Seeing Sea Life

Looks like they put the welcome sign out for us!  It was a good day for touring the aquarium in Newport Beach.  It was drizzling when we left in the morning, and raining off and on all day long.  That reminds me of all the rainy days we experienced while in Alaska last year.  I’m thankful that most of our time is spent in Colorado and Arizona, where the sun shines at least 300 days a year.

The otters didn’t mind the drizzle; after all, it was feeding time!  The 3 otters that live here at the aquarium were rescues and can’t live on their own.  Now they are guaranteed daily meals that are restaurant quality.  I bet they eat better than we do.

For extra money, you can actually swim with the sharks here.  I was content to watch them swim over and around me in the tunnel.  For another $40 you can have a seal kiss you……all four of us passed on that offer too!

This fish likes living on the “ledge”.  He huddled up against the glass, only moving when nosed out by one of the sharks.  Once the shark was gone, he went right back to his favorite spot.  When I first saw him, I thought he was dead and just plastered against the window.  He fooled me, alright.

Guess this must be the place….for Sandy at least!  Jerry had his ice house at McMenamin’s, so it was Sandy’s time to claim her special spot!

If you look closely at the top of the photo below, you can see someone’s fingers hand feeding the Wolf Eel!  I don’t know if I would be that brave.  I’m rather attached (in more ways than one) to all of my digits.  This is one thing that is definitely NOT on my bucket list.

One of the prettiest displays was the tank filled with Pacific Sea Nettles.  It’s mesmerizing to watch them undulate through the water, dragging their long tentacles behind them.

Is it my imagination, or does it look like this octopus is having a bad day?  He looks like he is mad and upset.  Maybe it was because the flash from my camera irritated him a bit.  Yep, he’s giving me the “stink eye”.  That octopus was a real sourpuss.  I bet he doesn't have any friends on Facebook, and doesn't care about it one way or the other.  I'm not even going to send him a request.......serves him right.