every year puts on the Catch of the Central Coast fundraiser where the end of the Hartford Pier in Port San Luis is tented off and a formal sit down dinner is served.
As for the future, the aquarium is in advanced talks to work in conjunction with Cal Poly Marine Sciences in taking over and revamping the Morro Bay Aquarium when its lease is up in 2018. There are also plans to expand the aquariums current facility in Avila, doubling its size and providing more for people to come and experience.
The Central Coast Aquarium is located at 50 San Juan Street in beautiful Avila Beach. To find out more about all the cool stuff they offer visit them online at www.centralcoastaquarium.com