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Vancouver Aquarium

Aquariums ·Zoos & aquariums ·Vancouver ·Open now
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#34Things to do in Vancouver British Columbia
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About

Vancouver Aquarium in Vancouver’s Stanley Park combines marine exhibits with research, conservation and animal rehabilitation.

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Vancouver Aquarium

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Opening hours

Today10:00 – 17:00Show all
Monday10:00 – 17:00
Tuesday10:00 – 17:00
Wednesday10:00 – 17:00
Thursday10:00 – 17:00
Friday10:00 – 17:00
Saturday10:00 – 17:00
Sunday10:00 – 17:00

Shorts

Why go

  • Steller’s Bay, a sea lion research station developed with the University of British Columbia.
  • Treasures of the B.C. Coast recreates aquatic habitats with octopuses, rockfish, sea stars, sea urchins and anemones.
  • Señor Cinco, the aquarium’s first California sea lion on display, lives in the BC Sugar Pool after being blinded by gunshot wounds.

Tips for your visit

  • The program helped return Springer, an orphaned killer whale, to her family pod.
  • In 2013, Levi became the centre’s first rescued harbour porpoise to be rehabilitated and released into the wild.

Best time to visit

  • For the salmon release event, plan a visit for the last weekend in April: visitors can release and name a fish.

History

Federal fisheries minister James Sinclair cut the opening ribbon, with his daughter Margaret present. The aquarium later appeared in the 1980s television series Danger Bay. A visit to see the beluga Kavna inspired Raffi’s song “Baby Beluga”.

  1. 1950The Vancouver Public Aquarium Association formed to establish and operate the aquarium. Its founders included UBC professors Murray Newman, Carl Lietze and Wilbert Clemens.
  2. 1956The aquarium opened on June 15 as Canada’s first public aquarium.
  3. 1967Its interpreter program began, using full-time educational naturalists to explain animal behaviour in the galleries.
  4. 1975It became the first aquarium accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
  5. 1987The federal government designated it Canada’s Pacific National Aquarium.
Show all
  1. 1994The aquarium launched the Great Canadian Shoreline Cleanup, with staff and volunteers collecting beach litter.
  2. 1995Qila became the first beluga conceived and born in a Canadian aquarium.
  3. 2001The aquarium stopped keeping orcas in captivity and pledged not to capture wild animals.
  4. 2005Ocean Wise began as a sustainable seafood program run by the aquarium.
  5. 2018The Research Outpost exhibit opened, presenting research on walruses, northern fur seals and Steller sea lions.
  6. 2020Public programming paused after September 7, 2020; the aquarium reopened to visitors on August 16, 2021.
  7. 2021Ocean Wise sold the aquarium to Herschend Family Entertainment following financial losses worsened by pandemic closures.

Don't miss

  • Pacific Canada Pavilion tankA 260,000-litre tank displays fish and invertebrates from the Strait of Georgia.Beside the entrance
  • Wild Coast sea ottersThe aquarium is home to eight sea otters, including Joey, rescued near Kyuquot in 2020.Wild Coast
  • Wild Coast surge poolTouch British Columbian invertebrates in the surge pool.The Wild Coast
  • Amazon Rainforest gallerySee freshwater fish, snakes, caimans, sloths and birds.Amazon Rainforest gallery
  • Marine Rescue ExhibitMeet ambassador animals from the Marine Mammal Rescue Centre.Marine Rescue Exhibit

Sources: Vancouver Aquarium - Wikipedia · Vancouver Aquarium - Wikipedia (part 2) · Vancouver Aquarium - Wikipedia (part 3) · Vancouver/West End - Wikivoyage (see) · Vancouver Aquarium - Wikipedia · Aquarium de Vancouver - Wikipedia · checked 27 Sep 2026

Where
845 Avison Way, Stanley Park, Vancouver British Columbia

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Questions and answers

Are whales or dolphins on display at the Vancouver Aquarium?

No. The aquarium has no cetaceans on display.

Are there penguins at the Vancouver Aquarium?

No. The African penguins moved to West Edmonton Mall, and Penguin Point was demolished in June 2023.

Why do some rescued animals stay at the Vancouver Aquarium?

Some cannot safely return to the wild. Harbour seal Donnelly, injured by a boat in Indian Arm in 2021, was transferred to the aquarium because of her injuries.

What animals do the gallery talks at the Vancouver Aquarium cover?

Sea lions, seals, sea otters, jellyfish and fish.

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