June 12, 2009 | Tips from Travellers >
Ucluelet, Attractions
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This place is awesome. I convinced two friends to join me and they were so enamoured they visited again the next day.
The Ukee (local-speak for Ucluelet) Aquarium is open seasonally and admission is $5. It’s stocked with loads of live ocean critters caught on purpose and by accident from the local waters. The best part? They release the creatures back to their natural habitats when they’ve outgrown their tank or at the end of the season.
The Giant Pacific Octopus was incredible. We saw it while it was feeling feisty, so it did lots of colour changing, siphoning and suckering in its tank. The staff even fed it a crab! It didn’t actually eat the crab while we there – who wants to chow down with an audience watching? – but it was impressive nonetheless.
The Aquarium isn’t in a huge space, but it’s jammed to the gills with undersea goodies and a couple of touch tanks. Look for sea stars, jellies, anemones, corals, fish, snails and the disco decorator crab tank (you have to see it to believe it). The staff members were friendly and very knowledgeable.
If it’s raining on your next visit to Ucluelet or Tofino, the Aquarium would be a great way to spend time. Even if it’s sunny, tear yourself away from beach to visit the aquarium and see all the ocean morsels that call this part of the planet home.