A beautiful, but short Aquarium experience awaits you at the Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea. The many aquatic life forms, including the jellyfish that my youngest loved. There could be more use of empty space, but maybe it’s a product of Covid, but there’s room for improving the offerings for the price charged. The staff was friendly, there’s also free parking (which I didn’t know) that’s limited. If I lived nearby here, I’d probably get a yearly pass. The ability to learn about the local “Salish Sea” is a great opportunity that should not be missed!

Really enjoyed our time :) my partner and I (both mid 20s) went and spent about an hour and a half here exploring all the different things that the centre had to offer. The staff was incredibly knowledgeable and the displays were awesome! My only critique was that there were a lot of kids (and parents) running around not obeying the arrows on the floor and thus Covid rules, so they would cut in front of us and go backwards through the exhibits etc. Although there were a lot of families there it was a great activity for adults too and I think an adult night weekly or something would be a really cool idea with interest. Overall very well worth the time and money!

While the submarine entrance seems simple, it appealed to kids of all ages. For some reason, it really appealed to our children and they loved the whole thing. I am convinced they thought we were submerging under water. Once in the aquarium, the staff are very helpful and engaging. They will answer all of your questions and have additional models to help with their explanations. All the marine life is local to the area, so you are able to get good insight into what exists in the Salish Sea and allows for an experience that is unique and local. The exhibits are well done, including one which allows you to put your head into an inverted bowl and look around at the fish from a sea floor level view. There is also an area at the end where you are able to touch some of the sea life creatures, and the staff are knowledgeable and able to answer your questions about the different creatures. The experience takes about an hour to go through at a leisurely pace. You are able to re-enter as many times as you want, just in case you (well, your children) want to continually go through the submarine experience over and over again. Well worth the price of admission and the trip from Victoria. If you don’t have a rental car, the local transit system will take you there and it does not take much longer than driving.