The Monterey Bay Aquarium has been a family refuge as long we can remember.

We’ve been turning sea stars over and poking their bellies since our kids were infants. We’ve watched the kelp tank talk enough times that we could do it ourselves. Our kids were both thrilled and terrified by the wave action exhibit where torrents of water crash overhead while observers stay dry underneath the watertight acrylic dome. They grew up mesmerized by the jellyfish, tuna, sharks, and octopus.

The aquarium gives us a whole different world of creatures to appreciate.

There’s a juvenile great white shark in the largest of their tanks right now.  He’s only 43 lbs. at the moment and less than a year old,  but it’s interesting how much clearance his fellow tank-mates are giving him despite his size and inexperience.  If you’re a fish/ocean/shark fan like we are, go check him out.

As terrifying as sharks are made out to be (Shark Week!) they are fascinating. Great white sharks do not sound the two note tune (E and F if you want to duplicate it) that indicated an approach in Jaws, but great white sharks can detect the electrical impulses made by heart beats from 100 feet away.