Really nice place, very family and kid friendly. Helpful and friendly volunteer staff. Nice speculation of animals and your money is supporting a good cause read more

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Really impressive little Aquarium. You can tell a lot of thought & care goes into its upkeep. read more

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A cool little aquarium. Not super expensive but not super long either. Neat fact it is all local sea life. Workers were all super friendly and knowledgeable. The touch pool is rather neat! It will not nearly be an all day activity but it will kill and hour for you read more

This is a small, quaint, very nice aquarium located in a building that is not only a hotel, but also an apartment building. The setting along the boardwalk is absolutely stunning and offers a nice view of the harbor, as well as the local fish shop on the pier where you can then buy anything you found appetizing in the display for the evening meal. I am a big fan of aquariums and tend to pay the price they ask for admissions, regardless of it being cheap or expensive. The current price for admissions is in the mid teens for an adult, which is very reasonable considering the size of the aquarium - it is not Sea World after all, so don't expect this to be an all day thing. The actual displays are marvelous and show the great diverse ocean life in the area. One of the more knowledgeable volunteers explained to me their location close to the shore allows them to pump in actual bay water for their displays. The grand exhibit is the octopus, which I found very amusing. I particularly recommend staying for the feeding time when they put the crab inside a closed jar for the octopus to open. On the downside, the aquarium is run by mainly volunteers and not regular employees. I am sure there are many marine biologists working on the back end but the ones you'll have contact with are mainly the senior citizen volunteers, which may be very disappointing. I am certain they are doing a fantastic job and their enthusiasm for the aquarium and visitor contacts is above and beyond what's required of them. For example, the one giving me the information about their pump system was very brief and knowledgeable. However, I did find their almost predatory approach for contact with me on the more demanding side as I felt I couldn't enjoy an exhibit without the volunteers offering their knowledge about different types of seaweed upon me. I feel that they should encourage me to ask questions rather than assuming I'd like to know everything in the book. If you go early in the morning it may be time for lunch when you're done. If so, why don't you head to the fish shop on the pier and acquire the most delicious sea monster you may have found in the aquarium. Let's call this place a live food display of food you may be able to enjoy later on during the day in a restaurant close by. read more

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Both girls (7 & 8 years) had an "AWESOME" time. Their words not mine. This is a tiny aquarium however with the ability to get your hands wet by touching some Aqua life at the end of the exhibits/displays, our 20 minutes turned into about an hour. Both girls took their time feeling what the starfish & other simple-consciousness creatures that dwell on the ocean bottom. Joan, an elderly worker at the touching station was very friendly to the girls and answered all their questions. She also challenged them to find (x) amount of fish that were camouflage in the tanks. If you live in the area a yearly pass is the best way to go as this venue is a great place if you're simply looking to kill a bit of time with the kids or if you're seeking a morning/afternoon of activities with them. read more

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea - Aquariums Near Me - Sidney, British Columbia

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Loved this little aquarium, it is well designed and has some great experiences particularly for kids. The giant octopus, Pebbles, was awesome! This is a must see in Sidney. read more

Shaw Centre for the Salish Sea - Pebbles, the giant octopus! - Aquariums Near Me - Sidney, British Columbia

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I just renewed my membership to this great little aquarium even though I live way down in California and only make it up to Sidney 4-5 times per year. While not the biggest of aquariums, the Shaw Ocean Center has a lot of hands-on exhibits and many helpful guides that will explain everything about what you are looking at. All the exhibits are from the sea that's right off the coast of Vancouver Island, a really cool idea if you ask me. $12 will get you in for the day (you only need a couple hours to see it though), and $22 will get you a year long pass. Enjoy! read more

I wouldn't necessarily visit Sidney just for this aquarium but there are some pretty displays. It's not large but if you go slowly and check out all the creatures and the open tank, there is a lot to see. A docent pointed out the names of the different fish which was nice of her. There are lots of types of cod, some wolf eels (very cool) and beautiful sea anemones and feather dusters. I saw a swimming scallop for the first time which was pretty cool. You can tour this place in about 45 min - 1 hour. read more

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I had a great time here! It was all very well laid out and operated, much more impressive than Undersea Gardens downtown used to be. It is a great experience for both kids and adults. Ocean Educator Cailin was incredibly knowledgable and friendly. She gave a very informative talk about octopuses, and was very good with children. She showed me how to get a sea urchin hug. This is a must visit place when in Sidney, especially for families. read more

After I went through the centre I went back and got an annual pass. Yes one of the reasons was I want to spend more time there but I'll be darned if I don't get a picture of that elusive octopus he can't stay hidden forever. It would be sad if you went to Sidney and didn't visit especially if you have children..It is a learning experience for everyone read more

While vacationing in Victoria, we decided to come up to Sidney for a day and explore. I really liked how everything in this aquarium came from the nearby waters, which made all of it seem more real. I always feel like aquariums take the weirdest sea creatures they can find and put them all in one place, but it was interesting to learn about the ones that I someday may run into. It was a bit small, but there was a petting area which was my favourite and a gift shop that has a book on pirates (my date's favourite). If you're ever in Sidney, I would give this place a visit. read more

It was a rainy Labour Day Monday so we decided to take the kids on an exploration of Saanich Peninsula. We stopped at the Beacon Landing Restaurant for lunch (3.5 Stars) and then popped over to the Ocean Discovery Centre. It was great for the kids and very interactive. read more

Not very many fish or things to see, wouldent visit it again. The Seattle aquarium is much better this aquarium really isn't worth your time

This was awful. Don't throw your money away. It was a total waste of $50. Frankly the best part of the whole deal was the elevator down from the lobby. This was actually cool. Then you go into two rooms with some OK aquarium sights, but that takes about 5 minutes. After which you are out the money and you are dazed, wondering what happened to the rest of the "museum." This is just a bad tourist trap. read more

Great way to spend a rainy or sunny day with the kids. It won't take long to walk through so get an annual pass so that you can return a few times. read more

We drove 40 minutes to visit this "aquarium", and it took us about half that time to see it all. Not much to do. Some pretty tanks and a cool entrance, but we left feeling very disappointed. Maybe if it had been billed as a touch pool, and was a fraction of the cost, we wouldn't have felt that way. Aquarium it is not. Would be worth a go if you were there already and had a two-for-one pass maybe. read more

We were thrilled with this aquarium. It's small in size but has a huge number of sea creatures in very thoughtfully done and humane exhibits. We (3 adults) felt the small tank of white nudibranchs near the entrance was worth the price of admission! We were enthralled for over two hours before we ran into closing time. Staff very helpful with identification. No captive dolphins or whales. read more