Oregon Coast Aquarium
P: 541-867-3474
Cindy Hanson
2820 SE Ferry Slip Rd.
Newport, OR
97365
Email:
Website: http://www.aquarium.org/
The Oregon Coast Aquarium is a world-class marine educational attraction located on Yaquina Bay in Newport, Oregon. The aquarium is surrounded by an established woodland and estuary where many of the species exhibited within the aquarium flourish in their native habitat. The aquarium is unique from most other aquariums, because it exists within the environment it describes. When the aquarium first opened in 1992, it was a landmark event as Oregon’s first fully developed aquarium.
The Oregon Coast Aquarium tells the story of the journey a drop of water makes on its way out to sea. Visitors walk past a winding brick path and footbridge that passes over a brook with a trout pond that empties into Yaquina Bay. They walk past native landscaping and see a sculpture titled “The Cradle” by Frank Boyden near the entrance. The sculpture is a cluster of whale bones and other fossils alluding to the cycle of life which begins and ends within the marine environment. As visitors enter the front lobby, they look up to see their guides; replicas of salmon suspended from the ceiling that lead to the indoor exhibits. A visitor services desk on the right faces a bulletin board with animal feeding times and behind-the-scenes tour schedule.
Exhibits at the Oregon Coast Aquarium are known internationally for the quality of their construction, maintenance and interpretation. The aquarium is a living classroom for learning styles of all ages with interactive exhibits that can be touched, heard, seen and explored.
Visitors experience the ethereal magic of jellyfish, and the magnificent colors of the many varieties of fish. Visitors watch sea otters, harbor seals, and California sea lions in their habitat that replicates the rocky shores. One of the largest outdoor seabird aviaries in North America is found here, including tufted puffins, common murres and graceful pigeon guillemots. Around the corner is a rocky den, home to a giant Pacific octopus.
The aquarium’s 1.32 million-gallon “Passages of the Deep” exhibit was once a rehabilitation pool where Keiko, the killer whale star of “Free Willy,” resided. “Passages of the Deep” is now an undersea adventure featuring 5,000 sea creatures and allows visitors to journey through shark-filled water in the safety of an acrylic walkway deep beneath a simulated sea. Showcasing the diverse marine life found off the Oregon coast, the exhibit features three large ocean habitats, connected by a 200-foot underwater tunnel. Spirit Magazine called “Passages of the Deep” "the coolest 50 yards on the Oregon Coast!”